SECTOR 3 in a context where it is widely believed that the goal of the government is to stifle media and that authorities use it, among other tools, for that purpose. In 2012, the NCC was given powers to mete out sanctions, which it has used to repeatedly suspend and ban media outlets and journalists. One panellist argued that the NCC was not created with the intention of defending the public interest. ‘[The NCC] is prosecutor, judge and executioner all in one.’ However, in the past several years, the NCC has tried to present itself as an independent gendarme of the media sector. The current leadership of the council has made a conscious effort to serve public interest. One panellist observed that ‘members are stubborn...against all odds, they are doing their job in the public interest and have been able to throw out many complaints by ministers.’ To its credit, another panellist stated that the NCC has been useful in resolving complaints against journalists before they went to court. Nevertheless, the council’s image remains tarnished, as some of its decisions continue to be controversial. In early 2018, the chairman of the council was dragged to court in a dispute with Vision 4 TV and L’Anecdote newspaper after a series of sanctions. One panellist observed that it has proven powerless in managing the distribution of airtime amongst political parties during elections, particularly in the public media. The ruling party and its candidates continue to dominate political and electoral news on CRTV. Scores: Individual scores: 1 Country does not meet indicator 2 Country meets only a few aspects of indicator 3 Country meets some aspects of indicator 4 Country meets most aspects of indicator 5 Country meets all aspects of the indicator Average score: ✓ ✓✓ ✓ ✓ ✓✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ 2.8 (2008 = 1.6; 2011 = 1.1; 2014 = 2.9) 3.4 The state/public broadcaster is accountable to the public through an independent board which is representative of society at large and selected in an independent, open and transparent manner The public only learns of the appointment of board members of the CRTV in the news, explained one panellist. As with many other appointments in the country, The President of the Republic uses his discretional powers to decree members into the board of administrators. In addition, the board is chaired by the Minister of Communication, and its members are largely drawn from the 37 AFRICAN MEDIA BAROMETER CAMEROON 2018