By Ekinneh Agbaw-Ebai
The rash of banner headlines, some of them misleading, quoting WikiLeaks, the on-line whistle-blower news portal, has opened a new but apparently disturbing era in Cameroonian journalism as newspapers publish the leaked US embassy cables, exposing embarrassing pedestrian comments reportedly made by top government officials, who had no idea that their statements, made, in most cases, off-record at moments of leisure, were sources of data for US foreign policy wonks in the State Department.
The reaction of governments around the world whenever a negative secret cable is released about them has, in the main, been that of denial and even the United States has dismissed cables leaked about her policies and officials as silly. In fact the man behind Wikileaks, Julian Assange, was even arrested on allegations of sexual assault and later released on bail.
Several African countries, including Cameroon, recently had doses of WikiLeaks’ revelations with varying reactions. The Nigerian media has been awash with stories about President Goodluck Jonathan ineffectiveness and his inability to control his wife, Patience Jonathan. On Ghana, WikiLeaks published secret cables that claimed former President Jerry Rawlings was on drugs. Cables that described President Jacob Zuma of South Africa as an idiot and a dunce were also revealed.
In Cameroon, the press and some opposition politicians are already having a field day. The SDF, with its remarkable genius for travesty and public grand-standing has called on Vice-Prime Minister of Justice, Amadou Ali to resign, over comments attributed to him, deemed by some to be provocative. In a supposed unrestrained conversation with then Political Officer, Tad Brown, Special Duties Minister Victor Mengot was attributed comments that were basically a reading of public opinion as reported by the media at the time; comments WikiLeaks claim, were driven by self-serving objectives, including the ridiculous claim that he wanted to be Deputy Secretary General at the Presidency.
Besides the public embarrassment which usually arises when private conversations become gossip (Kongossa), I do not think the revelations attributed to Ministers Amadou Ali, Victor Mengot or any Cameroonian official served any greater social or political significance besides inflaming and over-heating the polity with distractions from pressing issues of governance, poverty alleviation and economic development. Political watchers know there is nothing new about what Amadou Ali or Victor Mengot said, so why all the fuss?
Ethics of responsible journalism require thorough verification of stories and their sources before going to press but the reverse seems to be the case with these WikiLeaks cables, as the Cameroonian press continues to publish the “scoops” without even a conscious effort to contact the officials involved for balance, accuracy and fairness. It is baffling to know that Cameroonian newspapers are according WikiLeaks so much respect at a time some of its partners and staffers are parting ways with it.
On September 25, 2010, after being suspended for disloyalty, insubordination and destabilisation, Daniel Domscheit-Berg, the German spokesman for WikiLeaks, told Der Spiegel newspaper that he was resigning because WikiLeaks has a structural problem. Julian Assange had accused Domscheit-Berg of leaking information to Newsweek; a case of the kettle calling the pot black!
About the same time, Iceland MP, Birgitta Jonsdottir also left WikiLeaks, citing lack of transparency, lack of structure and poor communication flow in the organisation. And on September 5, 2011, The British Guardian published a story explaining why James Ball, a former staffer of WikiLeaks left. The report quoted Ball as saying WikiLeaks has no board, no governance and no effective rules among other alleged unethical practices. (See www.guardian.co.uk). Which begs the question: on what moral and ethical grounds does WikiLeaks stand to publish and comment on leaked documents alleging government and corporate misconduct?
The modus operandi of WikiLeaks in the internet age where journalists have greater access to information defies logic. Stealing information for publication is a grave professional misconduct that should be of concern to all responsible journalists. To situate its operations within mainstream journalism, WikiLeaks should follow due process in obtaining and releasing sensitive information. Only then will it be seen to be fair on sources and those relying on it to publish such information.
It is therefore important that Cameroonian newspapers ascertain and analyse the operational philosophy of WikiLeaks and similar websites, before giving their revelations front page prominence. By giving the WikiLeaks revelations front page prominence without moving beyond the reports, the newspapers only succeeded in putting those editions of their papers in the category of soft-sell which thrives on rumours and hearsay to sensationalise and boost sales. It’s a shame!
If we continue to celebrate the WikiLeaks revelations because of the simple claim that contents emanate from US embassy cables when, as it appears, no verification and authentication were made, we will be expanding the frontiers of media imperialism (which we all detest). Newspapers wishing to publish WikiLeaks cables should make a conscious effort to contact the officials involved and their own side of the story, beyond the snide remarks and sarcastic, opinionated assessments by middle-level US bureaucrats and other faceless embassy staff who are out to impress their bosses in Washington DC.
Going forward, the authenticity of the WikiLeaks cables should equally be ascertained. Only then will it be seen that investigative journalism is the norm and the principles and ethics of responsible journalism are being applied. Relying on information from an organisation without an identifiable structure and mechanism for verification and authentication can be dangerously misleading. It could open a barrage of libel and defamation litigation and take us miles behind the distance already covered in our perennial quest for freedom of information and jeopardize press freedom in Cameroon.
*Ekinneh Agbaw-Ebai is a public intellectual and graduate of Harvard University John F. Kennedy School of Government where he was Managing Editor of the Harvard Journal of African-American Public Policy. A former Research Analyst for Central Africa with Freedom House, he is a consultant and lives in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. Talk back at ekinneh@yahoo.com.
