Articulating Anglophone crisis:

K’ba broadcasters cautioned against inviting “ignorant panelists”

By Doh Bertrand Nua in Kumba

Chamberlin Ntou'ouNdong, Meme SDO

Meme SDO Ntou’ouNdong Chamberlin has urged broadcast journalists and other media men in the city of Kumba to put much thought into their choice of people to constitute discussion and debate panels on radio programmes. This was done during a recent meeting which was attended by journalists, administrative authorities and the Forces of Law and Order in the commercial hub of the South West region.

                The SDO said that a thorough investigation of radio programmes had revealed that most panelists did not master the issues they were called to analyze. Referring to such people as hunters, he regretted that they kept showing up as experts to enlighten listeners on sensitive topics which they hardly knew or understood. He further said that tracing such people was difficult since they did not have any regular jobs in Kumba.

                Chamberlin also encouraged the general populace to be responsible when discussing sensitive issues at home. Stating that problems are a normal part of life, he reminded the journalists that there is always a solution to every problem. The SDO ended by calling on journalists to be crusaders of peace and not promoters of insecurity.

                Private radio stations enjoy a quasi-monopoly of listenership in Meme because of the absence of the state-owned broadcaster, CRTV signals in the division. Locals therefore depend solely on these private-owned radio stations for information. The ongoing Anglophone crisis has seen an increased interest in information and opinion got from these private broadcasters, especially on discussion and debate programmes.