Elvis Tah
22 February 2008
The National Patron of the Association of English Speaking Journalists, CAMASEJ, Ntumfor Barrister Nico Halle, has called on journalists to investigate and publish information that is true.
Ntumfor made this call while presenting a paper on Truth and Journalism, during the launching of the Douala Chapter of CAMASEJ. "Journalism is the collection of information and events in the society, for the sole purpose of education, information, sensitisation, entertainment or debate.
For the news to be credible, the material collected must be thoroughly and properly investigated, analysed, crosschecked and confirmed," Ntumfor said.The learned barrister told a cream of journalists of both public and private press that without truth journalism becomes an exercise in futility.
According to him, the importance of journalism to every nation cannot be overemphasised. To him, a journalist is the mirror through which the nation can determine its socio-cultural, economic and political growth.
Barrister Nico Halle congratulated the National President of CAMASEJ, Francis Wache, for organising workshops that go a long way to hone the writing skills of reporters.He equally saluted the US Ambassador to Cameroon, H.E. Janet Garvey, and her staff for their gargantuan contributions towards the upholding of professional tenets within the Cameroonian press.
While acknowledging that there are many credible journalists in the country, Ntumfor, however, regretted that a few untrained journalists tend to drag the name of the noble profession in mud.
Ntumfor said that journalists, like lawyers, must practice their profession honestly, adding that liberty of expression is not synonymous to chaos, anarchy or disorder. "A journalist who sits in his/her bedroom and imagines an event or concocts a news item is a complete disaster.
More often than not this is done for pay by unscrupulous manipulators," he said.
To the new executive of CAMASEJ Douala, with Tricia Oben of CRTV Littoral at its helm, the CAMASEJ patron said he was confident that the Douala Chapter would grow into a full-blown leader of other Chapters.
Ntumfor invited other English-speaking journalists who are desirous of joining the Chapter to come on board and make the Chapter a force to reckon with.
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