Sector 4 The media practice a high level of professional standards. 4.1 The media voluntarily follow professional codes of conduct applied by selfregulatory organs. Malian journalists have elaborated their code of ethics and put in place a self-regulatory organ, an observatory for press ethics (ODEP) not very well known by readers and auditors. Regarding annual reports produced by this observatory, Malian journalists use their code of ethics. Many don’t hesitate to write on the sentimental and private life of citizens with average facilities. Many examples have been mentioned to illustrate the lack of professional ethics. Examples have also shown that the limit between private and public life is difficult to determine in certain cases, all that is an attractive situation for the journalist when such situation arrives. Various kinds of newspapers are criticized but read intensely, which is a paradox. It was also a question of relations between justice and the press, with everybody wanting to come first, to say the truth. Fears of an iron arm with the media dissuading victims from seeking legal action. Individual marks: Average: 4.2 2-2-2-2-2-1-1-1-2-2 1.7 Reporting standards follow the basic principle of exactitude and impartiality. Analysis: Being a living journalistic genre, press reports allow to report on facts with a balanced approach of information having an impartial character. In this regard, ORTM has been at the centre of debate for its way to treat information judged as subjective and non-professional. This practice may be frustrating to those who don’t miss any occasion to manifest their dissatisfaction. Several reported examples have allowed to drive the screw most of all regarding national television. This debate has driven panellists to the angle of dealing with the subject of reporting which is often motivated by a situation that is not maintained deliberately. Often, there is an abundance of news, technical problems, self-censorship for some. These are the situations to be mitigated. But there are also those who take bribes to serve “the soup” meaning that their actions are ethically wrong. Individual marks: Average: 2-2-2-2-4-3-3-5-2-2 2.7 44