#StreamUpdate: A look at the latest news from the stories we’re still following
Cameroon’s language split, political protests in Romania and the fake news effect.
The government of Cameroon has pulled the plug on the internet and banned public gatherings in regions fraught with tensions. What started as strikes for bilingualism in the Northwest and Southwest territories have revealed deep political divides in a country that spreads beyond language, culture and geography.
French-speaking President Paul Biya, in power for more than 30 years, has overseen social and economic policies that show preference for Francophone communities. English-speaking Cameroonians say they are treated like second class citizens.
Since their protests began nearly four months ago, Biya has signed a decree establishing a national commission to promote bilingualism. He has addressed protesters several times in major speeches, but this has not eased tensions. Several hundred protesters have been arrested. Some are being tried for terrorism for allegedly calling for secession of the Anglophone regions. They could face the death penalty if convicted. We will check in on the latest.
Temperatures are freezing in Romania, but that hasn’t stopped hundreds of thousands of people from protesting night after night against political corruption. They have been in the streets since early January, when Prime Minister Sorin Grindeanu proposed executive orders to free thousands of prisoners and decriminalise certain abuses of power.
Many Romanians say Grindeanu is protecting his corrupt political allies, and the European Union warns the country could erase gains it’s made against corruption. Protesters have enjoyed some victories, pressuring the prime minister to withdraw the decriminalisation decree and forcing parliament to hold a no-confidence vote. Grindeanu survived the vote and has announced his government will hold a referendum, on what, however, remains a mystery. Have the activists achieved what they set out to, or do they want more? We will take a look.
The concept of “fake news” is dominating the “real news”. So where did the concept originate, and what impact has it had? We will speak to one journalist who has been breaking it down step by step, and ask what role news consumers and the press can play in dispelling it.
In this episode of The Stream, we speak with:
Harmony Bobga Mbuton
President, North West Lawyers’ Association
Laurentiu Colintineanu @colintineanu
Journalist
colintineanu.ro
Jason Tanz @jasontanz
Editor at Large, WIRED
wired.com
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