Cameroon rated high for gagged media

Written by Ngomba Aaron, The Standard Tribune

Friday, 08 October 2010 10:19

BUEA—The press is not free in Cameroon, according to a comparison of ratings by several media organisations carried out by the US-based Centre for Media Assistance.

Cameroon authorities point to the multitude of newspapers and audiovisual stations in the country as evidence of press freedom but assessments by Freedom House, Reporters Without Borders and several other organisations put Cameroon well bellow the pass mark.

Most of the organisations based their reports on indicators during the period leading to 2009 and so do not take into account the death in jail of journalist Bibi Ngota and several other attacks on the press reported this year.

A bad press law, the jailing of journalists, the absence of guarantees for access to information and intimidation of journalists all account for Cameroon’s low press freedom standing.

“Cameroon’s media appears outspoken but those journalists who bravely try to get round the country’s social communication law come under pressure,” notes Reporters Without Borders.

“Although administrative and official censorship was abolished about 15 years ago, media offences are still heavily-punished crimes.”

A tally kept by The Standard Tribune shows that there have been more than 100 attacks on the press since 2006, a period that coincided with the ongoing anti-corruption drive.

The year 2008 was among the worst for journalists with reports of assault of journalists, confiscation of equipments and arrests. But the death in jail of a journalist this year has led to more scrutiny of the country.

In 2008, there was an attempt to gag the media by toughening the conditions for starting a newspaper. A CFA100 million fee to start a TV or radio station has been viewed as a government measure to make it hard for the sector to blossom.

Authorities have tried to fight back such negative reports as the handiwork of “unpatriotic” Cameroonians and often blame the media for being irresponsible too often. It has been able to use the law to check alleged waywardness of journalists.

“A dozen journalists were legally harassed between 2007 and 2009 for their reporting,” said Reporters Without Borders in its 2010 report.

“Though the government has eased the pressure a little to improve its image with aid donors, it still aggressively monitors the media, which cannot freely discuss numerous topics, especially the army, corruption and secessionist activity in the English-speaking part of the country.”