Communication don prescribes State, self media regulation

The Vice Dean of the Faculty of Social and Management Sciences of the University of Buea in charge of Programmes and Academic Affairs, Prof Enoh Tanjong, has advised the National Communication Council, NCC, to blend state with auto regulation of the media.

The varsity Don made the recommendation in Yaounde recently, during the first strategic seminar for NCC members and staff of the General Secretariat, where he featured as guest speaker.

In his presentation, titled; ‘Experiences of English-speaking Countries with Regard to the Concept of Regulation’, the scholar described regulation as the act of controlling the content and structure of the media, in order to ensure quality.

Using a matrix of four continents; North America, Europe, Asia and Africa, Prof Enoh prescribed a concertation between the state and media organisations, saying that when the NCC is co-run, Government control is limited and the over protecting interest of the media is narrowed.

To him, the NCC should be appropriated, giving it a mark of ownership as it is the case in the aforementioned continents.

“I suggest that it should be the Cameroon National Communications Council, CNCC” he said.

According to him, the name NCC is hanging, and is not associated with Cameroon.

Another observation made by Prof Tanjong was the Council’s location. The location of the NCC under the Prime Ministry of Cameroon, he said, should be critically examined.

Drawing from media regulation bodies, like in the USA located under the Senate, in Canada under the Ministry of Canadian Heritage, in the UK under the House of Lords, in India under the House of Parliament and in Nigeria, Kenya, and South Africa under the Ministry of Information, Enoh said advanced democracies attach the said body as an arm of Government and not under ministries, a placement, which, he said, is imbued with lots of advantages.

The erudite Communication Professor said “Cameroon ought to be careful where it places its Communications Council, given that, we are a fragile democracy.” Talking about funding, Enoh said the NCC needs multiple funding, because, as he put it, funding is sensitive to control. “A Parliamentary budget, media associations and media taxes should be considered as other sources of funding,” Enoh stated.

He further observed that, the membership of the NCC has implications on cost when compared to better systems. The number, he said, should be kept at a possible minimum.

Rhetorically asking who represents who in the Council, the varsity Don proposed that the Council should include representatives from all walks of life; like the Government, media, civil society, academia and consumers too. Also in his exposé, Prof Enoh raised the issue of accountability. He remarked that the greatest entity to be accountable to is the funder, which, he said, is the Government.

He emphasised the need for capacity building for media associations, especially on media self-regulation, adding that the more the professionalism, the less the need for state control of media regulation.

“The level of professional training and certification should be increased,” Enoh advised.

Making reference to the thesis of Dr. Henry Muluh, Enoh said close to 85 percent of media practitioners in Cameroon are unprofessional. He also recommended exchange visits and the establishment of partnerships with better systems.

The NCC Vice President, Peter Essoka lauded the recommendations made by Prof Enoh and assured him that the Council has already opened dialogue with other Councils in France, Britain and elsewhere and professional media organisations in Cameroon.

Essoka added that the NCC has begun organising seminars to empower journalists in Cameroon.

Moderating a module on “Policy Establishment Review; Members Responsibilities on the Raison D’etre of the Organisation – Analysis of the Regulatory Field in Cameroon” one of the Members of the Council, Charly Ndi Chia, noted inter alia, that journalists’ credibility only comes along as long when they practise what they expect others to be doing.

He wondered to what extent the media in Cameroon has been able to practise self regulation, to ward off Government intervention. According to him, freedom of expression is hardly absolute anywhere in the world and that legitimate restrictions must crop up in any given circumstance.

According to him, practising journalists in Cameroon, most of who are barely trained, insist on “looking after their own; they want to mark their own homework, even as they operate in dispersed and erratic ranks.”

Noting that self regulation is, by all means, critical to a journalist’s performance, he said accountability and credibility remains equally very important to the profession. “We need to be available to be held to account, just like we have taken it upon ourselves to hold Government official and other top societal brass to account.

To his colleagues of the Council, Mr. Ndi Chia noted: “Before you even think of regulation, first think of your own corporate culture; your own in-house prescribed tastes and responsibilities…”

Prof Enoh Tanjong is one of the founding fathers of the Department of Journalism and Mass Communication in the University of Buea, and has piloted this programme to the M.Sc and PhD levels. He is also a bonafide researcher who has been involved in several works within and without Cameroon. He has equally authored several books.

With a wide knowledge of communication and development in the Third World, Prof Enoh has worked over the years as consultant for national and international organisations.