ABSTRACT
Media concentration in the
hands of a few individuals/tycoons has been noted to have a
negative effect on journalism. Thus, who owns and runs the media matters. This
piece of research went beyond already established patterns like public and
private to examine salient media ownership patterns within these two grand
patterns and to establish the relationship with professionalism in Cameroon.
The study made use of a mixed
methods approach utilising both qualitative and quantitative analysis. Guided
by Altschull’s media ownership theory and
the social responsibility theory of Siebert et al.,
the study found out that beyond private and public media ownership, other salient media ownership patterns exist, such as horizontal ownership (Newspaper 29.3%, Radio 27.9%, TV 11.1%), conglomerate
ownership (8.9%) cross ownership (8.1%), sole proprietor ownership(4.3%),
vertical ownership (3.3%), religious ownership (2.4%), community
ownership (1.4%) regional line
ownership (1.1%), political line
ownership (0.5%) and co-ownership (0.3%). With this diversified ownership pattern, Cameroon portrays a unique ownership trend
similar to those of many African countries but very different from ownership
trends in the USA, Europe and other parts of the world where media
concentration lies in the hands of one family or a few individuals. Though
media concentration is not very visible in Cameroon, some key players in the
likes of the Cameroon government (CRTV and SOPECAM), the Groupe l’Anecdote, La
Nouvelle Expression, TV+, Spectrum Group, BT Media Group and DASH Media Group
are dominating the media landscape in Cameroon. The
research established a significant relationship (p-Value = 0.038) between journalists’ professional aptitude and media ownership
patterns. However, when it comes to specific media ownership patterns the
relationship among these variables varies. Media owners were
found to have an influence on journalists and media
content which affects professional aptitude by using various means, including media policy, direct instructions in the editing of news stories, sanctions and orientation
of new recruits to the editorial policy of the media house. As a
result, basic elements of professional ethics like truth, verification,
relevance, balance, fairness and objectivity are compromised in favour of the owner’s
interests. The study therefore, recommends strict respect for professional norms and canons by both journalists
and media owners. Additionally, the government’s policy of
administrative tolerance on setting up a media organ should be accompanied by strict follow-up measures such
as the readiness of such organs to operate in terms of acquiring the necessary
equipment, qualified personnel (who will perform their functions freely and
objectively) and budget to sustain it.