By Morine Tanyi
Over 100 media men and women drawn from across the various gens of the profession have met and reviewed gaps existing in the 1990 media law. They have well as proposed solutions on how the law can be amended to better fit the present context and guarantee greater press freedom in Cameroon.
Media practitioners met in a one-day multistakeholder conference in prelude to the launch of the Media Freedom Project.
Funded by the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office and implemented by AFRICAphonie Cameroon, the workshop at the Yaounde Conference Centre, yesterday, held under the theme: “Press freedom and access to information.”
The thematic sessions on Press Freedom, at the workshop were handled by renowned varsity don and journalism trainer, Prof Kingsley L. Ngange.
Ngange who doubles as the Head of Department of the Department of Journalism and Mass Communication, JMC in the University of Buea, UB, explored ways gaps in the 1990 media law and proposing reforms towards greater press freedom.
“Good laws are always subject to amendments because they are meant to govern people within a time period and this is the good time to start the conversation after over 30 years of the freedom of expression laws in Cameroon,” Ngange told participants.
The journalism trainer and ace reporter of state broadcaster, CRTV said the discussion among media practitioners should hinge on looking at “aspects of the law which may be problematic or need to be amended in order for journalists in Cameroon to perform their profession of journalism well”.
“This is the same thing that is done in the democratic process, as once in a while you have reorganisation so as to permit the democratic process move forward,” Ngange added.
The facilitator equally harped on the need for journalists to “solicit for the reorganization” of the profession for better performance.
“This is needed so that we can get the well-deserved or desired results that we advocate in the practice of our profession and the realisation of democratic goals in Cameroon,” he noted, stating that it is time for journalists to champion their own course.
“…talking in newsrooms is not enough but bringing together them to jointly identify what their challenges are and advocate the amelioration of their working conditions through better laws,” Ngange pointed out.
Joseph Chebonkeng, President of the National Communication Council, addressing the symposium
Other facilitators including senior journalist, Christophe Bobokiono, edified participants on the topic “Le journaliste face å la loi 1990 et la liberté de la presse” while the thematic session on access to information was handled by freelance journalist, Comfort Mussa, who, harped leveraging on social media and online tools to seek and access information, while Jesse Konang talked on mainstreaming access to information in Cameroon's Freedom of Expression.
Present at the workshop were members of media regulatory structures in the country as well as members of the diplomatic corps.
The British High Commissioner to Cameroon, Dr Christian Dennys-McClure expressed satisfaction with the gathering and the massive turnout.
“We are members among with 50 other countries including several other countries from Africa who are in support of media freedom around the world and this particular event we are encouraging the commitment made by government with a previous policy around an access to freedom of expression. The objective of the conference is to work to a better access to information in Cameroon,” the UK diplomat said.
On his part, the President of the Nation Communication Council, Joe Chebonkeng, revealed that the advent of the social media has hit the traditional media very hard which is gradually fighting audience with the traditional media organs.
“…traditional media organs publish for the public and when you don’t have people consuming what you have publish, this simply means there is a problem…,” Chebonkeng said while urging traditional media organs to embrace social media in order to better relay their products and reducing the current trend.
“This is our commitment in urging the traditional media organs to get on to the social media where the people are and meet them there and provide the normal regular information for they are the ones that have been trained on how to gather, treat and disseminate information,” Chebonkeng pleaded, saying it will help reduce the existence of citizen journalists who publish without knowing the consequences of their acts.
“This is our big battle and we hope that this conversation will help the traditional media organs get to understand they have to meet the people where they are going to which is the social media,” he added.
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