THE WAY FORWARD 1. What were the developments in the media environment in the last three/four years? Positive Developments • Women and women’s issues were better covered and given more voice, thanks in part to a higher number of women entering journalism. • Social media, internet penetration and online news sources expanded, creating more avenues for journalists to publish their work and for citizens to air their views, resulting in broader diversity in the media landscape. • Compared to previous years, public broadcast media has become more open and tolerant to critical voices, allowing alternative narratives and opinions about public affairs to emerge. Negative Developments 2. • The shrinking of the advertising market experienced in previous years has continued, mounting economic pressure on news organisations and exposing them to diverse influences. • Corruption in the media was observed to be worsening in spite of progress in other areas, such as access to training and awareness of professional standards. • The social and security situation of the country in the past two years appeared to have incited and promoted hate speech on the media. What kinds of activities are needed over the next three/four years? • Panellists felt a strong lobby is required to develop and implement voluntary codes of ethics and conduct as a means of reducing bad journalism practices. • Media aid reforms are needed to guarantee the transparency, independence and sustainability of government subventions to private media. • Action needs to be taken to improve the working conditions of journalists, starting with advocacy for the implementation of existing labour laws and collective bargain agreements. The panel discussion took place at the Centre Touristique de Nkolandom, Ebolowa on 22-23 June 2018. 51 AFRICAN MEDIA BAROMETER CAMEROON 2018