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.