Media Regulation : Innovative Approach Paying Off!

There seems to be an increasing mutual understanding between the National Communication Council and media actors in Cameroon on the rights and responsibilities of each other. The somewhat hitherto mouse and cat relationship between the media watchdog and practitioners is fast giving way to an entente cordiale wherein each actor is given the opportunity to know its rights and responsibilities and strives to play by the rules. 
The ‘stick and carrot’ approach the new President of the National Communication Council adopted from his first day in office is seemingly harmonising its relationship with the media. In effect, Joseph Chebongkeng Kalabubse came in with the vision of an in-depth sensitisation on best practices and also sanctions on defaulting media practitioners and houses. Through his many tours of the regions in his early days as President of the National Communication Council, Mr Chebongkeng underlined that the council is not only out to punish media practitioners, but to also caution them not to go astray. Other clearly outlined objectives have been to work towards the emergence of a free and responsible professional press, contribute to the creation of favourable conditions for the professionalisation of the media in all its components, support and build the capacity of stakeholders, and ensure the popularisation and appropriation of the laws and regulations governing social communication.
It is on this basis that the media watchdog has been unrelenting in telling media practitioners the good, the bad and the ugly side of the profession and why it is necessary to be cautious in educating, informing and sensitising the public. Apparently, the doctrine of the media regulator for responsible media practice take their roles as part of nation-building where success and failure are collective tasks, seems to be pleasing to most.  
After the Regional tours, the Joseph Chebongkeng Kalabubse-led body throughout the year rounding off embarked on capacity-building across the country. In the North West and South West Regions for example, the resource persons the watchdog carried along; mostly veteran journalists, schooled the younger generation on the processing of infor...