Media Practice : Regulator Cautions Against Misconduct

Cameroon’s media regulatory body, the National Communication Council, has officially published the decision of its 23 ordinary session which hinged on a variety of topics. Major amongst them were warning notices on 21 media regulation cases and a call for the respect of professional ethics in journalism practice to some public and private media organs in the country.  
In effect, the President of the National Communication Council (NCC), Peter Essoka and his team has called to order one online media, 15 private newspapers and their publishers, one State-owned television station and four private television stations against practices which are contrary to professional ethics and those which undermine social cohesion and national integration. Amongst the 21 media regulation cases, 12 were reported by individuals and companies while nine were initiated by the NCC. Prominent amongst the cases is that of NCC against the State-owned broadcaster CRTV and its General Manager, following the broadcast of remarks that are likely to undermine social cohesion and national integration, during its TV programme “Actualité Hebdo” of February 3, 2019 on CRTV. The Council established the responsibility of CRTV for broadcasting inappropriate and controversial remarks and urged the General Manager to ensure hence forth that programmes broadcast are better supervised. NCC also summoned Essingan, L’Avocat, Le Zenith, L’independent Economie and “Le Jour” newspapers and their Publishers, RIS FM, Equinoxe TV and Oxygène FM. These media houses had published unfounded claims about certain government officials, which undermined the honour of these personalities. NCC on each occasion called on the media organs to immediately desist from such practice which is a breach of professional ethics.
Cases from individuals such as Marie Djuideu against online media organ, www.camer.be and its publisher, Kalara newspaper and its publisher, Sylvestre Ngouchinghe chief Executive Officer of Congelcam against Info Matin Quotidien newspaper, Viettel Cameroon S.A and Viettel Global against Le Soir and Le Messager newspapers and their publisher, the Ambassador of Cameroon to the Republic of Congo against L’Avenir  newspaper and publisher, Emmanuel De Tailly against Essingan and Le Cameroon Matin newspapers, as well as the case of Gervais Bolenga against Martinez Zogo of Amplitude FM, were all examined and warnings  dished out.