Journalism and secessionism: A contextual analysis of reporting in the Cameroon Anglophone crisis

Abstract

This article examines journalism in Cameroon’s Anglophone crisis as a reflection of the broader dynamics of ongoing secessionist conflicts in Africa. Using the evolving rhetorical approach to media framing, the study analyses articles from one state-owned and one privately-owned newspaper in Cameroon to determine the thematic framing of the crisis with respect to the national media divide. The study also examines the level of importance given to the subject of the crisis and ascertains the degree of independence or journalistic objectivity in the reporting of the crisis. The article reveals that the crisis was mainly reported through themes relating to solutions and violence, indicating that focus was placed on finding solutions to the crisis while also highlighting the crisis’ violent nature. This differs from conventional approaches to crisis reporting, which typically emphasize problem definition and causal interpretation over solution-based reporting. According to the results, the theme of crisis was highly emphasized in news coverage as it appeared in the first three paragraphs of the majority of articles evaluated. It was also found that, despite the repressive controls over the media system, journalists were largely independent and official sources were not heavily relied on.