SECTOR 4 The media practice high levels of professional standards. 4.1 The media follow voluntary codes of professional standards, which are enforced by self-regulatory bodies that deal with complaints from the public. In Benin, journalists follow rules of professional conduct and ethics and freely developed a code through a large consensus. In 1999, all professionals contributed in the establishment of a self-regulatory body ODEM (Observatory on professional conduct and ethics in the media), which ensures observance of the code and deals with complaints from the public. Several violations of the professional code are regularly condemned by ODEM. There are certain young journalists, who do not follow the code out of ignorance, though they are not in the majority owing to the in-service training efforts deployed by professional associations and the HAAC. Scores: Individual scores: 1 Country does not meet indicator 2 Country minimally meets aspects of the indicator. 3 Country meets many aspects of indicator but progress may be too recent to judge. 4 Country meets most aspects of indicator. 5 Country meets all aspects of the indicator and has been doing so over time. Average score: 4.3 (2007=5.0) 4.2 The standard of reporting follows the basic principles of accuracy and fairness. A few observe these principles. However, the vast majority of newspapers voluntarily ignore these basic principles for economic reasons. The multiplicity of newspapers is unfortunately to the detriment of quality and adherence to professional standards. As entry into the profession and the establishment of 108 AFRICAN MEDIA BAROMETER BENIN 2009