The Journalist and His Powers in Cameroon: From Mediator to Game

Abstract

Despite the controversy that surrounds their effectiveness, the powers of a journalist or of a media in general  are no less real, though they are not expected to be where they originally ought to be, namely in their capacity to impart beliefs and behaviour on passive citizens. This study re-examines the paradigm of media impact, initiated in the 1950s and which aimed, specifically, at exploring the influence journalists have on the power dynamics that link the press to some major actors in the social space, namely citizens, government officials and the judicial system. Ultimately, it turns out that because of the 'power' conferred on it by its capacity to create positions in the field, to build or undermine reputations, the press has ended up, under the cover of mediation, becoming a dominant actor in the cooperation/conflict relationship or asymmetrical power that links it to other social spaces.