{"id":7240,"date":"2013-09-09T18:57:48","date_gmt":"2013-09-09T22:57:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/?p=7240"},"modified":"2013-09-09T18:58:43","modified_gmt":"2013-09-09T22:58:43","slug":"cameroon-takes-a-note-from-mugabe-shuts-down-11-media-outlets","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2013\/09\/cameroon-takes-a-note-from-mugabe-shuts-down-11-media-outlets\/","title":{"rendered":"Cameroon takes a note from Mugabe, shuts down 11 media outlets"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"cm-map\"<\/a>

Cameroon (Source: CIA)<\/p><\/div>\n

While I certainly can’t confirm they got the idea from Robert Mugabe<\/a>, nonetheless, it seems more than coincidental that as Cameroon enters an election cycle, the government is closing down media outlets that journalists describe as critical of the current government.<\/p>\n

(Source: VOA<\/a>\u00a0via Andy Sennitt)<\/p>\n

Cameroon’s National Communications Council has closed down 11 newspapers, television and radio stations, for what it describes as disrespect of ethics and professional norms. But journalists say these private media outlets are being silenced because they are critical of the government.<\/p>\n

On Friday morning, Cameroon’s state radio CRTV announced the suspension of three radio stations, a television station and seven newspapers.\u00a0 The report said Cameroon’s National Communications Council also suspended a journalist and two publishers.<\/p>\n

The journalists and media organs were accused of failing to respect professional norms and ethics. But Ngah Christian Mpipgo, publisher of the\u00a0Guardian Post<\/em>— one of the suspended newspapers — called the act an abuse of press freedom.<\/p>\n

\u201cI mean, I look at it as some kind of repression,” he said. “It is understood that the\u00a0Guardian Post<\/em>\u00a0is too critical of government action, and then coming at a time when we are preparing for elections, I have to just conclude that it is a way of stopping us from exposing a well-planned government rigging machinery,” said Ngah.<\/p>\n

The publisher said the law stated publishers should be informed and warned before any government sanctions were meted out.\u00a0 But that was never done.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have never received a warning,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

However, some journalists said the Communications Council had called on media practitioners to be more professional, but the calls were largely ignored.<\/p>\n

Simon Lyonga, president of the Yaounde chapter of the Cameroon Association of English-Speaking Journalists, said that many of those working in Cameroon’s media industry were, in his word, quacks.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are in a profession where anybody comes in, they usually do not know the ethics of the profession and so go against it.\u00a0 So I think if somebody is sanctioned for not respecting the ethics of the profession, to me [that] is not press censorship,\u201d said Lyonga.<\/p>\n

Some media outlets in Cameroon have published articles warning of alleged actions by the government to rig upcoming municipal and council elections in favor of the ruling party, Cameroon People’s Democratic Movement.<\/p>\n

Kilian Ngalla, a journalist who has been closely observing these developments, said the closure of the media outfits could be interpreted as an initiative to silence critical voices.<\/p>\n

“At a time elections are coming, it is curious that the government chooses this time to start banning press organs.\u00a0 When you look at the composition of the National Communication Council, the president there is appointed by the president of the republic. And that director is executing the opinion of the head of state.\u00a0 I think they are actually gagging the press,” he said.<\/p>\n

The suspension order said that except for one radio station, the media outlets may be re-opened next month – after the September 30 elections.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

I’ve added this article to a growing list tagged: Why Shortwave Radio<\/a>?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

While I certainly can’t confirm they got the idea from Robert Mugabe, nonetheless, it seems more than coincidental that as Cameroon enters an election cycle, the government is closing down media outlets that journalists describe as critical of the current government. (Source: VOA\u00a0via Andy Sennitt) Cameroon’s National Communications Council has closed down 11 newspapers, television […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[56,3,43],"tags":[2132,1136,1548,84],"class_list":["post-7240","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-broadcasters","category-news","category-shortwave-radio","tag-cameroon","tag-free-press","tag-freedom-of-press","tag-why-shortwave-radio"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pn3uc-1SM","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":5218,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2012\/12\/ears-to-our-world-giving-the-gift-of-radio\/","url_meta":{"origin":7240,"position":0},"title":"Ears To Our World: Giving the gift of radio","author":"Thomas","date":"December 23, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"This holiday season, you might consider giving a charitable donation to Ears To Our World.\u00a0A one time donation of $40 US can help a community through the power of shortwave radio. Many readers may know that\u00a0I'm quite involved with ETOW. We recently published this article showing the impact of one\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Doulek's Association of Disabled People, Cameroon (Photo: ETOW)","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/Cameroon5-300x225.png?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":36967,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2019\/04\/radio-taboo-an-amazing-community-radio-station-in-rural-cameroon\/","url_meta":{"origin":7240,"position":1},"title":"Radio Taboo: An amazing community radio station in rural Cameroon","author":"Thomas","date":"April 19, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Alan Roe, who shares this Radio France International article and interview with Issa Nyaphaga, the tour de force behind Radio Taboo. Here's a video of the interview: https:\/\/youtu.be\/85Xmd4xUihw Click here to view on YouTube. Thank you so much for sharing this, Alan. Readers: what\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "FM"","block_context":{"text":"FM","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/fm\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/RadioTaboo-ETOW2-1024x768.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/RadioTaboo-ETOW2-1024x768.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/RadioTaboo-ETOW2-1024x768.jpeg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":6133,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2013\/04\/rnw-looks-into-zimbabwes-history-of-media-repression\/","url_meta":{"origin":7240,"position":2},"title":"RNW looks into Zimbabwe’s history of media repression","author":"Thomas","date":"April 3, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Ironically, Radio Netherlands Worldwide\u00a0was once an international voice\u00a0for those living without free press. In the following RNW article, \u00a0Dlamini\u00a0points out that technology is advancing at a rapid pace and media outlets increasing; however, radio remains the most accessible means of receiving news and information, and unlike technologies that rely on\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Broadcasters"","block_context":{"text":"Broadcasters","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/broadcasters\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Zimbabwe-Map","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/Zimbabwe-Map-270x300.gif?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":61568,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2025\/01\/carlos-illustrated-radio-listening-report-and-recording-of-vatican-radio-january-6-2025\/","url_meta":{"origin":7240,"position":3},"title":"Carlos\u2019 Illustrated Radio Listening Report and Recording of Vatican Radio (January 6, 2025)","author":"Thomas","date":"January 7, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to\u00a0SWLing Post contributor and noted political cartoonist Carlos Latuff, who shares an\u00a0illustrated radio listening report of a recent Vatican Radio broadcast. Carlos notes: Part of Vatican Radio's African Service (in English). Archbishop of Bamenda (Cameroon), Andrew Nkea, and the gratitude to God for surviving 25 years of a\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Art"","block_context":{"text":"Art","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/art-2\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Latuff-Vatican-Radio-1.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Latuff-Vatican-Radio-1.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Latuff-Vatican-Radio-1.jpeg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Latuff-Vatican-Radio-1.jpeg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Latuff-Vatican-Radio-1.jpeg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":25884,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2017\/05\/pri-how-a-shortwave-radio-network-is-helping-to-counter-boko-haram\/","url_meta":{"origin":7240,"position":4},"title":"PRI: How a shortwave radio network is helping to counter Boko Haram","author":"Thomas","date":"May 20, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"(Source: PRI) It\u2019s easy to overlook the power of radio, when being hit by a firehose of apps, websites, video and social media. But when you\u2019re out in the sticks, especially if there\u2019s crisis or unrest, radio saves lives. \u201cIn crisis situations, information is very, very important. Sometimes more than\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/ETOW-Cameroon.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/ETOW-Cameroon.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/ETOW-Cameroon.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/ETOW-Cameroon.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":17262,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2016\/02\/world-radio-day-2016\/","url_meta":{"origin":7240,"position":5},"title":"World Radio Day 2016","author":"Thomas","date":"February 12, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"February 13th\u00a0is World Radio Day,\u00a0a day\u00a0\u201cto remember the unique power of radio to touch lives and bring people together across every corner of the globe,\u201d as UNESCO reminds us. At the SWLing Post,\u00a0we\u00a0get it:\u00a0shortwave radio listeners\u00a0understand the unique\u00a0power of information unhindered by\u00a0borders, censors, or subscription fees, as supplied by radio.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Emergency Preparedness"","block_context":{"text":"Emergency Preparedness","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/emergency-preparedness\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"fb banner green","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/fb-banner-green-1024x380.png?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/fb-banner-green-1024x380.png?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/fb-banner-green-1024x380.png?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7240","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7240"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7240\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7240"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7240"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7240"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}