About Breaking News; 7 years on
The long journey on a bumpy road and in God we trust The main promoter Labah Polycarp got early inspiration from fearless reporters {Tataw Obenson aka Ako aya, Sylvester Gwellem, Shambo Christian Ndi, Francis Wache of the written press and Akwanka Joe Ndifor, Asonglefack Nkemleke, Adamu Musa, Julius Wame, Chalie Ndichia, Sam Nuvela Fonkem, Victor Epie Ngome, Animbom Monju, Larry Eyong Echaw and others } during the days of Cameroon Report then in Form 3 and others of the BBC especially reporting for Focus on Africa. His love for journalism started growing in Lower and Upper Sixth Classes when even the teachers came to a consensus and allowed a corner of the blackboard for him to report major headlines from the news on radio every morning which he named “News Desk.” Together with his English language teacher Mr Che Ridley, he became the main reporter for the college magazine: “The Path Finder” in GSS – GHS Kumbo in the early 80s.
Out of school, his first article was published in Cameroon Tribune the lone national newspaper in the late 80s. Since then he has written for: Facts Magazine based in Bamenda as editor-in-chief and translator, Kinfer (WICUDA Yaounde newsletter), The Guardian Post, The Frontier Magazine, The Concord, The Frontier Telegraph, The Horizon, The Sun, The Reporter, Hot News, The Pilgrim (Church Magazine), The Chronicle, Lettre Verte (ministry of forestry and wildlife magazine), Change Magazine, L’Avocat, The Vanguard, Post Watch, The Nation, The Watch Dog, The Herald, The Monitor and The Post Newspapers.
Legalization of the paper
In all these and without a startup capital, he did not nurse the idea of coming up with his paper because the way the publishers treated their reporters was not the best and as a devout Christian, he did not want to create a paper in which his reporters will not be treated well. However, in 2007 a member of the Cameroon government commented and reiterated “You write too much for others, why not create your paper?” It sounded provocative, but it was a reality and as naïve as he was at the time he thought this member of government was going to motivate him financially to take off since he had done so much work too for that member of government. Behold he gave him nothing to date. The spirit to launch his paper started burning seriously in him since then till 2014, seven years later when he gathered the courage and put up a file for the legalization of this Newspaper. Behold, his file was made almost one year at the Mfoundi Senior Divisional Office and was never legalized due to several administrative bottlenecks. This paper was finally legalized by the SDO of Mefou and Afamba division in December 2015 thanks to one brother of the Christian Men Fellowship – CMF Mr. Ako Mallet, Senior Treasury Inspector who was transferred to that division as the Divisional Treasurer and the SDO was his classmate in ENAM.
Naming of the paper
Having read some critical history of the former Soviet Union – USSR in the time of the Cold War when there was the Big West – America and the Big East – Russia he had come across a Russian newspaper that inspired him so much. This paper was called PRAVDA and Pravda in Russian means the Truth. Pravda was a newspaper that had suffered under the famous KGB the Soviet secret police for telling the truth. More often than not the KGB would seal their doors, and block the printing press, but the publishers never gave up, they went underground and the next day the authorities only saw the paper in circulation doors still sealed. Labah Polycarp discussed this issue with Messrs Mbacham Isaac, Bernard Ngwa, Eric Kaba Tah, Njem Samuel, Gbaka Ernest, Nelson Ze Evina and some colleagues who were at the starting block but insisted that the name of the paper will be PRAVDA directly in Russian language because the TRUTH will be too flat in English. After all the brainstorming, the name Breaking News surfaced because it was a “nickname” or pet name his readers and followers of previous news outlets fondly called him. However being a practising Christian and an apostle of the truth as demonstrated in this paper when “Breaking News” shouts, the “The Truth At Last” queues up as the real name of the paper. Honour must be given to Mr. Mbacham Isaac our Production Manager for the wonderful design he gave Breaking News The following members Joe Temuncho, Abongwa Tantoh, Eboa Elame, Barrister Ndangoh Tah Calvin, and Labah Princely later joined the editorial board.
Downturns
Seven years have been years of numerous challenges that started with the Anglophone crisis which metamorphosized into a full-fledged war, had a covid 19 stopover and the war is continuing till date making liquidity unavailable.
The ongoing war, the covid 19, the advent of social media platforms, the absence of a reading culture, and the absence of an advertising culture have aggravated the already deplorable conditions of the independent newspapers or the private press in Cameroon. For your information, there is no news outlet in the world be they television, radio etc that can survive without adverts and subventions. In Cameroon government prioritizes the Cameroon Tribune by lavishing it with adverts, insertions and publication of all official communiqués at the detriment of the private press despite the taxes the latter must pay. All government offices or public offices, departments and parastatals are automatic subscribers of Cameroon Tribune; a prerogative denied to the private press. Many businesses are afraid to advertise for fear of being exposed to the taxation department and a few who advertise don’t pay making matters worse. We need you to survive even through subscriptions.
Realizations
In spite of these challenges, for seven years, Breaking News has had a small land on which it is putting up an office at Biyem Assi Lac – Yaounde. This office once completed and equipped will serve as a secretariat, with documentation and stationery, do layout and printing of papers, invitations, flyers, almanacs, books etc. This will help the paper diversify its sources of income to enable it to make ends meet and pay taxes which are always on the increase. The paper has equally trained a qualified Graphic Arts Designer (iconographer or layout Manager) who will be equal to the task in this new office upon completion.
The future
Everything being equal and God willing; Breaking News will go daily, create a website to market the paper, and create a Breaking News Media Group with shareholders and partners to run the daily, the eventual radio and television and the online editions GOD BEING OUR HELPER.
And finally having seen the light of day alongside the Anglophone crisis, Breaking News has witnessed an influx of children all internally displaced persons – IDPs victims of the ongoing war in Nkambe Town. These children need to continue their education since Nkambe has been relatively calm but lacks basic facilities, especially a good library. In the vision of an eventual Foundation Breaking News therefore envisages creating a modern library in Nkambe estimated at FCFA 65 million. This library will contain books that are manual and provide access for children to digitalized content to facilitate their learning process. Education being the bedrock of every society this library project once realized will be our little contribution in nation building and we call on you here present, our friends and well-wishers, men and women of goodwill to support this project as we cut our 7th-anniversary cake. To God be the glory.
