By Ikome Christie-Noella Eposi in Buea
The President of the National Communication Council (NCC), Joseph Chebongkeng Kalabubse has called on journalists in the South West region to improve on their reporting style especially when it comes to crisis reporting.
He was speaking in Buea on Wednesday, November 30, 2022 during a one-day workshop organized by NCC which brought together over 70 media practitioners drawn from across the six divisions of the South West region.
Under the theme “Crisis Reporting and Instrumentalisation of Journalists”, the workshop enabled the journalists gain more knowledge and better their skills on crisis reporting.
The NCC boss noted that it is very important for journalists to change their attitude as well as reporting style because they work on broken bottles. “This is an ill that has been noticed and so with the teachings and experiences shared by the old hands and all what we have reminded them about, we expect a change of attitude and an improvement in their reporting style which we think they must do because they are moving on broken bottles and they must know how to sail through without being hurt”, he advised.
In order to ensure a responsible communication, the first speaker, Victor Epie Ngome sat the journalists through aspects of crisis reporting. In his presentation, he enjoined the media men and women to be the seed of a rose in a dust bean. While stating that journalists are always in a tight rope when reporting conflict issues, Epie Ngome advised the media practitioners to always know their facts, separate the facts from their personal opinions, choose words carefully, avoid using derogatory languages and choose their sources wisely when reporting on the crisis.
Nkemdem Forbinake talking on the instrumentalisation of journalists, told the journalists to shun away from the so-called ‘gombo’ syndrome and be more responsible and make their profession more dignifying. “A Journalist should have integrity and the capacity to be independent so that sources don’t under look you or take you for a beggar. As a journalist you should command some respect and it begins with the quality of your work. You should appear how you want to be addressed, have some self-dignity as a journalist” he noted.
Some participants at the close of the workshop expressed gratitude to the NCC for organizing such a workshop which according to some was very timely. They promised to inculcate the teachings and change their style of reporting especially about the crisis so as to avoid being hurt.
The National Communication Council is a regulatory and consultative body with legal personality and financial autonomy which works towards the emergence of a free and responsible press. It equally contributes to the creation of favorable conditions for the professionalism of the media sector in all its components, support and builds capacity of media stakeholder, ensures equal access to media especially during lection periods, freedom and responsibility of the media, social peace, unity and national integration in all media etc.
