SECTOR 4 4.7 Journalists and media have integrity and are not corrupt. he panelists did not mince words on this issue. For them, corruption is the rule and integrity is the exception. his open practice of corruption is irst seen at the level of “aggressive journalists” and their nefarious activities such as the purchase of information, money-making interviews, and even dictating terms. A striking case is that of the paper called l’enquêteur, which accused a government minister of having been arrested for drug traicking in South Africa. More seriously, the paper did not even have a registered oice to be served by a bailif. It could not be located physically as it was only on the internet. According to the panelists however, corruption is most endemic at the level of the media owners and this is why one rarely hears of sanctions being imposed on corrupt journalists in the private media whose only crime is the fact that they did not “submit their accounts” to their boss i.e. they did not share the fruits of their corrupt practices with their boss. 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: 1.7 (2007 = n/a ; 2009 =1.1) AFRICAN MEDIA BAROMETER BENIN 2011 123