SECTOR 4

4.4 Journalists and other media practitioners are organised in trade unions and/or professional associations, which effectively represent their interests.
Cameroon has an impressive number of media organisations and trade unions,
some of them operating legally and others not. The more prominent ones include:
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The Cameroon Union of Journalists (CUJ)
Cameroon Association of English Speaking Journalists (CAMSEJ)
La Fédération des Éditeurs de Presse
La Fédération des journalistes camerounaise
Association des Journalistes Sportive du Cameroun
The Union of Online Journalist of Cameroon
Association of Economic Journalists
Association of Journalists for Decentralisation
La Presse Economique du Cameroun
National Union of Journalists
Club of Political Analysts
L’Union de Presse Francophone
l’Union des journalistes libres du Cameroun
The Network of Community Radios
Science Journalists’ Network

Despite the large number of media organisations and trade unions, their voice
is weakened by rivalry and leadership problems. Members often accuse the
executives of their associations and unions of not convening meetings and
outliving their mandates. Most media organisations are seen as “one man bands”
that benefit only a few interested in travelling around the world. In general, the
presence of these media organisations is not felt on the ground. The Cameroon
Union of Journalists, which is supposed to be the umbrella association, is often
cited as the most dormant media organisation. Media organisations are also
divided in terms of pro-government or pro-opposition leanings, which prevent
them from forming a common front.
However, there are a few exceptions. CAMASEJ is easily the country’s most
active media organisation, and frequently runs media training workshops for
its members. Its members come from the public and private sector and include
reporters, editors and publishers. Its role in in enforcing the respect of professional
standards has received acclaim from independent observers. Association de
journalistes sportive du Cameroun is also a fairly active entity. Media owners are
now organised in an association called La Fédération des Éditeurs de Presse and
are taking on board issues of common interest not only for its members but
for the development of the print media as a whole. It has already scored a few
remarkable victories as far as negotiations with the sole newspaper distributor in
the country are concerned, as well as advocating for the lifting of value added tax
(VAT) on newsprint and other media inputs.

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AFRICAN MEDIA BAROMETER CAMEROON 2014

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