No News Is Bad News: DR Congo

The socio-economic and juridical environment in which Congolese journalists work is not in favor of impartial and fact-based reporting. The Congolese media have difficulty to assume their public service role and are sometimes ironically described as journalisme de compte rendu (journalism of making minutes) from official conferences and meetings organized by authorities and institutions. A large number of media owners expect their journalists to earn a living by broadcasting or publishing news reports in exchange for money. Bribery known under the name decoupage (taking a cut) where journalists are paid by politicians and other decision makers, is widely spread. Another problem that appears frequently is that journalists are at the same time press officers of governmental institutions. On the basis of the rather vague law n°96-002 of 22 June 1996, journalists are regularly arrested and incarcerated. The regulatory body Conseil Superieur de l'Audiovisuel Congolais (CSAC) is challenged by media outlets that do not respect the code of conduct of ethics and deontology, especially during elections. The environment in which most journalists work is also extremely unsafe and crimes against journalists remain unpunished. While good efforts are being made by the community media, the media sector at large is inapt to address in their media content the grave violence that women are facing, and more work is needed to improve the ability of media to put women at the center.