American Journalist Coaches 50 Cameroonian Reporters on Investigating Corruption

Cameroonian journalists in an exchange with Eric Pape, ARS speaker on the role of the media in investigating corruption.[USEYde Photo]

View of the participants. [USEYde Photo]

The U.S. Embassy Yaounde, and the Embassy Branch office in Douala, hosted a joint digital video conference on the theme “investigating corruption”. ARS speaker, Eric Pape, lead discussions with journalists in Douala and Yaounde, the two major media centers in Cameroon. Fifty business and economics reporters from the print and electronic media participated in the video conference with the former The New York Times correspondent.

Pape focused on the role of journalists as the watchdogs of society, and the importance of the media investigating corruption in order to improve governance in the country. At the end of the two-hour discussion with the American journalist, participants shared their own experiences in a lively debate. They also resolved to be more active in digging into corruption, despite the challenges of gaining access to many sources of information. Returning International Visitor participant, Christophe Bobiokono, and seasoned investigative journalist and 2010 Woman of Courage recipient, Henriette Ekwe, led the discussion. The group came away from the event with a strong commitment from the participants to be more active in the fight against any kind of corruption within Cameroon’s society.  Participants lauded the Embassy for hosting the discussions, and for bringing in a seasoned journalist to offer tips on how to investigate corruption.