African governments are getting increasingly worried over the way their activities are reported in the private media. Some of them worry that opposition politicians are using privately operated newspapers, radio and television stations not only to undermine their activities but also to incite one segment of the people against the other. The writing on the wall is that African governments see the need to roll out stiffer laws and sanctions to keep the private media in check.
Last month, the authorities in Nigeria organized workshops for broadcasters on the need to shun hate speech and abide strictly by the ethics of their profession. Now, the Cameroonian government seems to be leaning towards toeing the same line.
Below is a press release after the regulatory agency in Cameroon held its 11th extraordinary session, in Yaounde, last week.
“The President of the National Communication Council informs media professionals and public opinion that on October 4, 2017, this autonomous regulatory authority held its 11th extraordinary session, in accordance with the provisions of the January 23, 2012 decree reorganizing the NCC.
At this session, the agenda dealt mainly with the challenge of information gathering and dissemination by the media in times of crisis. After members of the Council looked into this crucial issue, it was established that while the nation traverses a critical chapter in its life, characterized by a crisis with epicenters in the Far North, North West and South West Regions, some journalists have been taking stances and voicing opinions that defy the requisite professional tenets of neutrality and responsibility, and inciting violence and disunity through hate speech.
On the basis of the pertinent provision of section 4 of the January 23, 2012 decree reorganizing the NCC which stipulates that the Council ensures respect for social peace, national unity and integration in all media, the national communication council vehemently condemns such practices which are clearly in breach of journalism ethics. From the foregoing, the National Communication Council, which in no way seeks to put the sacrosanct principle of press freedom enshrined in our nation’s constitution to question, enjoins media professionals to employ the hallmarks of professionalism, objectivity and patriotism for the promotion of social cohesion, the true measure of the efficacy of our togetherness and the sustainability of the unity of our nation.
In the same vein, the President of the National Communication Council invites the heads of various national and international media organs represented in Cameroon to an important consultation meeting at the Yaounde Conference Centre next Wednesday, which will hinge on the challenge of information gathering and dissemination by the media in times of crisis”.
