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: 2.0 (2012 = 1.8, 2010 = 2.1, 2008 = 2.1, 2006 = 2.6) 4.5 Journalists and media houses have integrity and are not corrupt. According to one panellist, “corruption is systemic and cultural”. Journalists are fed with bribes in the form of envelopes in order to “thank them” for their services. Exchanges during panel discussions concluded that accepting these envelopes safeguarded the relationship of confidence with one’s sources, whereas refusing them, broke this link. However, some journalists do declare these envelopes to their editors. The practice of these envelopes is so widespread that the President of the Order of Journalists declared in an interview that these envelopes (baptised “felaka”) was a cost-sharing exercise and compensated for the meagre salaries earned by journalists. As for travel, only teams that are included in the ministers’ entourage participate in foreign trips. These foreign missions are very advantageous to journalists, but it implies that one has to campaign in favour of the government, which does not reflect professionalism in the handling of information. At the Express de Madagascar, the editorial management insist on selecting themselves the journalist(s) who are to cover official government trips abroad and take great care to ensure their independence vis-à-vis the organiser of these media trips. AFRICAN MEDIA BAROMETER MADAGASCAR 2016 101