Susan’s Column...

We have often been asked on Facebook how we work, how we get hired, and so on. The first and most obvious requirement is having a press card—even though such things don't exist in the Central African Republic. Nor do press agencies exist there; outlets like ACP that claim to be agencies aren't actually ones, because to be a press agency, you have to sell news. In short, we are divided into five groups: 1—a team based in Paris, France; 2—those based in Bangui; 3—the "sherpas" (as Aline calls them), who physically go out to gather information, taking advantage of MINUSCA flights because the roads are in such a disastrous state that driving is out of the question; 4—the "desk" journalists, who read all the wire reports and press releases; and finally, 5—remote journalists like me, who rely primarily on our computers to summarize information. It all operates under Aline’s guidance as she assigns tasks. Then there is Magloire Lamine—the publishing director and legal lead—who reviews articles, adds the "LNC" stamp where appropriate, and manages the websites; the whole operation is overseen by Noella, the general manager. How do we get paid? Here’s a little trick: we all belong to news agencies in our respective countries, for which we anonymously write articles for sale. Noella handles that side of things. Oh, I almost forgot Bill de Lacan, who handles visuals, and Gorraz, who does the illustrations. That said, we write in standard French (from France) or British English, rather than Central African style. We say "the road to..." instead of "the [so-and-so] axis," we avoid using double first names systematically (like "Faustin Archange Touadéra"—we’d just say "Touadéra"), and so on. There you have it; I hope I’ve answered the questions you might have—in any case, I’ve done my best.

By Susan CARTER-JONES | LNC

For: FatimaLamineHebdo

Date: July 1, 2026

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