SECTOR 2 ten reports. The chief reasons for this are that the media feel “compelled” to report government action in order to look friendly (or get favours) and because these stories are cheap and easy to cover. Business stories tend to take up most of the remaining space, either because journalists are sponsored to cover the stories or management hopes to use them as bait to attract advertising. The coverage of other subjects is determined by their “hot” nature and how sensational enough they are to sell copy. Private and public media alike are picky about what they cover. But there is usually more diversity in the private media than in the public media, which apparently exists to tell only the government side of the story. Investigative reporting is weak. From time to time, an investigated story is either printed or aired, but the practice is not systematic. “The media focus on subjects that do not require heavy investments.” Most investigation projects are thus limited to subjects like prostitution and petty crime. Public authorities try to stop the media from covering sensitive subjects from time to time. Following the explosion of a stockpile of ammunition at a military facility in March 2012, the minister of interior banned all media coverage after the second day of the incident. 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 AFRICAN MEDIA BAROMETER REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO 2013 97