Let\u2019s face it \u2014 journalism in Cameroon is in crisis.<\/strong> Across Africa, few journalism markets are as unrewarding as Cameroon\u2019s. Over 80% of journalists earn less than $500 a month<\/strong>. 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.<\/p>\n When journalists can barely survive, truth becomes negotiable. And that\u2019s how we\u2019ve arrived at a point where the fourth estate<\/strong> \u2014 once the voice of the people \u2014 now whispers in the corridors of power.<\/p>\n Nowhere is this more visible than in Cameroon\u2019s football ecosystem<\/strong>. The game that once united a nation has been reduced to two bitter camps \u2014 the Ministry of Sports and Physical Education<\/strong> on one side, and the Cameroon Football Federation (FECAFOOT)<\/strong> on the other. Journalists, instead of standing above this divide, have been dragged into it.<\/p>\n Today, it\u2019s not uncommon to see a journalist attack the national team coach at a press conference, not out of professional conviction, but because he\u2019s been \u201coiled\u201d 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.<\/p>\n This division has even birthed a strange vocabulary \u2014 \u201cchurchgoers<\/strong>\u201d and \u201cowls<\/strong>.\u201d These labels now define camps within football management, and the split runs deep \u2014 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 \u2014 not because of football, but because of politics.<\/p>\n No serious football nation has ever been built on such foundations. Look at Morocco or Senegal \u2014 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.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, our journalists \u2014 the very ones who should be exposing the cracks \u2014 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.<\/p>\n The effects are clear for all to see. Cameroon has failed to qualify for the Women\u2019s Africa Cup of Nations<\/strong>, missed out on most junior tournaments<\/strong>, and is represented at the U17 Women\u2019s World Cup<\/strong> amid controversy \u2014 including the questionable dismissal of the team\u2019s head coach. Yet, not a single major journalist has dared to question these decisions and federation or minister in charge of Sports.<\/p>\n When journalists defend people instead of principles, institutions collapse.<\/p>\n When they choose sides instead of truth, football dies.<\/p>\n Our journalism must be rebuilt \u2014 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.<\/p>\n Because strong journalism does not destroy football \u2014 it protects it. Bad journalism has crippled our football. But good journalism can heal it. <\/strong>The question is whether we, as journalists, are ready to pick up our pens and fight again \u2014 not for a camp, but for the country.Because when the fourth estate becomes silent, the whole nation pays the price<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Copyright\u00a92025 kick442.com-Cameroon<\/strong><\/p>\n All rights reserved. This material and any other digital content on this platform may not be reproduced, published, broadcast, written, or distributed in full or in part, without written permission from our management.<\/strong><\/p>\n This site is not responsible for the content displayed by external sites<\/strong><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" By kick442.com Editorial team Let\u2019s face it \u2014 journalism in Cameroon is in crisis.…<\/p>","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":23151,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[39,218],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-24650","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-african-football","category-cameroon-football"],"yoast_head":"\n
\nNot because we lack talent or passion, but because the profession has been crippled by poverty, division, and fear.<\/strong><\/p>\n
\nIt demands accountability. It gives fans truth. It gives players fairness. It gives administrators responsibility.<\/p>\n
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