Media: Freedom of the press is provided by Article 8 of the Constitution of Burkina Faso (in French) and is largely respected in practice. According to the US Department of State 2010, in general, citizens and the press can criticise the government without reprisal, and foreign radio stations can operate freely with no government interference. Furthermore, the government-controlled media are allowed to have significant participation in their programming from people with opposition views. Yet, journalists complain that the ministries are unresponsive to requests of information, claiming that their silence is due to reasons of national security and confidentiality and there are no procedures available to appeal denials for requests of information. Government spokespersons are also criticised for strictly restricting the scope of questioning during official press conferences. Access to the Internet is not restricted and no sites are known to be blocked by the government. According to Freedom House 2011, access to the internet is increasing as the penetration of smartphones and Wifi USB connectors through the cellular phones system is growing, thus bloggers are becoming an increasingly important source of news and opinion. The report notes that internet access is available in the two big cities of Burkina Faso; Ouagadougou and Bobo-Dioulasso, as well as many medium-sized towns through internet cafés with an affordable cost of usage to middle-class users. However, the number of internet users remains in the single digits in the urban areas. The same report notes that the media in Burkina Faso is open and very often critical of government policy. Nevertheless, according to Reporters Without Borders 2010, any challenge to the President and his allies remains a 'risky exercise'. Indeed, freedom of expression is permitted provided that the President and his entourage are not challenged. The murder of journalist and newspaper editor Norbert Zongo, who was killed in 1998 while investigating a case involving high-ranking political personalities, testifies to the persistence of clear limits on investigating corruption. In July 2006, the judge investigating the murder dropped all charges against the prime suspect, leading local civil society organisations, as well as Reporters Without Borders to accuse the government of having ordered the case dropped. According to the Bertelsmann Foundation 2010, journalists who investigate high-level corruption cases are particularly exposed to threats, and there are reports of journalists being occasionally sued by the government under the libel law. Burkina Faso ranks 49th out of 178 countries on the Reporters Without Borders Worldwide Press Freedom Index 2010, while the Freedom House Freedom of the Press Index 2011 ranks Burkina Faso 85th out of 196 countries and describes its press environment as 'partly free'

Civil Society: According to the Bertelsmann Foundation 2010, Burkina Faso has a strong civil society consisting of a diverse landscape of interest groups dominated by unions, student associations and human rights organisations. As a rule, the government respects the constitutionally guaranteed freedom of assembly and association. The majority of the country's civil society organisations have adopted a code of conduct and a national review committee has been set up to publish a list of those organisations that have adhered to the code. There are numerous civic organisations, sometimes in cooperation with the parliamentary opposition and the media that succeed in shaping economic and social welfare policy. However, power to influence is reduced when it comes to issues such as impunity, the courts or corruption. Furthermore, many civic organisations have been corrupted, or domesticated by the ruling powers, and a lack of capacity reduces their ability to fully carry out their roles, as reported in the Bertelsmann Foundation 2010.

National Network to Fight against Corruption (REN-LAC, in French) is a group of more than 30 civil society organisations that have placed the fight against corruption on the national agenda by campaigning for good governance and transparency in public administration. The group publishes reports on the state of corruption in the country (in French only) and has established a wide range of anti-corruption initiatives and tools, such as the Prix de la Lutte Anti-Corruption (Anti-Corruption Award), which honours investigative journalism that exposes corruption in the media. REN-LAC also manages a telephone hotline (Téléphone Vert) where acts of corruption can be reported. According to a November 2011 article by allAfrica.com, the REN-LAC presented a project for an anti-corruption bill. Three consultants, two judges and a parliamentary deputy conducted a study that led to the bill which was presented in October 2011. Article 58 of the law notes that the prosecutor must take legal action against the facts revealed in the annual reports of public and private organisations with the mandate to fight corruption and enhance transparency and good governance. The law proposes good initiatives as it redefines corruption and extends the circle of people who can be prosecuted for corrupt behaviour as well as the understanding of corruption, such as the acceptance of gifts.

African Parliamentarians' Network Against Corruption (APNAC) is an all-party parliamentary anti-corruption coalition and has a local chapter in Burkina Faso and cooperates with REN-LAC on different anti-corruption pilot projects.

Private Sector Good Governance Initiative: At the initiative of Shell-Burkina, a workshop was held in 2004 on good governance in the private sector. Around 100 multinational and national companies (primarily from the oil industry) participated, and it was decided to launch a private sector code of conduct in which companies would be required to comply with national legislation, introduce specific anti-corruption rules, monitor the practice of giving gifts, etc. In April 2004, this code of conduct was adopted by civil society organisations, as reported by the U4 Anti-Corruption Resource Centre.