Media Advocacy for Health in Cameroon: Challenges and Recommendations
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Abstract
The role the media plays in health improvement remains indisputable(Niles,2011). It is not only the mirror and the window but also the watchdog of society(Ndang,2014) Yet, it has not been sufficiently used to solve health problems in Cameroon. Thus, this study set out to examine the problems faced by media advocates and thus propose recommendations for improvement. In-depth interviews revealed that non-media actors face challenges like high cost of media advocacy, disharmonized communication messages, shallowness of the media, lack of coordination and no monitory or evaluation. To this, interviewees recommended enhanced collaboration, greater appeal to public, better media relations, auto-financing, harmonization of communication messages and a better monitory or evaluation of results. Media actors on the other hand complained of lack of trained and qualified personnel, lack of resources, lack of access to information, censorship and ethical dilemmas to which interviewees proposed that the media should better assume its agenda setting, gate-keeping and social responsibility and employ health journalist to do health reporting and advocacy.