SECTOR 4 According to civil society, journalists, especially in the private sector, often ask loaded questions. Furthermore, a panel member, believes that in this regard, State media is more reliable, whereas private media is full of gossip. Public opinion in general holds that the statements made by certain media outlets are not taken seriously by anyone. They are not impartial, as they often work within their own frame of reference and beliefs. One journalist wrote that the First Lady had been awarded an untendered contract. This same journalist, when confronted about his statement, eventually confessed that one of the First Lady’s competitors had ordered the article from her. Journalists in the panel have indicated that the Press Code and the professional ethics code require journalists to publish the reply, but they acknowledge that only some of them actually do so. In many cases, the publication of a reply is followed by an Editor’s note. A journalist in the panel acknowledges that the complaints of civil society in this regard are well-founded. There are many “black sheep” in the profession. Sensationalism is a real problem and there is no clear understanding of standards in this regard. Some journalists have become aware of the problem, but for others, journalism is just a spring board for other ambitions. They are called “brokers of the written word”. In order to address this problem, a General Assembly Press Conference was held in 2014 around the theme “The challenge of professionalism”. Many journalists often slander their own colleagues. A journalist who had organised a press trip to Benin on behalf of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) was accused by a senior colleague of having taken money from Yayi Boni (former President of Benin). The victim filed a complaint with the Observatoire Togolais des Medias (Togolese Media Observatory - OTM). 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: 1.8 (2013 = 2.2; 2010 = 2.1) AFRICAN MEDIA BAROMETER TOGO 2017 101