Yaoundé: Months to the 2025 presidential elections in Cameroon, the Action for Development and Empowerment (ADE) drilled 20 journalists and bloggers from across the country on responsible reporting.
According to Cameroon News Agency, this was during a three-day training in Yaoundé beginning January 30, 2025. The workshop, sponsored by the UK in Cameroon, aimed to equip communicators with necessary knowledge and techniques to navigate election reporting. The participants were trained on identifying misinformation and disinformation, while also emphasizing the importance of giving voices to minorities in the democratic process.
Interventions from Elections Cameroon representatives informed the journalists and bloggers about the key stages of the electoral process and how the media could observe them. The training also covered fact-checking, handling crisis reporting, and conducting investigative journalism during elections.
Boris Kaloff Batata, a journalist from Buea, stated that the exchanges have prepared
him for effectively reporting on the upcoming polls. “I have learned how to identify sources of post-electoral conflict and my role as a journalist to prevent such occurrences,” he noted.
The opening day of the training featured the British High Commissioner to Cameroon, Matt Woods. This training for media professionals followed a similar initiative for youths in Yaoundé and Ngaoundéré in November 2024, all part of the ‘Empowering Every Vote Project’.