Cameroon – Press Freedom: Glaring Evidence of Improvement

Liberté de la presse

Newspaper headlines, radio and TV programmes, speak of the milestone covered in freedom of expression.
Since the enactment of the 1990 communication laws that favoured investment in the sector, the Cameroonian media landscape has witnessed exponential growth with a high level of liberty of expression on several newspapers and radio/TV debate platforms. Prior to 1990, the press in Cameroon was virtually Stateowned and State-controlled. Regulation was rare, because the government’s propaganda machinery was in full operational gear. The radio, the television and the newspapers especially those owned by the State, all ventilated solely what the State wanted the public to be informed about, and in the manner and angle from which the government felt “comfortable” with. But the story today is in stark contrast to the bleak reality of the pre-1990 era. Each big town in Cameroon can now boast of at least one privately- owned and freely-broadcasting radio station. In cities like Yaounde and Douala, it has become almost impossible to keep track of the number of stations on the FM band dial, given their plethora and the rapidity with which their numbers keep piling up. Almost every big church now has its TV station, with pioneer private stations like Canal 2 International, STV and Equinoxe TV having become worthy competitors, holding their own rights in the local audience against the might of the State-owned broadcast home. Besides the existence of numerous private radio and TV stations, programmes and debates carried out in some of these media organs are a glaring evidence of an improvement in the liberty of expression in the country. The case in point is with programmes such as Canal Presse on Canal 2, 7 Hebdo on STV, Club d’ Elites on Vision 4, Cameroon Calling on CRTV National Station and Press Hour on CRTV television. It is a fact that, press freedom in Cameroon is a reality as participants on such debates have been noted to freely speak their mind even when it means insulting the government in place. Furthermore, with the advent of digital technologies, online media structures are sprouting at an astronomical rate, with apparently limited control. Not to mention the phenomenal rise of proximity media interfaces like the numerous mobile apps that have become the latest crazy trend in this rapidly expanding media jungle. Through them, anyone can say anything at any time to anyone through text, audio or video messages, and in almost an instant, the entire world is aware of the issue. No one cares about the quality of the content; and few are those who even bother to investigate its veracity. At best, the government practices some form of regulation, through the National Communication Council, (NCC) which every now and then takes measures to oblige registered media organs and practitioners to the ethics of the profession. But even this seems ineffective, because implementation of the NCC’s rulings is not strictly followed up. So we see sanctioned organs still operating loosely and going unscathed. Even foreign media houses freely get implanted here and recruit correspondents in all liberty, to report on national issues following their own editorial lines and working under their policies. When one puts all these facts together, it is hard not to say that press freedom is an existential reality in Cameroon.

Brenda YUFEH NCHEWNANG-NGASSA

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