Activities are taking place under the patronage of the Head of State, President Paul Biya.

Labour medals, sport competitions, “open-door” days, a round table conference and a gala night, are some of the events that will grace festivities to mark 40 years of the existence of Cameroon Tribune. Thus, from today 22 July 2014, celebrations kick-start with the award of labour medals to those who have worked at least 10 years elsewhere and with the umbrella company, the Cameroon News and Publishing Corporation (SOPECAM) with the daily bilingual newspaper as one of the main products.

The events end on 25 July with a gala night to be chaired by the personal representative of the Head of State, Prime Minister Philemon Yang. Such a patronage from the highest authorities in the country cannot but reflect the concern and credible standing that Cameroon Tribune has forged over the years through creative, balanced, and objective reporting of news and information.

In addition, as a public service medium of information, the newspaper has never seen State support as an obstacle to the dire need to inform the national and international community based on facts which remain sacrosanct in all credible media circles where ethics and professional norms are valued. Such devoted focus on credible information has enabled the newspaper to scale through the risk of general misconceptions about a journalist being all-knowing.

Reporters who allow themselves to be dragged into cartoon conception of the profession by the non-initiated often run the danger of misinformation, search for scandals or yellow journalism and its corollary self-aggrandisement and auto-glorification. Cameroon Tribune has proven its determination over the years to stay above easy trappings that deviate from professional norms and must have partly justified President Paul Biya’s patronage of a media house at the service of the Cameroonian public.

Management has equally been aware of the commitment shown by the staff toward quality production which speaks for itself. Consequently, the decision to award labour medals to all deserving workers serves as an added motivation. Given that the 1^st July birthday of Cameroon Tribune coincided with the FIFA World Cup bonanza in Brazil that caught world attention, SOPECAM management decided to take festivities to this period so as to give the event the required grandeur and fanfare.
Besides the sport activities and “open-door” days intended to bring in friends and special guests share in the feast, there is the fervent concern about the way forward for Cameroon Tribune. This has guided the theme of the occasion which is; “The Future of the Print Media and the Growing Influence of the Internet.”

Needless recalling that the Social Media triggered by an ever-growing technological evolution that has been a veritable challenge to the traditional mass media setting in general and the print medium, in particular. Readers are increasingly torn between the possibility of free and accessible information spread via the Internet and the costly and sometimes cumbersome newspaper publications that they must purchase to have an insight into the world around them.

The brainstorming earmarked for Thursday 24 July at the Yaounde Hilton Hotel at a roundtable conference will therefore enable some specialists to look at the contextual challenges which Cameroon Tribune has to take into consideration. Before the closing gala night on Friday, other media colleagues from the Cameroon Radio Television Corporation (CRTV), Canal 2 Internationale, Radio Siantou, the Yaounde Central Hospital, and the Yaounde Woman-and-child Hospital staff will join AS SOPECAM in handball and football competitions to blend the feasting with useful exercises.

In all, the award of medals this morning by the Minister of Labour and Social Security, Gregoire Owona, in the presence of several government officials and dignitaries is just part of week-long events that would certainly serve as another tonic to personnel of the company.