SECTOR 1 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: 2.8 (2008: 1.1; 2006: 1.4) 1.8 Public information is easily guaranteed by law, to all citizens. accessible, The 1992 Constitution in its article 21 (1) (f ) says: All persons shall have the right to … information, subject to such qualifications and laws as are necessary in a democratic society. There is, however, no supporting legislation in place yet. Currently, access to information held by government departments follows the “need to know” principle, i.e. access is at the discretion of the state authorities and will be granted depending on the relationship the information seeker has with the state agency concerned and also the type of information sought after or needed. The budget allocated to the military, for example, is not accessible at all, which means that the national budget as presented is not a true reflection of government expenditures. If the information sought is not classified it is relatively easy to get. A Right to Information Bill has been on the table since 2003 but is criticised as falling short of the standards set by international documents and best practice. The draft seems to be under reconsideration right now as one of the committees set up by a commission tasked with the review of the constitution focuses on access to information and other related issues. AFRICAN MEDIA BAROMETER GHANA 2011 17