By Hilltopvoices Team
Journalists with visual impairment have used the 2019 edition of World Press Freedom Day to express the need for more inclusion in the organisation of public events in Cameroon and elsewhere in the world.
They were speaking to the Guardian Post in
Bamenda on the side-lines of activities to mark the Day on May 3 organised by
the Cameroon Association of English Speaking Journalists CAMSEJ NW lead
organiser, the Cameroon Journalists’ Trade Union, the Cameroon Community Media
Network CCMN and Cameroon Association of Sports Journalists CASJ. Journalists with visual impairment have used the 2019 edition of World Press Freedom Day to express the need for more inclusion in the organisation of public events in Cameroon and elsewhere in the world.
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Journalists
with visual impairment pictured with media structure leaders in Bamenda on WPFD
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Tancho Fidel
ASG CAMASEJ NW reporter with NDEFCAM Radio Bamenda with visual seems to have a
lighter challenge while on duty: “I use my brail when I go for coverage.it is
just that when I go for coverage people will think what I am going to cover is
not the same like what someone who is visually impaired will cover. Whereas it
is the same story; so they will have that stigma. That is a major challenge I
have…
“The challenge of getting sources in times of
crisis like this because you may arrange with a source and for the fact that
you are not seeing, the source maybe in a place u cannot see or meet him or
her. Also if you are anchoring a program and they happen to bring a recorder in
print you need assistant because you need cannot reprint and it will disturb a
lot and you will have to start looking for someone who can assist you. Also a journalist
is supposed to read and write and know more but most of the information is
written in print and for a journalist with impairment to assist them is
difficult because you need someone to read out for you. Anchoring some programs
is difficult. Let’s say you want to do an animation program and you need people
to call and give their SMS to request sound tracks. If you don’t have an
android phone you will not know how to read the messages.” Bafong Collette
another Journalist with visual impairment said.
The
President of the Cameroon Association of English Speaking Journalists CAMASEJ
NW Ambe Macmillian Awa admits that it is a challenge within the society and
explains that he had to appoint someone with visual impairment as one of his
Secretaries because he believed in him. He expressed the wish for colleagues to
help those with any form of impairment so they can do their job. He regretted complains
tabled by the concerned but says inclusion is part of association’s agenda and
hopes that development partners and other news sources will think same.