SECTOR 2

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:

3.8 (2008=2.6; 2011=2.8)

2.2 Citizens’ access to domestic and international media sources is not restricted by state authorities.
There are no rules that restrict citizens from consuming news and information
from media sources of their choice, whether national or international. Several
international broadcasters like RFI and BBC have transmitters in Cameroon, while
cable television has made signals from all over the world, including Asia and the
Middle East, widely available. International publications such as the New York
Times, Le Monde, Time, Newsweek, The Economist and Jeune Afrique Economie
are also available on newsstands across the country.
Although there have been allegations of ‘frequency jamming’ on radio or
television, especially when sensitive issues are being discussed, there is no
evidence of a deliberate attempt to technically disrupt broadcasting. In fact, what
are technical failures or power outages are often mistaken as cases of frequency
jamming.
Nonetheless, authorities try to use other means to influence media content.
Oftentimes, journalists of the state media are reprimanded for discussing certain
issues. Typical examples are ‘Morning Safari’, a radio talk show on CRTV, which
receives a lot of live audience contributions in the form of telephone calls.
This is equally the case with the weekly French language TV news and current
affairs programme - ‘Scene de Presse’. In some instances, management of the
state broadcaster even go as far as suspending the programme. According to a
panellist, ‘CRTV Press Club’ - a debate programme on CRTV Buea - was recently
suspended after a panel of journalists “discussed the alleged implication of
administrative officials in land grabbing in the South West Region”, one of the
ten administrative units of Cameroon.

AFRICAN MEDIA BAROMETER CAMEROON 2014

97

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