SECTOR 4 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: 2.9 (2008: n/a; 2006: n/a) 4.5 Journalists and editors do not practise self– censorship. There is wide-spread self-censorship in Ghana – for political and commercial reasons. GBC radio journalists feel free to do their work professionally. At GBC television, however, many editors are still haunted by the past which demanded selfcensorship if one wanted to avoid punitive measures, and therefore they continue to follow the “line of officialdom”. In privately owned media it is mostly business interests that cause self-censorship. If a story could hurt a major advertiser, it will be toned down or dropped altogether. “Without self- censorship, the business may pay dearly for it.” If a broadcast programme is sponsored by a company it is nearly impossible to carry a critical story on that firm in that slot. In some cases, self-censorship is applied because of relationships journalists may have with a central figure in a story and this can also lead to dropping the story. 50 AFRICAN MEDIA BAROMETER GHANA 2011