However, it is possible for the declarant to apply to the administrative Court of appeal if the delay in issuing the formal confirmation exceeds six months. The law protects confidential sources of information. But this does not prevent the judge from attempting, sometimes in an insidious fashion, to discover the information sources of journalists who are arraigned before the courts. Access to public information is guaranteed by law, and in particular, by Article 71 of the Press Code. And by the 2016 Act on Access to information and public documents. But in practice, access is difficult. The reasons put forward to justify the restrictions to free access, include the duty of discretion imposed on civil servants, national security, national defence, the right to privacy, etc. In fact, only the communiqué of the Council of Ministers is freely accessible. Nevertheless, the launch of the Ministry of Economy and Finances e-portal has enhanced openness in this regard. No authorisation is required to create a website or a blog. However, the revision of the Press Code could change this situation again. In Togo, civil society defends the media. Even if it considers that it is often unjustly attacked by other citizens. For instance, civil society took part in a demonstration demanding the re-opening of two media outlets that had been closed by the Authority. Today, civil society feels excluded from the legislative process of media legislation, which was not the case up until 2009. Citizens feel that the State only consults with organisations that support it. However, media associations have managed to put pressure on the government so that they are now consulted in the Press Code implementation process. There are many sources of information in Togo. In addition to the mobile phone and internet, the country has at least 400 declared newspapers of which only a dozen are published regularly. The national daily (state-owned) newspaper sells twelve thousand copies. There are 75 radio stations and 7 television stations for a population of about 7 million people. State radio covers the entire national territory. Citizens have free access to national and international media. International audiovisual media services have to pay a fee for the use of the radio frequency spectrum. Official government publications are subject to interference from public authorities. This interference often comes from over-zealous high-ranking officials. The ownership of Media companies suffers from a lack of transparency. The names given are not always those of the real owners. This situation sometimes leads to unexpected outcomes. For instance, the managing editor of Focus Infos was declared as the owner, although the real owner was living in Belgium. Both AFRICAN MEDIA BAROMETER TOGO 2017 63