Cameroon Section 4: 4.1 The media practice high levels of professional standards. The media follow voluntary codes of professional standards, which are enforced by self-regulatory bodies. ANALYSIS: A few years ago, the former General Manager of CRTV, Prof. Gervais Mendo Ze, appointed an Ombudsman who unfortunately, was not a journalist. Apparently, the appointment was guided by the need to achieve what has come to be known in Cameroon as ‘regional balance’. Regional balance simply means making sure that all tribes in the country are represented in state institutions, whether the persons so designated are qualified (by way of experience and academic credentials) or not. Some years back, the government attempted imposing a code on media practitioners, but the journalists protested and the project was dropped. Thereafter, the Cameroon Union of Journalists, in collaboration with “Réseau Liberté” (a non-governmental organisation) organised a seminar with the aim of establishing a code of ethics. The participants were to draw inspiration from codes from Switzerland and America. For various reasons, the effort did not yield fruits. The Catholic Church newspaper “L’Effort Camerounais” has an internal code which focuses more on presentation. It contains only the DOs and DON’T’s. The “Afrique Nouvelle Group” has internal rules and regulations that bind not only the journalist, but all those who function in a commercial media outlet. The “Cameroon Tribune” has a “Charte graphique” which has nothing to do with ethics. It has more to do with “physical presentation”, such as the length of the article etc. But sometimes the standards are ignored when it comes to articles concerning some personalities like the Head of State, the First Lady, etc. Other newspapers like “Nouvelle Expression” do not care about internal rules and regulations. What counts is the interest of the proprietor. He is the one and only decision-maker. The practice at the Post Newspaper is similar to that of “l’Effort Camerounais”. Journalists are expected to have other colleagues read through their stories before they get to the editor. Front page stories are democratically chosen. African Media Barometer - Cameroon 2008 31