The journalistic profession in Ivory Coast is regulated by the Media Act 2004-643 of 31 December 2004. The Act provides for professional training as a key criterion to practice journalism. This should be substantiated by a higher diploma issued by a professional school of journalism or a bachelor or masters degree in a related field that will allow the practice of journalism, after one or two years of additional professional training within an editorial team. Regarding the issue of confidentiality of sources, the law is unclear and leaves loopholes for abuse, even though none has yet been noted. The principle of access to information is widely stated in the various legal and regulatory instruments but it is not organised under the law. The Broadcasting Act 2004-644 was adopted on 14 December 2004 and enacted on 31 December of the same year. However, the Board of Directors of RTI (Ivorian radio and television network) is not a reflection of the diversity of the Ivorian society, nor is it accountable to the public, nor are its members appointed in a democratic manner. Relations between the CNCA and the RTI Board of Directors are quite distant: this explains the exaggerated politicization of RTI appointments. The Ivoirian media adopted on 29 August 1992, at the initiative of UNJCI, a Code of Professional Conduct for Journalists. In 1995, the Observatory on Press Freedom, Ethics and Deontology (OLPED) was established to ensure the application of the Code of Conduct. However, since the political and military crisis that prevailed in the country, the media have given less importance to ethics, deontology and professional standards. Apart from the state media outlets (RTI and Fraternité Matin), the Ivorian private sector media hardly offers adequate salaries and professional working conditions. This said, corruption remains widespread in the Ivorian media and exists under varied forms and at different levels. Trade unions and employers, under the leadership of UNJCI, ensured the adoption in February 2008 of a collective bargaining agreement, which is still poorly applied. Civil society organisations only defend press freedom when their freedom of expression is affected. This is often limited to declarations and press releases that are more or less relayed by the media. 72 AFRICAN MEDIA BAROMETER IVORY COAST 2009