SECTOR 4 Positive developments in the media over the past two to three years: • • There are more training opportunities available to journalists of the public and private media. Most of the training is organised by international media and advocacy organisations. Many media organisations are taking the issue of training seriously, and some have developed in-house mentoring programmes for their staff. The state-owned Cameroon Tribune has signed an agreement with the Advanced School of Mass Communication to offer continuous training to its journalists. Media diversity witnessed a strong push within the last three years with the concretisation of some online journalism initiatives. There are today more than half a dozen online publications such as www.camerounlink.net and www.journalducameroun.com, and an increasing number of newspapers run multi-media platforms. Similarly many radio and Television stations run their own web sites. Way forward for the Cameroon Media: • • • • The critical issue for the media in Cameroon remains the elimination of criminal libel, and there is a need for increased and stronger advocacy in this regard. Furthermore,, the passing of an access to information law and the implementation of tax breaks on media inputs in keeping with the Florence Convention are also extremely important. The Cameroon Union of Journalists (CUJ) needs to be restructured to fully play its role and reach its potential as an umbrella association for journalists and journalism associations in Cameroon. CUJ also needs to set up a self-regulatory body to handle deviant behaviour in the press. It is important for media professionals themselves to take the lead in addressing these problems rather than leave them in the hands of state authorities. A programme for intensive training needs to be rolled out to raise journalism standards. Launching: • The AMB Cameroon Report for 2011 will be launched as a public event, with members of the panel playing a key role both in its organisation and presentation. This will be done in collaboration with FES Cameroon. The report will then be distributed to journalism organisations, civil society groups, public officials and lawmakers. AFRICAN MEDIA BAROMETER CAMEROON 2011 109