By kick442.com Editorial team
Let’s face it — journalism in Cameroon is in crisis.
Not because we lack talent or passion, but because the profession has been crippled by poverty, division, and fear.
Across Africa, few journalism markets are as unrewarding as Cameroon’s. Over 80% of journalists earn less than $500 a month. For a craft built on truth, courage, and independence, that reality is devastating. It has stripped reporters of the power to question, to investigate, and to hold the powerful accountable.
When journalists can barely survive, truth becomes negotiable. And that’s how we’ve arrived at a point where the fourth estate — once the voice of the people — now whispers in the corridors of power.
Nowhere is this more visible than in Cameroon’s football ecosystem. The game that once united a nation has been reduced to two bitter camps — the Ministry of Sports and Physical Education on one side, and the Cameroon Football Federation (FECAFOOT) on the other. Journalists, instead of standing above this divide, have been dragged into it.
Today, it’s not uncommon to see a journalist attack the national team coach at a press conference, not out of professional conviction, but because he’s been “oiled” by one camp. Others defend clear wrongdoing simply because their loyalty lies with the other. The press, which should be the mirror of truth, has become a battlefield of influence.
This division has even birthed a strange vocabulary — “churchgoers” and “owls.” These labels now define camps within football management, and the split runs deep — into the staff of the national team, the players, and even the fans. Imagine a Cameroon team scoring a goal, and some people celebrating while others sulk — not because of football, but because of politics.
No serious football nation has ever been built on such foundations. Look at Morocco or Senegal — their football thrives because their systems are united by vision and professionalism, not fragmented by ego and power struggles. Their journalists, though critical, stand by facts, not factions.
Meanwhile, our journalists — the very ones who should be exposing the cracks — have become trapped by the same system. Poverty has forced many into silence, and others into camps. The result? A football culture that rewards loyalty over truth, and propaganda over professionalism.
The effects are clear for all to see. Cameroon has failed to qualify for the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations, missed out on most junior tournaments, and is represented at the U17 Women’s World Cup amid controversy — including the questionable dismissal of the team’s head coach. Yet, not a single major journalist has dared to question these decisions and federation or minister in charge of Sports.
When journalists defend people instead of principles, institutions collapse.
When they choose sides instead of truth, football dies.
Our journalism must be rebuilt — not through slogans, but through empowerment. Journalists must be paid enough to live decently and speak freely. We must invest in independent media houses that answer to the people, not to powerful camps.
Because strong journalism does not destroy football — it protects it.
It demands accountability. It gives fans truth. It gives players fairness. It gives administrators responsibility.
Bad journalism has crippled our football. But good journalism can heal it. The question is whether we, as journalists, are ready to pick up our pens and fight again — not for a camp, but for the country.Because when the fourth estate becomes silent, the whole nation pays the price.
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