Camerooniam mediamen have taken the commitment to develop and groom interest in covering climate change topics.
They made the decision during a roundtable organised at the Ministry of Communication this 2nd May 2024 as part of activities marking World Press Freedom Day to be observed tomorrow, 3rd May.
Chairing the session, the Secretary General at the Ministry of Communication, Felix Zongo highlighted the place of climate change in society, explaining that media men need to make use of the communication opportunities focused on the latter.
The representative of UNESCO at the roundtable, Mokni Nejib on his part, emphasised the United Nations’ commitment towards integrating journalists in the fight against the negative effects of climate change.
This major reason why this year’s theme of World Press Freedom Day is, “A Press for the Planet: Journalism in the face of the environmental crisis.
One of the panelists who is President of the Scientific Journalists of Cameroon, Line Renée Batongue, noted that journalists have a great role in providing solutions to climate change issues.
She argued that there is a lot of mis and disinformation so journalists need to be equipped to tell credible stories.
The President of the Cameroon Association of English-speaking Journalists (CAMASEJ), Jude Viban, buttressed Line’s point by encouraging journalists to specialize in climate change reporting.
He insists that the information journalists share on climate change will enable the population make informed choices.
Jude Viban further reiterated that journalists will reap many benefits from specializing and reporting on climate change issues.
Present also to talk to mediamen was the Publisher of ECO OUTLOOK, Elias Ngalame, a climate change journalist who shared his experiences of the field while encouraging his peers to join the train.
A representative from the National Observatory on Climate Change, René Ramsès Meyong was also on hand to indicate his organization’s willingness to continue collaborating with Cameroonians especially mediamen.
The client change expert indicated that the National Observatory on Climate Change sends out a document periodically to inform the public on climate issues in various parts of the country.
At the end of the day, the take-home message to the mediamen was clear: engage in climate change reporting and reap its benefits.
Eleanor Ayuketah Ngochi
