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Role of the Media Although the media in Congo are not officially subject to restrictions, they still operate against a backdrop of political power struggles and violence.
In Congo, there are laws that make “press violations” a crime. One example is “insult to another person in a journalistic piece.” This is a vague description which is often used to punish dissenting opinions. Journalists may receive prison sentences of up to 5 years.
There are close ties between the media, businesses and political parties in Congo. This means that a large percentage of the media is not actually independent.
The state broadcasting company is government-controlled and has insufficient financial means to function properly.
The private sector
In Congo, more than 200 newspapers are published, about half of which are around Kinshasa. Most of the newspapers have small circulations and only local coverage; a newspaper is prohibitively expensive for the average Congolese citizen.
Journalism courses are only available in Kinshasa. In the provinces, the press is faced with a lack of materials and qualified personnel. There is also an overall problem of extreme politicisation, which means that the press often functions as a mouthpiece for politicians’ standpoints.
Many of the more than 100 radio stations were founded by churches. In the provinces, radio continues to be the most important medium. Here, too, a lack of proper infrastructure, financing and trained personnel plays a role. Sometimes local radio stations are occupied by armed militias and forced to broadcast specific messages.
The 50 television stations, half of which are in and around Kinshasa, face the same financial and quality-related problems.
In the provinces, the population has better access to information on other countries than information on Kinshasa or other parts of Congo. The only radio that reaches the entire country is Radio Okapi, set up by MONUC and the Swiss NGO Fondation Hirondelle.
Media NGOs that publish materials are:
Most of the media in Congo are interested in the coming elections. Debates are regularly held on television. Radio stations and newspapers in Kinshasa in particular take training courses in reporting on political parties during the election campaigns.
The Committee for Independent Elections (Commission Electorale Indépendante, CEI) and the Media Regulatory Authority (Haute Autorité des Médias) have set up a network to monitor media reporting on the elections.
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