The 2022 world press freedom day has come and gone, the challenges still continues.
They are admired by many either with because of their eloquent voices on the radio, their photo genic faces on screens or from a fascinating article on the print media. Oh yes, that’s the beauty of the journalism practice in the globe.
The women and men in the business, in the good old days gained fame and plenty of respect from the society not because the media outlets back then were few and the practice was traditional as well as the non availability of the social media but ,because they were assiduous and very creative in the art.
It is rather unfortunate, today’s journalism commands little or no respect from the society despite government efforts to regulate the sector with the introduction of a national communication council to punish defaulters of the deontology in the profession. Cameroon alone as at now, has over close to 700 newspaper organs, 150 radio stations including 50 community radio stations and 100 television channels as well as over 20 online channels according to a recent statistics from the ministry of communication.
In a profession when you shall never hear that they go on strike action as a result of unpaid salaries or poor working conditions but rather, gladly report strike actions of others. It is a clear testimony that, all is not well in the business perhaps, the laws governing the practice seems to be very relax which accommodates quakes to joining the train. If not so, what then justifies the fact that, all most public events photographers are issued the tittle of a Journalist, to an extend they fight and exchange insults in the public without any iota of remorse.
Nonetheless, they have celebrated their day under the theme “Journalism under the digital siege” which is a clear evidence on the pivotal role the social media plays negatively or positively in the practice of the profession. A day of such magnitude came into existence to remind the young generation and aspirants to understand that, being a Journalist doesn’t mean having a good voice, a beautiful face and a good writer but above all, it requires plenty of hard work and dedication to attain a degree of reputation. Only when those who practice the profession today shall realize the need to change the narrative from promoting hate speech, distancing themselves from monetary affairs and accept to be truthful to themselves, shall the society then give them their rightful position as the 4th arm, of the government.
