"These are challenging times for practicing journalism safely in Cameroon. Death in pretrial detention is one extreme form of silencing journalists, although arbitrary arrests, intimidation, harassment, and trumped-up charges are also used, not only during turbulence and armed conflicts, but also in ... times of peace. Journalists are victims not only of physical violence but also of psychological and digital attacks and confiscation of travel documents. Furthermore, the danger extends to their sources and family members. Reporting on issues such as politics, leadership decadence, corruption, elections, terrorism, the head of state, and human rights can be a life-threatening and perilous endeavor. Drawing on newsroom observation and interviews with journalists, this chapter argues that Cameroon has failed to provide a protective and enabling environment for journalists to operate. This failure partly accounts for the growing number of attacks and the culture of impunity targeted against the media. Furthermore, the frailties of self-regulation and the prevalence of unethical journalism have accentuated the risks faced by journalists. At a time when hate speech, fake news, and mistrust of the media are growing tremendously, free media is not only essential for national peace, but democracy is also seriously undermined when access to reliable information is restricted." (Abstract) more

"This paper underlines the relevance of devising an effective legislative framework that sets out the organization of the National Communication Council (NCC), the main media regulator in Cameroon. It argues that the rules and procedures informing the functioning of the NCC should clearly affirm and ... protect its autonomy. The duties and powers as well as the ways of making the NCC accountable, the procedures for the appointment of its members and the sources of funding should be clearly defined in law. Equally relevant is the prevalence of a culture of independence, transparency and accountability, where lawmakers, government and the public respect the NCC’s independence without being explicitly required to do so by law. Drawing from a critical analysis of the law creating the NCC and complemented with an interview with the NCC chairman, I argue that independent media regulators (NCC) can have democratizing effects, but it can also limit the growth of press freedom, freedom of expression, opportunities for democratic engagement and the pivotal role that it is expected to play in creating a diverse and pluralistic media landscape. Also, public authorities should refrain from using their financial decision-making power to interfere with the independence of regulatory authorities." (Abstract) more