Journalists
and media workers brought together under the virtual group Media People Bamenda
have done introspection on the reporting of the ongoing socio political crisis
in the North West Region. Meeting during what was christened “Conversations
Served best with Coffee: Dare to be Different”, the media men and women did
self-examination and concluded that very little has been done different from
what is constantly seen on Facebook, WhatsApp or other social media platforms
where everyone can share information. With very few very well researched articles
from Bamenda, a majority of the journalists and media professionals said they
shy away from reporting on the crisis because there is a lot on social media
and so publishing wouldn’t make much difference.
With this in mind Nestor Njodzefe NW Bureau
Chief for the Median noted “Media People in Bamenda have sinned against the
profession and fallen short of the trust of the population.” This was generally agreed with the
journalists and media workers either going with the oppressor or with the
oppressed.
Without any research, many journalists and
media workers also found themselves doing what everyone does; “forwarded as
received.”
The fact that many news organs based out of
the region prefer to send their reporters to the town to report means either
Bamenda journalists and media workers put very little facts online or they are
not doing any work at all.
The initiators of “Conversations Served best
with Coffee: Dare to be Different” Wanchia Cynthia Journalists with CBS Bamenda
and Comfort Mussa coordinator of Sisterspeak237.com encouraged colleagues to
use as many media platforms as possible to publish their content in a bid to
tell the Bamenda Story better than anyone else.
Aliah Atonji Public Relations officer to the
Bafut Council who also attended noted “we are either journalists by processing
information well, package it before giving it out or we become activists,
sympathizers, lost people etc. the session was great. The choice is now ours to
decide if we are taking up the challenge or lye on our laurels and wait for
manner from heaven.” Replying to Ndefru Milanie Station Manager of the Wum
Community radio and others who fears the unknown in the discharge of her duties
as a journalist, Aliah said “it is not too late to still pick up the pieces,
overcome the fear syndrome and continue saying the stories exactly as they are
as our contribution towards nation building.”
The journalists and media workers have
resolve to hit the airwaves and flood the pages of newspapers and internet news
sources with Bamenda stories that can drive change in a fourth night.
Tags
Politics