NCC issues fresh sanctions, warnings to wayward media practitioners, organs.

The autonomous media regulatory body also issued warnings to other journalists and media organs found guilty of wrongdoings.

The NCC announced the decision last Wednesday February 21. This was after the 41^st ordinary session of the Council held in Yaounde.

Attended by all of its eight members, the session was presided by its body president, Joseph Chebongkeng Kalabubsu. 

After proceedings, NCC equally revealed that it had also dismissed two of the overall five complaints brought to its tables for examination during the February 21 session.  

Three media practitioners suspended

On the three cases of suspension, the NCC announced that it had suspended the Publisher of the bi-weekly newspaper, “Le Point Bihebdo”, Thierry Patrick, and a journalist working for the same newspaper, Nicolas Atangana.

The two, per the council, are guilty of wrongdoing in a case concerning the Coordinator of the National Disarmament, Demobilisation and Reintegration Cenre, Fai Yengo Francis, against the print media organ.

According to NCC, it found the newspaper guilty of wrongdoings notably on the non-respect of the requirements of investigation, balance and cross-checking when it published an article on its issue number 541 claiming that the complainant, Fai-Yengo Francis, was mismanaging the DDR centres under his control. 

“…The Council, having established the responsibility of the aforementioned organ for failing to meet professional requirements of investigation, balance and cross-checking of published information, decided to suspend Thierry Patrick Ondoua, Publisher of the print media organ called “Le Point Bihebdo” and Nicolas Atangana, a journalist working for the aforementioned organ, respectively, from exercising the profession of journalist in Cameroon, for a period of two (02) months,” the NCC stated in its ruling.

It also slammed a one-month suspension on journalist of the “Elite” newspaper for insinuating in his article that the members of the women and youth sections of the CPDM in the Ntem III Valley in the South Regions are monkeys.

According to the NCC, the Section President of the CPDM for the Ntem III Valley, Ndongo Ebozo’o Daniel, filed a complaint against the said journalist and the publisher accusing the two of wrongdoing on the story published on issue 341 of the said newspaper. 

“The Council, after having established the professional breach consecutive to the publication of insinuating and offensive remarks against the militants of the above-mentioned party, decided on the one hand, to address a warning to the Publisher of the “L'Elite” newspaper and on the other hand, to suspend for a duration of one (01) month, Monayong William, journalist on duty at the above-mentioned organ from the exercise of the profession of journalist in Cameroon,” the NCC declared.

Council issues warning

The NCC warned and cautioned the host of a pidgin news show working for the Douala-based My Media Prime Television, Njiayouom Thobie Christian II.

He was warned for wrongly using the photo of a Second Grade Police Inspector on duty at the Police Station of the 18^th Subdivision of the city of Yaounde, Fongu Peter Taka, instead of that of Awa Titus. 

He was cautioned for broadcasting what the complainant described as disparaging remarks against him during the said program. This, per the Council, was during Njiayouom Thobie’s show “Kondre news”.

The NCC in its ruling said it issued the warning to the host after establishing the respondent’s responsibility for failing to meet professional requirements for cross-checking and verifying published information. 

Two cases dismissed 

The body also dismissed two cases after deliberations. These concerned those filed against online news organ, Investir au Cameroun, and the “L’Activateur” newspaper by Dangote Cement Cameroon S.A and Enangue Holding Sarl. 

According to the Council, it dismissed the complaint tabled by the Managing Director of Dangote Cement Cameroon S.A, Bertrand Mbouck, against the print media publication “L'Activateur” and its Managing Editor, Engelbert Mfomo. 

This was after establishing that the newspaper and the journalist didn’t respect the required norms on the said story under discussion.

Per the NCC, the “complainant lodged a complaint with the Council following the publication in issue no. 352 of the aforementioned organ of allegedly unsubstantiated and insinuating information likely to damage the image of the company for which he is responsible, presenting it as the recipient of a lot illegally taken from Dame Abena Lucie, the holder of a land title.”

According to the Council, the case was dismissed because the newspaper and the journalist “respected the professional requirements of investigation and cross-checking in the treatment of information brought to the attention of the public”.

On the second case, the NCC announced that it trashed and terminated the case against Investir au Cameroun involving the publisher of the online news organ and two of its journalists, Aboudi Ottou Aristide and Frédéric Nonos.

Per the NCC, it established that the media organ and journalists were found not wanting in the case filed by Head of the Executive Office of Enangue Holding Sarl, Awana Ateba Michel.

The Enangue Holding Sarl official had stated in his complaint that the online article published by the news organ on August 22 last year contained information that he considered insinuating, offensive and likely to damage the image of the company for which he was responsible. 

The article had reported on the intervention of Russian public authorities in the process of obtaining a license from the Minister of Transport to operate the services of the riding company, Yango in Cameroon.

The NCC announced that the case had been dismissed and terminated, stating that the news organ and journalists “had respected the professional requirements of investigation and cross-checking in the treatment of information brought to the attention of the public” on the article.