For snubbing previous sanctions: NCC goes tough, slams Vision 4, DG one-month suspensions!.

The decision to suspend Vision 4 from broadcasting followed the 48th extraordinary session of the media regulator held in Yaounde yesterday.

The NCC had during the session examined several regulation cases before handing down sanctions against wayward media organs and individual journalists. It was revealed that Vision 4 TV attracted the suspension for contempt over a previous sanction imposed on the media organ.

Why sledgehammer fell on Vision 4

In a statement read out at the end of the session by NCC President, Joseph Chebongkeng Kalabubsu, the body recounted the events building up to Tuesday’s sanction.

Chebongkeng in the statement recalled that: “…in the context of the media coverage of the judicial proceedings in the Martinez Zogo case, the Council, acting on its own motion, initially took up the case against this television channel, the Director General of Media Groupe l'Anecdote, and journalist Owona Thaddée Martial for broadcasting, during the 8 pm television newscast of June 2, 2026, a report by the said journalist, conveying statements liable to undermine the dignity of Maître Félicité Esther Zeifman, a Barrister at the Cameroon Bar”.

The statement continued that: “…after acting on its own motion, the Council established the liability of the parties concerned and imposed a three (3)-month suspension on the author of the offending report and issued a warning to the Director General of Media Groupe L'Anecdote”.

The body then explained that during the hearing of the parties concerned, which preceded the adoption of the aforementioned decision, the Director General l'Anecdote Group, acknowledged that the offending report did not comply with the ethical and professional standards of journalism “yet stated that his media organ would be willing to rebroadcast the same allegations against Maître Félicité Esther Zeifman under identical conditions”.

The NCC then regretted that “in view of the foregoing, the Council's decision based on the aforementioned facts has not been complied with to date”.

“… further to this contempt…during the broadcast of the programme 'Club d'Élites' on 'Vision 4', presented by Boni Menyene Philippe, Director General of l'Anecdote Group, the latter called into question the authority of the media regulatory body, stating in particular: '...we couldn't care less about the NCC’”.

The NCC said after being summoned to its headquarters to present their defence, the management of Vision 4 that had requested and was granted two postponements of the Council's initial summons, ultimately failed to appear.

The NCC then stated that: “Considering that, Section 41 of Law No. 2015/007 of 20 April 2015 governing audiovisual activities in Cameroon…provides that ‘public or private audiovisual operators shall be bound, in accordance with the law in force, to accede to requisitions by the audiovisual communication regulatory body’; considering, ultimately, that such conduct amounts to contempt of the authority of the National Communication Council, the media regulatory body established and organised through the combined will of the legislative and executive powers; the Council, having established the liability of the media organ concerned” took several decisions.

The NCC said it was suspending Vision 4 TV from broadcasting any audiovisual programme for a period of one month, for violation of the legislative and regulatory provisions on mass communication, and repeated contempt for the authority of the NCC.

In another decision, the NCC increased, from three (3) to six (6) months, the suspension of Owona Thaddée Martial, a journalist working at Vision 4. Owona was suspended from practising journalism in Cameroon.

More sanctions…

In another case of the NCC against the print media organ, L'anecdote and its Publisher, the body recounted that following the publication, on August 18, 2026, in Issue No. 1502 of the aforementioned print media outlet, of an article signed by Owona Thaddee Martial on page 3, despite the fact that he was already subject to a temporary suspension from practising as a journalist in Cameroon pursuant to Decision No. 000229/CNC/PC/SG/CJ of 18 August 2026, the Council suspended Jean Claude Fouda Abega, from his position as Publisher and from practising as a journalist for a period of one month.

Two other cases brought before NCC were simply dismissed.  One of the cases was taken to the NCC by the Director General of the Cameroon Civil Aviation Authority, CCAA, Paule Assoumou Koki, against the "Le Grand Titre", an online media outlet. The case ended in a no-fact decision, following the plaintiff's abandonment. 

Meanwhile, a complaint filed by Barrister Armand Teadjio Dongmo against the online media outlet, "Actu Cameroun", was also deemed inadmissible, as it failed to meet the deadlines for filing.

This article was first published in The Guardian Post Edition No:3925 of Wednesday September 30, 2026