Crisis Reporting: NCC Condemns Hate Speech

This was in a consultation meeting held in Yaounde on October 11, 2017

The National Communication Council, NCC, has condemned hate language in the reporting of crisis by both the national and international press. The President of the Council, Peter Essoka made the remark in a consultation between the NCC and the national and international media stakeholders with representations in Cameroon on the processing of information in times of crisis. He regretted the recurrent use of derogatory words in certain national and international media landscapes which visibly violate professional ethics and deontology as well as legal and regulatory requirements underlying the journalism profession.  Peter Essoka called on journalists to be responsible in the treatment of information especially that which could be sensitive. “For some time now, hate speech is on the scale on media outlets in the processing of information relating to the crisis our country is experiencing particularly in the Far North, East, North West and South West regions,” he bemoaned.
While highlighting the people’s right to information, freedom of thought and expression, pluralism of opinions and democracy, he stated that these rights must be expressed within the guided principles of journalism. “The National Communication Council as per its creation is a regulator...