Cameroon's SPECTRUM TELEVISION's journalist,
Anne-Chantal Besong talks about the independent media in
Africa
Ferdinand:
What are the difficulties you encounter in carrying out your
task of informing, educating and entertaining the public?
Anne-Chantal:
Well, the job of a journalist in Cameroon is generally not
easy. As for me personally there is the problem of getting
information. The situation in Cameroon has been rendered
difficult by the government -owned media. Due to their early
arrival in the media field in Cameroon, journalists in the
private media like me have lots of difficulties. When you go
to cover a story, preference is given to journalists from
the government owned media.
The next
problem is censorship. Journalists are not as free as it
seems. In Cameroon, we have to be very careful with the type
of news we cover, the slightest provocative word may risk to
arrests, death threats, torture. Then there is the
discrimination between male and female journalists. The male
journalists think the female journalists cannot cover
certain stories like politics, war etc.
Ferdinand:
Would you say the media is totally free in Cameroon? (Much
more Radio and TV stations)
Anne-Chantal:
In
Cameroon, the press is not free, as it seems. The written
press is even much better. It is easier setting up a
newspaper in Cameroon than a television station and even
radio. This is so because the license for a newspaper or
magazine is easier to get than radio and television. The
next thing is censorship. It is true that it is in both
areas but it is more rigid on radio and television than on
newspapers. The media in Cameroon is not free in both press
and broadcast. There is this negotiated tolerance that is
arranged between media organs and the government.
Ferdinand:
Can you tell us in one or two words the history of your
institution?
Anne-Chantal:
The
idea of Spectrum Television-STV- came as a result of the
high demand of the English speaking Cameroonians for fact
filled, non-biased news. The public was tired of seeing the
same faces, the same program and particularly in French .So,
STV was set up and young journalists finally found a place
where they could work without being considered
inexperienced.
Ferdinand:
What is your editorial policy? (How do you gather your
information?)
Anne-Chantal:
At
STV, we believe in proximity. We want to get the news from
seminars and other gatherings and air it to the public in a
way that is easily understood by them; in a way that they
can easily apply the knowledge they get in their lives so
that their standard of living will be made better. We are
not into partisanship or air stories just for the pleasure
of covering space. We go out on coverage each day after an
editorial meeting in each we discuss the angles of the
stories we have pin pointed for the day. Some times, we
receive requests for coverage from different organizations.
They are reviewed and then the chief of station gives the
final stay as to what report we have to accept.
Ferdinand:
What about the condition of the journalist in general and in
STV in particular? Can we say he/she is satisfied?
Anne-Chantal:
The
situation of journalists in Cameroon is not too good. The
journalist is still to have his or her rightful place in the
Cameroonian society. In general as far as pay is concerned,
the journalist in Cameroon is very poorly paid as compared
to their colleagues in America and Europe. But at STV the
situation is not that bad. The pay is much better than in
most private media organs in the country; though it is would
be nice if it could get better.
Ferdinand:
Do you agree with those people who say that journalism is a
job that one does just for pleasure? It is not a job with
which one can make money?
Anne-Chantal:
Journalism to me is first of all an art. And like every art
it should be first of all practiced for the love of the job.
Money should be secondary. If money takes center stage in
any career, there will never be the desire to get better.
Once one gets the pay package they desire that is all.
Journalism is a profession that is appreciated only by the
public .So; yes I am among the people who think that
journalism should be practiced first of all for the love of
it.
Money
should come as reward to a passionate career.
Ferdinand:
What kinds of stories/events do you cover?
Anne-Chantal:
We
do every kind of story. Politics, culture, economics,
society pages, health and all. The condition is that it
should be something that educates, entertains and informs.
Ferdinand:
Your role as a journalist is to inform, educate and
entertain the public. Do you think the public is
sufficiently informed or educated?
Anne-Chantal:
The
public can never be educated enough .It is not because the
journalist does not do his or her job, but because the
public some times does not wish to be told the truth.
Imagine you bring up a debate or do a report in which you
tell the public that they are in a way responsible for their
current situation. As far as pollution, environmental
conditions and health is concerned. Every one will blame the
urban council for a poor job. But every one forgets that the
trash they dump every where is the same dirt that creates
breeding grounds for pests and germs which make them sick.
Plus, there are times when the public is blindfolded
especially when it comes to statistics of deaths during
disasters or other events. This is typical of the government
owned media, which will always want to save face.
Ferdinand:
Do you sometimes get feedback from the public? What is their
reaction?
Anne-Chantal:
Yes
we do get feed back from the public. Sometimes their
reaction is good, encouraging, sometimes they are not
satisfied, and sometimes they are out rightly critical. But
then one can’t expect the public to be forever satisfied.
Each one
has his or her own views.
Ferdinand:
How do you assess public reactions to your programs?
Anne-Chantal:
The
public is like an invincible tutor. Appreciative, sometimes
stern, demanding, slow to praise and fast to condemn. Wish I
think is sincere, I believe too much praise spoils good work
and too little praise strains good work.
Ferdinand:
According to you what is needed for the effective
development of the media in Africa?
Anne-Chantal:
I
think Africans have to start loving what thy have. It is
true we all wish to watch TV that looks like CNN, TV5 and so
on. But we have to build that. I think what is needed for
the African media landscape to expand is, first of all,
trust. The leaders have to trust the media and believe in
them. The two parties have to complement each other and not
become antagonists. The next thing is that the African
journalist has to believe in herself or himself. Believe
that even with the hardships he can make something positive.
It takes
time, but it works.
Ferdinand:
What are your future plans in terms of expansion and
programming?
Anne-Chantal:
Personally,
I intend to get into more educative programs. Things that
will touch the youths, remove them from the little world
they have created around them and push them to be more
assertive. As for the station I think the aim is to get more
locally produced programs over the air and encourage
creativity. African media organs buy a lot of programs from
abroad; why not do theirs since these same programs are shot
in Africa. Why not use the African programs to solve African
problems. Use examples that the African public can easily
identify with. I think this is how greater impacts can be
made on the lives of the African people.
Ferdinand:
What is the gender balance in your reporting staff?
1)
Anne-Chantal:
Waouh!!
Great question. At STV, almost two thirds of the population
is female with the ages between twenty-six to mid thirties.
We have female journalists, editors, camerawomen, sound
technicians and all. And it is a great pleasure working with
this group.
We form a great
team.