Final report Buea

Final report Buea
International Development Research Centre (IDRC)
Cameroon Union of Journalists (CUJ)
Strengthening Media Coverage of
Development Research in Cameroon
Report of a Media Training Workshop held in Buea
CAMEROON
(16 – 18 March, 2010)

By Aloysius EBOKEM FOMENKY
Media Trainer & Facilitator
1 BACKGROUND AND PERSPECTIVE
One of the central issues of today’s world is the creation, sharing, acquisition and use of knowledge. The aspect of sharing knowledge is of special relevance to development research that is aimed at improving health, food production/security and living standards as a whole. Hence, the true test of development research is whether its results are known and effectively used to effect the change necessary to reduce poverty and improve living standards. Although there has been a marked improvement in the interest the Cameroonian media show in reporting development research, the communication gap between research results and public knowledge is still conspicuous. For example, research projects into biotechnology, HIV/AIDS, and climate change, do not get the media attention they deserve – either because journalists lack the specialized training they need to report on them or their editors simply do not see the need to commission stories on development research or program on the subject.

It is clear that understanding how diseases are transmitted can help prevent infections. Agricultural technologies can improve crop resilience, increase yields and incomes for farmers. The benefits of scientific research are many, but if people do not hear about them, they cannot make use of its results.
For the International Development Research Centre (IDRC), Canada’s lead agency for development assistance, whose mandate is to reduce poverty and to contribute to a more secure, equitable, and prosperous world, through development research, the challenge of building knowledge societies is about bridging the gaps as well as about overcoming exclusion and inequity. IDRC has long understood that media and science journalists have a special role to play in developing and expanding science literacy in all cultures and all sectors of society, especially in Africa. That is why it has constantly sought to expand the role of communications in sharing results of development research so that they become the crucible for policy formulation.

To raise the profile of development research issues in the media, the International Development Research Centre (IDRC), in collaboration with the Cameroon Union of Journalists (CUJ) decided to organize a three-day capacity building workshop for 16 journalists from the North West, South West and Central Regions of Cameroon. Five (5) researchers were also invited to attend the workshop, which built on the experiences of the workshop organized by IRD in Cameroon in 2008 by capitalizing on lessons learned to forge partnerships and cooperation initiatives at national level.

Introduction

Initiated in May 2009, the Training Workshop finally convened at the Chariot Hotel Buea (Cameroon) from 16 – 18 March, 2010 as part of the capacity building and outreach activities of the Cameroon Union of Journalists. It specifically aimed at contributing towards increasing the number of research-related newspaper articles/radio/TV programmes published in the English-language newspapers in Cameroon from about 24 a year to 24 a month[1]. The strategy was to strength the capacity of journalists to systematize media coverage of development research and sharpen the ability of research institutions to write press releases and deal with the media. Consequently, the workshop aimed to: (a) take stock of success stories published or difficulties encountered following previous training workshops; (b) share more knowledge on on-going development research projects in Cameroon; (c) deepen understanding of the challenges/constraints in covering development research issues and how to overcome these challenges; (d) writing and broadcasting effectively on development research by framing the issue in a way which stimulates dialogue and mobilizes support for more development research funding; (e) initiate the practice of developing content for longer papers such as investigative reports, analyses, commentaries and editorials on development research,; and (f) iinitiate a national platform to enhance the exchange of news stories on development research.

1.1 Brief Description of the Workshop

The workshop brought together 16 journalists and 5 researchers from the English-speaking Regions of Cameroon: North West and South West, although two journalists from the Central Region were also invited. (The list of participants is in the annex of this report). The media represented were: The Post Newspaper, Frontier Telegraph, Messager, The Vanguard, Radio Hot Cocoa, Eden Newspaper, Lake Site Radio, CRTV, The Sun Newspaper, Ocean City Radio and Cameroon Tribune.

The opening session was presided over by the Regional Delegate for Communication, Mr Enoh Chis Oben and addressed by the President of the Cameroon Union of Journalists, Mr Charly Ndi Chia as well as by Dr Elias Ayuk, Senior Programme Officer at the IDRC Regional Office for West and Central Africa, Dakar Senegal. In his welcome remarks, Mr Ndi Chia lauded IDRC’s generosity and assured the outcomes of the workshop would go beyond its actually participants and benefit all the members of their Union throughout Cameroon. Mr Enoh Chris Oben said that journalism training remains a major challenge to Cameroon, whose media landscape had completely changed within the last two decades: with hundreds of community radio stations and newspapers launched. This, he said, posed a real problem of quality in the media because most of the media outlets are not manned by trained journalists. In this regard, he praised the Cameroon Union of Journalists for taking the initiative and IDRC for standing by the Union in time of need. Dr Ayuk then took the floor to outline the policy of IDRC in fostering synergies between researchers, policy makers and the media. He assured participants of continued support, so long as the workshop effectively contributes towards improved reporting/sharing of development research results in Cameroon.

The Chair of the Centre de Recherche pour le Developpement Durable en Afrique (CREDDA) Dr Isaac Tamba presented his institution as a body established in 2001 to fill a gapping gap between researchers and policy makers in Cameroon and welcomed the renewed interest of the media in development research. He said that with the arrival of journalists in the widening network would certainly enhance the transition between research and policy articulation. The facilitator of the workshop, Aloysius Ebokem Fomenky, stressed on the practical (as opposed to theoretical) nature of the workshop, adding that researchers would be empowered to write more compelling press releases, while journalist would be given the techniques on how to think beyond the press release and write bigger articles such as investigative reports, analyses and even editorials on development research.

Five outcomes were expected from the workshop: (i) produce a series of publishable news stories which would serve as best practices when participants return to work in their respective countries; (ii) develop radio scripts for community radio programmes to serve the same purpose; (iii) produce and share basic documentation which would serve as tool kits for participants’ continuous reference; (iv) distribute basic information needed for a better understanding of the impact of development research on poverty reduction, and (v) provide journalists with basic methodology needed to research and quickly identify viable news sources on development research in Cameroon.

Participating researchers made palpable effort to break down their presentations into easy enough for participants to understand fully. A field trip was taken to the Ekona Research Centre near Buea. Four groups of 5 persons were formed to report on an aspect of the trip and each article was initially upgraded within the group before being carried to the plenary session. The stories were then presented to all the participants and graded on the basis of: sourcing for the story, news value, writing approach, style and language. The final versions of the articles are to be completed by the facilitator, taking into account inputs from the whole group. It was a truly enriching experience for journalists, researchers as well as officers at the IRAD centre in Ekona. Each participant was encouraged to write feature articles on an aspect of presentations of researchers on their return. This will be laid out in newsletter form for distribution and will serve as a Best Practice for newsrooms of participating newspapers

1.2 Partnerships and linkages
Inter-Agency Cooperation: A number of agencies teamed up in the workshop to improve on journalists’ understanding of development research. The following institutions were represented by their respective officials Dr Isaac Tamba chair of the Centre de Recherche pour le Developpement Durable en Afrique (CREDDA); Mr, Olufunso Somorin of (CIFOR) Yaounde, Mr Gilbert Soffo Researcher (Health) at Zenú network, Dr Essama Pantaleon Researcher (on micro-finance) at the University of Yaounde II, Ms Edith Abilogo, Regional Communication officer-Africa (CIFOR), and Mr Jesse Konang Deputy Delegate of Communication (MINCOM Buea). All of these officers made technical presentations and journalists discovered, not without admiration, that development research constitutes a vast reservoir for news story ideas from which to draw inspiration for features, analyses and comments.
2. ACHIEVEMENTS BY OUTCOMES
Outcome 1: Improved access and availability of updated techniques on how to write on Development Research
Strengthening of journalists’ capacity to think independently about new angles to familiar development research stories: Notes (tool kits) on the following topics were presented, discussed, adopted and distributed to participants: (i) Strategies to reinforce the role of the media in the reporting of development research; (ii) Sources of information on development research in Cameroon, (ii) Major themes in the reporting of development research, (iv) How to cover government policy on development research; (v) General principles for writing on development research, (vi) Writing the Story for a local media and the community radio network, (vii) Writing for an international audience, (viii) Cameroon medias and development research reporting: challenges and opportunities.
Outcome 2: Improved access and availability of updated documentation on the Development Research in Cameroon

Strengthening of the journalists’ understanding of basic facts on development research in Cameroon. The following documents were presented and distributed: (i) Development Research in Cameroon’s Media: Perspectives for Better Coverage By Aloysius Ebokem Fomenky; (ii) Forests, Livelihoods, Adaptation and Development in Cameroon by Olufunso Somorin, Governance and Policy Analyst, Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR), Cameroon; (iii) ENGAGEMENT COMMUNAUTAIRE, DÉCENTRALISATION ET RÔLES DES MEDIA POUR UNE AMELIORATION DE L’OFFRE DES SERVICES DE SANTÉ (Cas de la Commune de Bamendjou; Région de l’Ouest-Cameroun) by Gilbert Soffo, Chargé des Programmes à Zenü Network ; (iv) WHEN THERE IS NO PRESS RELEASE:News Ideas for Sustainable Reporting on Development Research By Aloysius Ebokem Fomenky.

Promotion of development research reporting among journalists within media organisations: participants agreed on the need for journalists on the development desk to add value to their work through a more professional approach and self respect. Only in this way can they earn the respect of their colleagues and superiors. Experiences from different newspapers were shared.

Outcome 3: Improved newsroom organisational capacities to enhance the reporting of Development Research
Strengthening of newsroom data base on development research facts: Participants agreed that the documentation received from researchers and distributed, together with the tool kits shared during the workshop would form the basis on which a specialised section on development research would be developed within their media organisations so that other colleagues could consult for general information before writing news stories or preparing radio programmes.

The integration of development research reporting in the minimum package of the production of each news organisation: participants reaffirmed the need for development research reporting to go beyond episodic expression of individual interest by the reporters and proposed a series of actions to be taken both within the media organisations and at the level of individual reporters to institutionalise the establishment of “Development Columns/programmes” in newspapers and radio networks.

Strengthening national competences of media professionals: it was realised that for the series on media workshops to be effective, (i.e. doubling the number of news stories on development research by 2011), it would need to be replicated at national levels so that more and more colleagues can benefit from it.

Outcome 4: Production of model news stories to be shared among participants who could use them as best practices.

A total of 16 articles produced by participants on the field trip to Ekona received inputs from other participants. The papers will be edited and distributed as part of the post-workshop activities.
Outcome 5: Ownership and Sustainability.

Initiation of the network/association of journalist concerned with development research in Cameroon. Given the multiplicity of communication networks on in Cameroon, and dedicated to launch “something that works”, participants proposed to the CUJ to initiate a grouping of reporters and editors with clear interest in reporting development research and, if possible, to create a sub-portal on is official website for related news articles. This way, CUJ would take over the mentoring of younger journalists and peak their interest in the reporting of development research.
Outcome 5: Certificates of participation
Certificates of participation were issued and Mr A. Ebokem Fomenky handed them out on behalf of IDRC and CUJ.
3. Workshop Management, Monitoring and Evaluation

The workshop management team was made up of 3 persons: CUJ Chair (Mr Charlie Ndi Chia), Facilitator and media trainer (Aloysius Ebokem Fomenky), and 1 locally hired secretary.

The agenda of the workshop was well respected and participants showed a lot enthusiasm in the debates. Each participant did not only have an opportunity to air their views, but effectively took part in the management of the training course.

All the participants and experts were given an opportunity to make an independent assessment of the workshop based on the organisation and content an performance of the trainer. An analysis of participants’ assessment is below as an annex of this report. But it emerges that the assessment is highly positive and many see the process of conducting a performance assessment as a positive innovation in training workshops in Cameroon. It will be needed for the preparation of future workshops.

Financial matters and the budget were executed according to plan.

4. Challenges and lessons learnT
4.1 Challenges

The media in Cameroon are not immune to the corruption that extends to most sectors of the country. Research in general and development research in particular are the first victims of the ‘cankerworm’ because stakeholders such as NGOs and even government research services are looked upon as having lots of money to be spent. Journalists then have the tendency to seek payment even for ordinary news items to be published.

Development reporting as a whole does not have trained and well motivated journalists who are capable of writing regularly on HIV/AIDS issues.

Many journalists show lots of shortcomings in their understanding of development-related issues because they rely on second-hand social sources.

Editors continue to view journalist who show interest in the reporting of development-related issues as “agents” of NGOs, and so tend to see their news stories as publicity for which the media organisation should be paid.

Lack of, and quality of personnel (i.e journalists) limits capacities in the collection, analysis and exploitation of data from research centres for news stories.

The aspect on research information promotion for the media is still rather weak.

The use of the media to mobilise communities in the fight against the HIV/AIDS or to encourage their participation in vaccine trials is a new challenge to be faced because of low technical know-how among media professionals.

The absence of a Media Plan within local projects on research might affect the efficiency of the output of journalists working on that bit.

4.2 Lessons learnt

An alternative for the operationnalisation of major media campaigns on research in Cameroon in a context marked by weak national capacities is clearly the strengthening of those capacities through such workshops as the series being organised by AAVP.

But the small number of people who can be trained in each workshop might limit the efficiency of the workshops. They should be organised at regional level to generalise the process.

Prolonged periods of shortages in published articles and radio programmes impact negatively on the efficiency of even well documented pieces which appear sporadically in newspaper columns.

Development research has been recognised in Cameroon as a major national challenge. The role of the media should cease to be perceived as that of simple transmission channels for research centres. They need to be recognised as partners. In that case editors and owners of news outlets should be contacted on a yearly basis for discussions and agreement on media plans for the period.

Journalists need to work hard and prove their ability to develop real communication programmes to accompany local research initiatives to facilitate community participation in vaccine trials, for example.

Lack of information/orientation on research findings by journalist tends to limit their ability to write regularly.

For the population to make maximum use of research results there is need to develop and strengthen the IEC/Advocacy capacity of members of the research community as well as those of journalists for insightful analyses and resource mobilization for research activities.

5. THE WAY FORWARD
The training effectively stimulated journalists’ interest in the coverage of development research, as can be seen from their individual evaluation of the workshop. This enthusiasm needs to be sustained for the CUJ and IDRC to see the real impact of the exercise. A number of post-workshop activities stipulated in the concept paper will need to be implemented within the next few weeks, following timelines indicated below, if different stakeholders (i.e. CUJ, IDRC, participants) agree.

5.1 Logical Framework for Post-Workshop Activities

No	Activity	Indicators	Person in charge	Timeline	Remarks
1	Edit all the articles proposed at the workshop for distribution to all participants.		Facilitator	15/04/ 2010
2	Create a listserv for all the participants for regular contacts and information exchanges called Platform for Information Exchange on Development Research in Cameroon (PIERD)		Facilitator	15/04/ 2010
3	Begin the Mentoring Programme to ensure that participants are actually writing on Dev. Research as planned.	At least 10-15 articles published by	Facilitator/CUJ
4	Establish and share a contact list of all research institutions in Cameroon		Facilitator/CUJ
5	Propose Prize Award Committee	Committee members agreed and notified	Facilitator/CUJ/IDRC	25/5/ 2010
6	Produce First edition of quarterly newsletter from workshop material for distribution to all participants.		Facilitator	20/4/ 2010
7	Use First edition of quarterly newsletter for resource mobilization	Letters sent to likely interested partners and follow up measures undertaken.	Facilitator/CUJ	25 /4/ 2010
8	Prize Award Committee meets	Results of the evaluation	Facilitator	16/6/2010	Through emails
9	Prize Award ceremony and launch of the Platform for Information Exchange on Development Research in Cameroon (PIERD)			To be decided

6. Conclusions

Although Development Research reporting is still a relatively new domain for journalists in Cameroon, most participants at the workshop
showed active interest in it. However, because research reporting is constantly developing and expanding into other fields, the journalists
need regular guidance and mentoring to sustain their interest and develop their capacities to deal with the issues intelligently. Regular
media briefings by experts and mentors are necessary to give journalists first-hand information on new developments. The decision taken
in Buea to edit features written by journalists is an encouraging beginning for what could become the first Information Exchange Platform
for Development Research in Cameroon. If the project is carried through, it would not only encourage participants to write regularly but
it would also serve as examples of best practices for aspiring colleagues in the network. One way of ensuring sustainability could be to create
a portal on the web site of one of the partners to serve as the nucleus of the proposed platform. CUJ could carry out advocacy activities to have
other development partners take part in the prize awards and web site development. The pioneering experience by IDRC/CUJ to organise a
media training workshop focusing on this aspect of research coverage was praised by participants by partners such as the Yaounde-based CIFORD
and the University of Yaounde.

Aloysius EBOKEM FOMENKY
Communications & Advocacy Expert
Media Trainer and Facilitator
11912 Twinlakes Drive #33
Beltsville Maryland, MD 20507
E-mail :
ebokemfomenky@yahoo.com

Encl:

– Copy of the agenda of the training workshop
– Copy of the final list of participants.

Buea Media Training Workshop
EVALUATION OF THE WORKSHOP

Participants were called upon to make an independent assessment of the workshop performance. Participation in the assessment was voluntary and people could choose either to put their names on the assessment forms or not.

Tables below show participants’ appraisal of the course[2]

1.   On the general objectives of the training course as per the invitation letter
Were the objectives clear to you ?	Not clear	Somewhat clear	Very clear
	0	0	20/20
2.    Added Value of the workshop
How useful was the workshop in terms of strengthening your work as a journalist?	Not useful	Somewhat useful	Very useful
	0	0	19/20
3   On the agenda
Did you find the agenda well structured, yet flexible to the need and requests of participants?	Not that much	Somewhat so	Very well Structured
		11/20	9/20
4.    On the performances of facilitators
What is your degree of satisfaction with the quality of the facilitator and presenters chosen?	Not satisfied	Somewhat satisfied	Very satisfied
		5/20	15/20
5.     On the usefulness of the handouts (documentation)
What is your degree of satisfaction with the handouts	Not satisfied	Somewhat satisfied	Very satisfied
		6/20	14/20
6.     On the rhythm of the training course
How did you find the speed (intensity) of the course ?	Too slow	Too Fast	Just OK
	02/20	01/20	17/20
7.    On the duration (time) of the course
What is your opinion on the duration of the course ?	Too short	Normal	Too long
	06/20	14/20	0
8.    On the general organization of the course
What is your appreciation of the general organization?	Not satisfied	Somewhat satisfied	Very satisfied
	01/20	9/20	11/20
9.    On ability of researchers to deal with the media
How well are you able to identify lessons learned to date in dealing with the media? Analyze obstacles to achieving desired outcomes?	Not very well	Somewhat well	Very well
		11/20	0820

10. Please give one or more examples of how you will apply elements of the workshop in your work on advancing the reporting of development research in your news media.
11. Please list any recommendations IDRC/CUJ in terms of follow-up from this workshop:
12. Please list any suggestion on logistical arrangements for the workshop (i.e. travel arrangements, Hotel accommodations, transportation, conferencing, etc).

Recommendations

Draft
Key Recommendations from the Workshop on Strengthening Media Coverage of Development Research in Cameroon, organized jointly by International Development Research Centre (IDRC) and the Cameroon Union of Journalists (CUJ) in Buea, Cameroon from 16 – 18 March, 2010.

Recognizing the important role the media continue to play, a media training workshop on Strengthening Media Coverage of Development Research in Cameroon was organized jointly by International Development Research Centre (IDRC) and the Cameroon Union of Journalists (CUJ) in Buea, Cameroon from 16 – 18 March, 2010.
At the end of the workshop In this regard, a number of recommendations were made as follows:

CUJ should look for resources to constantly provide training and capacity strengthening sessions for its members.
Recognizing the importance of research in national development, journalists called on the editors to think seriously about the establishment of special columns for research news within their respective news outlets.
The CUJ should work with facilitator to mobilize resources to set up the proposed Platform for Information Exchange on Development Research in Cameroon (PIERD) as soon as possible. This would encourage reporters to engage in development research news.
Strengthen the communication and advocacy units of research institutions in Cameroon.
Research institutions in Cameroon and other stakeholders in the development research should allocate enough financial, technical and human resources to match their communication needs
Media should be involved from the beginning of development projects and not just be invited to come and report on their launching ceremonies.
CUJ should take concrete steps to improve the frequency and quality of development information
Research institutions should provide information in a manner that is relevant and useful to the media, and not in abstract and technical language.
IDRC and CUJ should support capacity building initiatives for Cameroon’s media to enable them to better report on development research-related issues.
Research institutions should establish clear channels of communication with the media to facilitate more effective dissemination of information on on-going research projects and be ready to share the burden of communication.
Senior members of the profession should act as role models for the new crop of journalists by abstaining from accepting gifts from those who are there to give them the “news”. Professionalism should always be their guide.

Done in Buea on 18 March 2010

List of Participants
Buea Media Workshop

(16-18 March, 2010)

No	Name	Organization	Telephone	E-mail	Observation
1	Martin Fon Yembe	Editor/Publisher Frontier Telegraph	+23797 03 94 91	mfyembe@gmail.com
2	Nuwea B. Modika	Staff Reporter CRTV Bamenda	+23777 46 47 31	benuwea@yahoo.fr
3	Nadege Christelle Bowa	Le Messager Yaoundé	23777575819	christellebowa@yahoo.fr
4	Comfort  Mussa	Journalist & Radio animator,	+23776 57 49 19	commy_mn@yahoo.com
5	Willibroad Nformi	Freelance The Post	+23777 94 89 76	nformibill@yahoo.com
6	Chifu Edward	Editor/Publisher The Vanguard	+23777 74 91 36	chifuchungfu@yahoo.com
7	Tonga Richard Jato	Staff Reporter Radio Hot Cocoa	23777205545	richardtonga27@yahoo.com
8	Solomon Tembang	Desk Editor Eden Newspaper	+23779 35 98 72	lordtembang@yahoo.com
9	Colette Jani	Staff Reporter Lake Site Radio	+23775 36 05 37	janicol2004@yahoo.com
10	Olufunso Somorin	CIFOR, Yaounde	23794820490	o.somorin@cgiar.org
11	Abanseka Jude	Bureau Chief L’Effort Camerounais	+23777 64 06 56	judaban74@yahoo.com
12	Mbenju Mafany	Staff Reporter The Sun Newspaper	+23774 46 04 38	mbenjumafany@yahoo.com
13	Kwi Bangsi	Station Manager Ocean City Radio	+23799 59 03 49	kwibangsi@yahoo.co.uk
14	Nkeze Mbonwoh	Staff Reporter Cameroon Tribune	+23777 83 97 49	nkezem@yahoo.com
15	Francis Tim Mbom	Bureau Chief The Post Newspaper	+23777 91 17 79	tim_mfrank@yahoo.com
16	Walter Wilson Nana	Staff Reporter The Post Newspaper	+23777 53 66 55	n_nkepyah@yahoo.com
17
18	Charly Ndi Chia	Chair CUJ	23777235530	charlycnd@yahoo.com
19	Isaac Tamba	CREDDA	77751050	itamba@yahoo.fr
20	Elias Ayuk	IDRC	221338597733	eayuk@idrc.ca
21	Aloysius Ebokem Fomenky	Facilitator	251910163565	ebokemfomenky@yahoo.com
22	Gilbert Soffo	Researcher (Health) Zenú network	+23799983707	gsopho2@gmail.com
23	Essama Pantaleon	Researcher (micro-finance)	+23777690970	essama1@yahoo.fr
24	Edith Abilogo	Regional Communication officer-Africa (CIFOR)	+23799524905	e.abilogo@cgiar.org
25	Jesse Konang	Communication Chief- MINCOM Buea	+23777528451	jkonang@yahoo.co
26

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