SECTOR 4 Scores: Individual scores: 1 Country does not meet indicator 2 Country meets only a few aspects of indicator 3 Country meets some aspects of indicator 4 Country meets most aspects of indicator 5 Country meets all aspects of the indicator Average score: 2.4 (2006: n/a; 2008: n/a; 2011: 2.9) 4.6 Journalists and editors do not practise self-censorship in in the private broadcasting and print media. For the most part, journalists and editors do not practise self-censorship. The only situations where panellists cited that self-censorship has occurred is in cases where there is some political or religious conflict with the potential to spread. This self-censorship could also be seen as being in line with applying a professional code in looking at the public interest, For example, various media houses were very careful about reporting on the Bawku issue4, and the Daily Dispatch is said to have pulled a newspaper from the printers and changed the cover page images it was about to publish, to uphold national security and avoid the potential retaliation that could result from their publication. There have also been instances where editors delayed the publication of certain stories, in order to avoid the potential “explosion”, though the information has been kept on hand. Panellists felt that the topic of self-censorship raises the question of priority, and whether it is “professionalism or commercialism”. Furthermore, ownership may also affect the content of some media houses, or the perception of such content, and how information is presented. For example, at a station owned by a person attached to a certain political party, journalists self-censor to suit the perceived ideology they feel they need to portray, and will outsource news stories that may be critical of that party in order to avoid repercussions. “Even so, we got calls form both sides, saying that the reportage was biased one way or the other.” 4 The Bawku issue is centered around inter-ethnic conflict between Kusasi and Mamprusi people in the district of Bawku, in Ghana’s Upper East Region. The cause of the conflict is mainly about land ownership, chieftancy, and who the ‘rightful custodians’ are in the area. The first major conflict is said to have erupted in 1983, and conflict has broken out periodically since then. Reports on violence in the area can be found as late as 2013. AFRICAN MEDIA BAROMETER GHANA 2013 61