BOH HERBERT ADDRESSES THE LAPSES IN THE BBC REPORT
The BBC should be ashamed of the video it has just released on the crisis in the Cameroons. While it is laudable that Bush House bothered to produce a video, their journalists and producers did such a shabby job that the video sets a low in journalistic malpractice on at least six counts.
First, the BBC claims (from the onset of the video) that the problem in the Cameroons is one of the government struggling to put down an armed insurgency. The BBC refuses to acknowledge that what the government is doing is waging a war to suppress loud and louder demands for independence or restoration of independence.
Second, and having carefully avoided the first point above, the BBC aligns its version of the story with that of Her Majesty’s Government and the version of the Biya regime. The BBC claims that the problem is one of marginalization.
Third, the BBC treats every single accusation against the Biya regime and its troops, as allegations. Nothing is a fact. Every single one of the accusations against government troops is reported as an allegation. To further undo the allegation, the BBC takes time to interview the regime spokesperson Issa Tchiroma so that he can go on record deny every allegation. The BBC even allows him to claim that the burning of villages by persons wearing regime uniforms is done by persons who obtained the uniforms of government troops.
Fourthly, the BBC does not extend the same level of fair journalistic practice (shown to the regime via its spokesperson) to the leaders or spokespersons of the pro-independence movements. There is no interview to counter allegations against pro-independence movements. In addition, the BBC makes it worse by presenting every allegation as a proven or unquestionable fact. For example, the BBC presents as a fact the accusation that the young man tortured by gendarmes in the video, laying on the ground and pinned down by a chair, as a fact. The BBC reports that the young man is, indeed, a rebel commander. Not alleged.
Fifth, the BBC also states that the persons shown being tortured in dark rooms at night are not only pro-regime people but that those torturing them are pro-independence fighters. The BBC does not question the likelihood of the regime using such video to give pro-independence fighters a bad name. The BBC does not say these are allegations. They present it as facts. Also, the BBC does not interview any pro-independence leader to try to ascertain the allegations… whereas their producers do so for the government spokesperson.
Sixth, and finally, the BBC did no investigation of their own beyond using Google Earth imagery (which anyone can find and use). They are so lazy and careless about the harm done by the scorched policy that they don’t even mention it as such. The BBC simply relied on stealing video shot by our people at great risk to their lives and, I am ready to bet, used the video without paying any copyright fees to the producers… Even worse, they used the video to question the reality documented in those video clips by those who took the risks to shoot them to ensure that the impunity they reveal can be fought against.
Overall – and it is another low – the BBC takes the death toll figures provided by the Biya regime (81 soldiers and police and over 100 civilians) – as gospel. The BBC does not ask anyone in the pro-independence movements what the death toll is. The obviously refuse to even consider the death toll provided by Hon. Joseph Wirba and a parliamentary group under his leadership, which reported that over 120 peaceful celebrants of independence were killed by regime forces in just one day: the 1st of October 2017.
The BBC should be ashamed of this video.
Ntumfoyn Boh Herbert (Yindo Toh)
Spokesperson, MoRISC
8 comments
Great commentary.
I think a copy of this point by point critique of the programme should be sent to the BBC Management by Boh or the IG and ask them to interview representatives of the Southern Cameroons people to obtain a more balanced view of what is going on in their territory since their report was presented based only on the government’s viewpoint.
The BBC is supposed to be independent but sometimes they have reporters who are too lazy to carry out the proper research before presenting a programme of this nature and they are only too happy to take the UK government’s position. If the UK government changes their position, I can see the BBC following suit.
I used to like the BBC but their reporting on Ambazonia has grown to b very questional everytime i hear one. This reporting is based on online videos curled from FB nad unfortunately the BBC is making big bucks out of this and the original guys who some are seen reporting in War and running bullets hiding behind wooden walls with all the risk involved will go unnoticed and with no credit of course. BBC was really good when it came to investigative journalism. just interviewing Lying Chiroma who has no credibility is just ludacris.
i hope Ambazonians will continue to stand for what is right. Still thank the BBC for making an effort to show the world some of the atrocities of the BIya regime. Hope those in the refugee camps will resist the scam call emergency packages. Its just like coming to my house, get me well beaten, rape my daughters and my wife in front of me, after doing that you burn my house and send me fleeing. to an unknown land. After suffering from months, you come up with a scam to raise money for more bullets to come for me with the caption that you coming to visit and help me. Ambazonians are not that stupid.We might be dying in these camps but remember we are close to the land of Canaan, the land of milk and honey. We are so close my people and the international community has started to see. Keep the heat on.
What do we expect,
but what Boh is doing is nice bookkeeping, for when we are done with LRC, what ever way, we will be having these are evidence.
The beauty about European systems is that they are corrupt and can be bought with money.
This means all we need to do is fight and get our motherland back without worrying about them and their reports.
When we kick LRC out, all we need to do, is do what LRC did, bribe the Europeans, give them statues, medals, … and they will stay quite.
@Malis
When we kick LRC out, all we need to do, is do what LRC did, bribe the Europeans, give them statues, medals, … and they will stay quite.
Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha.
Start by holding a locality for a whole week. Then from there, start your trip to Buea.
It is said that I f you want something done right, do it yourself. These reliance on world media to tell our story has proven a disappointment especially the distortion contained in reporting by the BBC, the New York Times, Amnesty International, to name a few. Thanks to our veteran journalist and tiredless Ambazonian advocate Boh Herbert who continue to provide swift correction to recent twisted stories of our struggle published by these media houses. We call on more Herbert Bohs – and there are hundreds of Ambazonian his likes- to not not only provide a counter punch to the lies but the sell our story of six decades of suffering to the world before other foreign press do. Short live the struggle, long live Ambazonia.
Oops…but to sell our story of six decades….
look at you now .
Blaming everybody for telling the story the way they see it – The same people were your friends with yesterday when they were telling you to go and demonstrate on the field so that the world can see and push the UN to grant your independance .
You people show a lot of imaturity in politics – relying on the white man to help your fight and kill your black brother for “freedom” “ambaland ” ? .
This is shameful
I still can believe this .
my comments of yesterday spewing the truth and nothing but the truth to a bunch of sub-humans who walked around naked in 1880 have been deleted. Bara Mark-why do you keep blocking me? What are you afraid of ?You have a “NJOH” platform created by the white man to post your genocidal good practices and why prevent others from enjoying the right of free speech? I can understand the dictatorship of the PUTATIVE republic of Ambazonia.