US embassy to sponsor news agency in Cameroon

The ambassador Janet E. Garvey, who made the revelation during CAMASEJ general assembly, in Buea, says the project will bolster responsible journalism in Cameroon

By Yemti Harry Ndienla

The US embassy in Cameroon is verging on flagging off a news agency dedicated to coverage of national and sub-regional issues. Janet E Garvey, the US ambassador in Yaounde, broke the news at a CAMASEJ [Cameroon Association of English-speaking Journalists] general assembly in Buea last Friday, 18 July.

«We are looking at how to help create a news agency that collects credible news stories from you that the media can use. This is a very big project,» she added. She said consultations with journalists towards the eventual establishment of the outfit were ongoing countrywide.

The US embassy, one of the most media-friendly diplomatic representations in Cameroon, has over the years sturdily avowed its ambition to prop «serious journalism» in the country. Via associations like CAMASEJ whose Buea conclave the embassy helped organise, Cameroonian journalists have reaped enormous other benefits from the American embassy, including skills-boosting workshops, computer donations, inter alia.

Garvey reaffirmed the aspiration to continue when she additionally unveiled plans to set up a centre for investigative journalism, plus contributing to the creation of official spokesperson offices that will empower them to speak publicly on behalf of their ministries; a move that should considerably cushion complaints over limited access to information in the country. «There are good reasons to be optimistic about the media’s future in Cameroon ,» she noted.

However, she was categorical that while the media plays a central function in guaranteeing transparency, accountability and propping participation in decision-making, it remained vitally imperative to combat corruption in the profession. «It is just as unacceptable for journalists to ask for compensation to cover a story or accept an envelope… to write a story in a particular way [or] tailor his reporting to suit a particular individual or group,» she cautioned.

Janet Garvey promised continuous support to the media in Cameroon, among other things, reiterating that her embassy would not cease from lashing out against censorship and the muzzling of journalists in the country. She rejoiced over the recent decision by the government to re-open Equinoxe and Magic FM, and encouraged CAMASEJ to stand out as «role models within the media community, setting standards of competence, hard work and professionalism for other journalists and media associations to follow.»