an economically productive as well as a socially and culturally useful industry to survive and thrive to the benefit of the Malagasy people. The necessity to establish a self-regulatory authority has figured among the improvements suggested by the panel discussions. Self-regulation appears to be the best mechanism to ensure the optimal functioning of the press: a press that regulates itself and applies its own ethics. Notes on the Communication Code The debates around the barometer of the Malagasy media took place from the 15th until the 17th of April 2016, being two months prior to enactment of the Communication Code by the National Assembly and Senate of Madagascar. The (Communication) Code has not yet been promulgated by the President of the Republic (until the printing of this brochure). This is a very controversial piece of legislation, which has caused stormy debates in both media circles as well as political and civil society due to several aspects of the law deemed destructive to freedom of press The application of the provisions of this law imposes serious limitations even on the free exercise of democracy itself. The consequences of this law on the free circulation of information, including the free access thereof, and the right of ordinary citizens to be fully informed, are substantial, and the penalties that are applicable, extremely severe. Furthermore, the law governing communication that has been revised several times, distorts certain dispositions in favour of the emergence of an obliging press and the silencing of all opposition voices including those of ordinary citizens. 62 AFRICAN MEDIA BAROMETER MADAGASCAR 2016