War against hate speech: one journalist banned for life, others suspended by National Communication Council

By Amina Hilda

Georges Gilbert Baongla of Voice Radio has been permanently banned from practicing as a journalist by the National Communication Council (NCC).

The ban was declared during the NCC’s 38th ordinary session on Friday, June 2, 2023.

While it is still not clear why Mr Baongla has been banned, it should be recalled he has been the source of great controversy for declaring that he is the first son of Cameroon President, Paul Biya.

Parfait Ayissi and Bruno Bidjang, both journalists at Info TV and Vision 4 TV respectively were also suspended for one month for “lack of supervision during their respective programs Club d’Élites on April 16 and Espace Miné on April 25, 2023.”

Several other Yaounde-based journalists have equally been sanctioned by the NCC. Among them is  Stanislas Désiré Tchoua, Publisher of the weekly newspaper 100SurHebdo who has been suspended for three months.  He is accused of having published an image of a sexual nature.

The sanctions fall within the framework of the fight against hate speech in Cameroon, initiated a few weeks ago by the government.

it is still not clear what actions will be taken against the panelists on the TV programs who engaged in the hate speech. The NCC has however, come under heavy criticism for often failing to act on its sanctions.

“of what use are these sanctions, when some of the journalists keep on working as if nothing had happened?” queried another journalist who opted for anonymity.

Others feel that the NCC uses its powers against some journalists more than others.