The social media and its impact on mainstream journalism in Cameroon.

            For almost two decades, social media has changed the world and revolutionized how information is stored, published, searched and consumed. The ripple effect has spread so wide that it impacts not just businesses and industries but crosses over into politics, medicine, media and breaches geographical locations, cultural boundaries and ultimately, affects people’s day to day lives. 
What makes social media of particular interest to journalism is how it has become influential as a communication and news-breaking tool.
            News consumption today is not the same as pre-internet news when people tune in to events happening around the world through 24-hour television news channels. More recently, a growing number of readers, viewers and listeners are going online for their news. Television, newspapers and radio are still here but there is a growing competition from interactive online media mostly using their mobile phones.
              News consumers do a lot of fact checking. For instance, during one of the consortium’s meeting with the PM in Bamenda(coffin Revolution), Ashu Nyenty reported on the 3pm news on CRTV how the meeting went on smoothly contrary to fact that the meeting ended prematurely when the common law lawyers left the hall.Momohnews immediately wrote to Mr. Nyenty questioning his facts and source of his information. Citizen journalists act primarily as watchdog and corrective for the mainstream .No wander Moki Edwin Kindzeka (journalist with CRTV) described the social media as “keyboard intercontinental ballistic missiles bombarding” 
              In the old days, a reporter was given a lead or went out to find a story. Today, many stories are received third hand (sometimes even fourth ) through Facebook posts or Tweets so that by the time a story is assigned to the reporter, the story in some form or another is already out there in the social media universe. The reporter now has to take that into consideration and find some angle to the story that is not yet being talked about.
               This is radically changing the industry’s concept of what a scoop or breaking news is. Journalists in mainstream media in Cameroon are forced to accelerate the traditional journalistic process because people now want real time information. People want the information as soon as the journalist or the media outlet receives it. So to sit on a story until it is complete is to risk being out-scooped by competitors or even worse to be dubbed slow by the public.
                  It is now a necessity to give the audience bits of information at a time, as soon as the information is available. No media outlet can afford to wait. Why? Traditionally, media outlets compete to out-scoop each other but today if they hold on to a story too long, they run the risk of 
being out-scooped by amateurs such as bloggers, citizen journalists and twitt
              The birth of social media editors in the newsroom raises questions about the future role of editors: will they soon be doing less journalism and more fact-checking? .For example,Adele Mballa Atangana, a senior journalist with CRTV announces the government of President Emmanuel Macron of France before it was formed, quoting the social media as her source. Will they just be relegated to copy tasting and spotting trends from social networks like Twitter, Facebook and the like?
MOMOH DERO (Digital Agency and Multimedia Journalism, ASMAC)

Bamenda- Babadjou Road to be Tarred

Today's edition of the authoritative French language daily, LE MESSAGER reports that Cameroon's Minister of the Economy, Planning and Regional Development, Louis Paul Motaze signed a 113 billion cfa francs loan agreement with the World Bank on April 20, 2017. This money will be used for the tarring of the 50km stretch of road linking Bamenda to Babadjou and 12km of urban road in Bamenda. The drive towards economic emergence is irreversible !!!.Courtesy of Nchechuma Banla.

Fresh Protests Erupt In Bangolan as Villagers demand the ''Fon's" departure

. Hundreds of Villagers in Bangolan, a village situated in Babessi sub division,Ngoketundjia division in the North West region have stormed the village square demanding the departure of the Fon Chaffah Isaac XI ( Fon according to the Administration and ex fon according to the ngombar) The villagers; women, men and youths say Magistrate Chaffah has overstayed his welcome in the village. According to them, he is no longer their traditional ruler and must leave. Friday’s protests come a year since the people of Bangolan staged a fierce demonstration which led to some death and several persons injured by bullet wounds. The Bangolan Chieftaincy crisis, which gained public attention last year, has been a long standing dispute, especially within recent years of the reign of Fon Isaac Chafah. Before the escalation of violent conflict on February 19, 2016, the people and kingmakers of Bangolan had declared that because Chafah Isaac had committed grievous and intolerable acts against the customs and traditions he was enthroned to guard and preserve, he was no longer their ruler . The dethronement resulted from the removal of ancestral stone at the palace, burning of cultural artefacts by Fon Chafah on 9th December 2016. Salim, step brother to Magistrate Chafah was enthroned by the Ngomba of Bangolan. The sudden death of Fon Salim (he disappeared as fon according to Ngomba and majority of Bangolan people) on 15th June 2016 (not long after release from prison) sparked a new set of controversies, and heightened tensions as the villagers demanded that Fon Salim must be buried according to the traditional procedures for the burial of Fons in Bangolan. The royal remains of Fon Salim were held at a mortuary in Foumban pending autopsy as requested by the governor of West Region of Cameroon. Some few weeks back, Prince Mundi, a journalist with Vision4 TV published a controversial article on his facebook page claiming the remains of Late Fon Salim had been buried at a cemetery in Foumbot and while magistrate Chafah was in Yaounde. The village of Bangolan has regained life until magistrate and alternate Senator visited his village from Yaounde against advise that he should stay off the village for peace to reign.Bangolan is still in an unpredictable state as life is yet to return to normal and the presence of forces of law and order is still very conspicuous. On March 19, 2016, the Bangolan palace was under attack when angry villagers besieged the palace demanding the Fon to leave. The Fon’s son was allegedly shot before palace guards retaliated by shooting and wounding some villagers. The alternate Senator who sued for peace in February last year has never seen peace in his village.

CHIEFTAINCIES CRISIS IN CAMEROON.

Chieftaincy refer to formesrly autonomous entities of varying sizes and importance, which support the ways of pre-colonial micro–states and which play a crucial role in cultural and political lives. Chieftaincies are ruled by Traditional Chiefs and the name associated to them varies from village to village or region to region: The people of the grass field region refer to chiefs as Fons and Mbe; the Bafaws as Nfon; the Bakossis as Nhon and Khen; in the South, center and some areas in the eastern region of Cameroon they refer to their chiefs as Nkunkuma; Lamido for the chiefs of the Far North, North and the Adamawa regions; Sultan is appellation of chiefs in the West region etc. Chiefs have both political and special duties to lead their communities. According to Cameroon Chieftaincy Law enacted on July 15, 1977 served with Decree No 77/245 hierarchically, Traditional Chiefs are directly below the State representatives in their Electoral Districts and their means of appointment, responsibilities, financial status and disciplinary approach make them agents of the state. This has led to either conflict between the administration and the indigenes or the indigenes against their traditional rulers. Recently, a lot of chieftaincies have been witnessing crisis: Botaland in the South West, Nkongsamba in the Littoral, Big Babanki, Bamali and Bangolan of the North west of Cameroon just to name a few. Momohnews sampled the view of Rev Father Foleng S.D. who had this to say “The government of Cameroon has continued to make the mistake of thinking that they are the ones who enthrone Fons. The ‘Ngumba’ or ‘Kwifuo’ does and informs the administration. It is NOT the administration that determines who should be a Fon, Ngumba does, and the Fon (at least in the North West) is NOT and CANNOT be an ‘Auxiliary of Administration’. The SDO/DO represents Civil Authorities, Parish Priest/Pastor represents Religious Authority and the Fon/ Chief represents Traditional Authority. So the Civil, Religion and Traditional are coworkers, one does not assist the other, they work in synergy and in collaboration. The Fon and Father are Priests and offer sacrifices for their people. No DO/SDO is a priest and so cannot offer sacrifice. The SDO/DOs are mere civil administrators, who deal only with temporal issues. The Fon and Priest handle both temporal and spiritual matters. If the SDO/DO thinks the Fon is his auxiliary, can the SDO/DO offer sacrifice for a people in the absence of the Fon or can the Fon preside at say Labour Day Celebration in the absence of the SDO/DO? If the SDO is absent, his A1 acts for him, if the Fon is absent his notables know what to do. If the Parish Priest is absent, the Parochial Vicar acts. So the Government of Cameroon should STOP arrogating to itself powers it CANNOT have. The Fon is NOT “auxiliary” of the administration. Is the Rev man of God right? What is your take on this? Please we want writers who can think and also present facts, that will improve tnbpkhe wellbeing of the people of Cameroon in particular and of mankind in general. Momohnews is where news breaks.

CAMEROON JOURNAL GETS THE INSIDE OF BIYA'S VISIT TO NIGERIA

CAMEROON JOURNAL GETS THE INSIDE OF BIYA'S VISIT TO NIGERIA Dero Momoh's photo.

President Biya has just concluded his visit for the first time to Nigeria.A country Cameroon shares more history than any other African nation. It is reported that Biya and Buhari discussed security issues especially as relate to the ongoing war against Boko Haram in the Northern parts of both countries. Come to think about this – for all the years he has served, President Biya has never been this flirtatious with Nigeria – not so much as to pay her a State visit. But how this visit with the current Nigerian leader reminds all of us Cameroonians, the love for power that is embedded in Paul Biya! The Cameroon Journal recalls as noted in his site, Simonatebanews.com, that, when General Muhammadu Buhari, then a military dictator seized power and became the Head of State of Nigeria in 1983, Paul Biya was already President of Cameroon for one year – he had been President since 1982. By the time Buhari was overthrown by Babangida in 1985, Biya had been President for three years already. Fast forward, thirty years later in 2015, when Buhari made a ‘second coming,’ this time as a democrat and got elected President of Nigeria, Mr. Biya was still President of Cameroon with a seven year term in 2011 that doesn’t end till 2018. When Buhari will be seeking a second term in 2019, Mr. Biya, certainly would have gotten another mandate in 2018 to rule for another term of seven years. As Biya stood beside Buhari in front of a frenzy media and paparazzies, it is no overstatement to suggest that all Buhari was thinking in his mind was huh, ‘I left this guy in power, came back 30 years and he’s still in power”? Biya doesn’t usually smile a lot on these state visits – if you ever observed that. But watch him with Buhari, – he used the smiles to cover up the guilt of his eternal presidency. Biya’s visit to Nigeria had to do with security? Yes. About Boko Haram? Not as much. Biya is a very shrewd politician – he found in Buhari an ally against an emerging Biafra rebellion and a Southern Cameroons insurgency that wants to team up to fight for their collective freedoms. Biya thought, ‘this is an issue that Buhari and I see eye-to-eye. I am accosting him for a pact that should impede the development and spread of these splinter groups’. The mission might have been accomplished – as it seems, if the elaborate reception, state dinner and the plethora of photos we see mean anything. However, The Cameroon Journal would like to remind President Biya that no matter how far he schemes to impede the freedom of the Southern Cameroons, this territory will certainly outlive him to herald its freedom. momohnews where news breaks. Dero Momoh's photo.

Ayuk Edward Taku takes over office as divisional official for Babessi Sub Division amidst tensions in some fondons.

Ayuk Edward Taku takes over office as divisional official for Babessi Sub Division. Fon Chafah Isaac(according to the Administration is still fon) in attendance as Ngoketunjia Fons are in disunity as others are reportedly fueling crsis in other villages. Not only is problem in Bangolan out of hands, there are tensions in Babungo and Baba I villages of Babessi sub division. Political leaders boycott installation ceremony. Stay posted for detailed. story tomorrow from our man on bit:Mbah Isofa in Ndop

Prof. Peter Agbor Tabi passes on:

Prof. Peter Agbor Tabi , Deputy Secretary General of the Presidency of the Republic has died in a hospital Neuilly in France .His last public appearance was in Buea in 2015 during a solidarity march against Boko Harram. The former Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research was currently admitted at the American Hospital of the French city for proper care. Born in February 1951 in Mamfe, South West Province, the new Minister, Deputy Secretary General at the Presidency, is an Associate Professor who among others obtained a Ph.D in International Studies, University of South Carolina, Columbia, USA in 1982 and a Fulbright Scholar in Residence-Spellman College, Atlanta, GA, USA between September 1983 and May 1984.He died at the age of 65 without visiting the Special Criminal court like other former ministers. Sourc: Baretanews.