SECTOR 4 The media practice high levels of professional standards. 4.1 The media follow voluntary codes of professional standards, which are enforced by self-regulatory bodies that deal with complaints from the public. On the initiative of its former chair, the Madagascar Journalists’ Association (OJM)12 set up a code of ethics in 2004. However, since 2008, the association tasked with keeping an eye on ethics and conduct has been inactive and has not, as foreseen, been renewed in 2007. It is noteworthy that the association does not belong to professional organisations, which is the reason why the new code recommends its independence from the Ministry of Communication. In fact, it is the Ministry of Communication that should have convened the meeting for the renewal of the board of the association but failing to do so, left journalists free to violate professional standards. The images of killings that occurred during the 7 February 2009 events, broadcast on television and published in the press, including pictures of badly injured, maimed or lifeless persons, bear witness to that. To counter this, media bodies adopted their own norms. L’Express de Madagascar, for example, upon the initiative of its editors, adopted a series of norms through a resolution and made these public. Other media bodies set up their own code and put it up in their editorial offices and newsrooms to make sure nobody would ignore its contents. The initiatives have bridged the gap left by the association’s lack of action. The Ministry of Communication tried to set up an ethics committee, which did not last long. In fact, the way in which members were selected was contested so much so that the committee barely had the time to deal with rules of procedure before it vanished. The only avenue open to the public to launch a complaint is to direct it to the editors of the newspaper in question. 12 French acronym: L’Ordre des journalists de Madagascar (OJM) 104 AFRICAN MEDIA BAROMETER MADAGASCAR