At national seminar on hate speech: Minister cautions journalists, warns promoters will face legal sledgehammer.

He was speaking in Yaounde, yesterday, while opening a one-day national seminar organised by the National Communication Council, NCC. The awareness-raising seminar was placed under the theme: “Mechanisms for eradicating hate speech in Cameroonian media”.

The event brought together media practitioners from across the country as well as some regular media debate panelists. Chairing the opening of the seminar on behalf of the Prime Minister, Head of Government, Minister Rene Sadi, cautioned journalists and media owners against the proliferating of hate speech. 

“We draw your attention to the rise of hate and tribalism in our public space in general and on the media and social media in particular,” the Minister said, adding that Cameroonians must be conscious of this order to preserve the unity and stability that the country has achieved this far.

He further warned that the seminar is a reminder for citizens to be vigilant as hate speech can jeopardise national unity, living together and stability.

Minister Sadi also commended members of NCC, led by its president, Joseph Chebongkeng, for amplifying government’s efforts in fighting hate speech, xenophobia, tribalism and division in all their facets.

“Our diversity should not be a factor of division but an advantage because we're a country where there are so many talents and so many people coming from different Regions. We should consider that not as a fact of division but a fact of unity. That is why I want to congratulate the NCC for this seminar and for helping government to continue sensitising the population,” the MINCOM boss said.

Media to play frontrunner role in fight against hate speech

According to the President of the NCC, Joseph Chebonkeng, the media has and must play its frontrunner role in the fight against hate speech and other vices in a bid to preserve the unity of the country.

“In participating in transmitting, you are contributing to vanish the rather extreme repercussions of hate speech, which are the accentuation of division and radicalisation, rise of extremism, the decline in national feeling and all things that lead to hate and indecent practices. I firmly believe that this is not what we want for our beloved country, Cameroon,” the NCC boss said. 

According to Chebongkeng, media practitioners and other actors in the dissemination of information must engage in the construction of a more pacific society where social cohesion reigns, through the good practices of their profession.

He reiterated that the preamble of the Cameroonian Constitution of 18 January 1996, which protects all individuals from harassment on grounds of their origin, religious, philosophical or political beliefs, subject to respect for public policy.

The legal provision, he said, is further backed by the decree of January 23, 2012, reorganising the NCC, as the organ responsible for regulating the media with the task of ensuring the respect of social peace, national unity and integration, as well as the respect for the protection of the dignity of persons in the media.

In addition, the media regulatory boss outlined several actions that his institution has taken to counter the rising phenomenon. 

“To render the fight against hate speech more efficient, the concept of NCC Coffee Talk was created also. It is a professional discussion aimed at strengthening the skills of journalists, particularly in moderating debate but above all, in professional practice in general. All these activities are strong indications that the fight against hate speech in and through Cameroonian media organs is indeed NCC's priority,” Chebongkeng revealed.

Meanwhile, discussions during the seminar centred on hate speech and social media, media education as a response hate speech, impact of hate content on media audiences, as well as mechanisms to eradicate hate speech and measures to protect consumers of media production.