Critical analysis of the Democratic Republic of Congo national tv coverage of the 2011 elections. Case study of Kinshasa city

Abstract

To help people to take well-founded decisions, it is necessary to have a free press. Not only the media must be free, but they must be serious and trustworthy. They must be free to express different viewpoints.

Whatever the place, journalists have established principles and criteria enabling them to provide credible information. Unfortunately, there still exist journalists who are forced to work under duress imposed by governments or by powerful interests that interfere with professionalism.

Generally, media that ensure the campaign coverage, whether private or state should be impartial in their presentation of candidates, political parties and campaign themes and the validity of elections and the consequences in case of bad choice of leaders at all levels.

The main objective of this study was to analyze the work of a public media during elections. The principles of a good mediator it must play to give access to all has credible information and well treated, took no part and independently as recommended by the journalist profession.

We have also listed some principles of art can help all journalists in the exercise of their work.

None scientific research, no thesis has never been scientifically full, that is why we like to clarify that this study known the shortcomings which others researchers will continued in the same direction to complete what we have not said. We have done our best to be clear and precise finally allow those who will read to us understand and understand how good election coverage by the media may be held.

Acknowledgements

Our thanks to Creator God who gives us his breath of life to reach the stage of life are.

We extend our thanks to all the most distinguished teachings of the School of Journalism and communication of Hebe University and particularly to Professor Han Xin Li and Dr. Deng for their input and support for the development of this thesis, people good and full of paternal emotion to help African youth in what they do. A good testimony about shall be made of generation to generation for the two people mentioned and that of the whole school filled Journalism of people concerned about the future of youth.

Thanks to all my family that despite the social difficulties she knows keeps us encouraged continued this laborious way of scientific research. I remain convinced that this is the best way to be happy. All parents who have always been with us to various boards, cousins, snowfields, nieces, everyone has played an important and special role in our life, thank you very much.

A man of efficiency and noble commitments in the service of his children Anthony WEMBANGOMO Lokombe to whom we once again say thank you very much for fatherly love always and God bless you more.
To my lovely mother Henriette MOMBE KAWOYA, a good mother who is my pride, I love you very much mom.

To friends and acquaintances, those ones who believed in the virtue of brotherhood and friendship, we say thank you and their i can assure all of our continued friendship expensive in cohesion. (Alpha Cissé, Kaelo Sabrona, Mathieu Kanu, Victor Aruwimi, Maria Effiyana, Terry Jocky and Annie).
We say thanks to all of our classmates, we established a good family, that unity between brothers and sisters will always remain even remotely or we will live.
Thanks to all members of the national televisions that have agreed to help us and collaborated to enable us to properly conduct this study.

To people who have contributed in one way or another in the preparation of this thesis, we their say a big thank you.

Chapter One

1.1 Introduction

The 2011 elections were constituted for the Congolese population which was branded as a historic moment after 46 years of accession of our country to international and national sovereignty. This is the second time that the DRC is organizing pluralistic elections after the 2006 elections.

Attracted by the value and importance of the choice of leaders through free elections, democratic and transparent processes , many researchers in political sociology, political science, law, political communication, journalism and linguists set their scientific look at this subject. The interest that has led them to devote time to conduct studies on the 2011 elections was more general than to examine how the elections were conducted, how politicians fought to run for positions, how they communicated with their respective constituencies, what role the media played during this specific time or frequency.^1(*)

However, it should be noted that all of these studies have addressed each aspect related to his field of research.

1.2 Background

Many authors and media scholars emphasized that the media play different roles in society. For instance Derville reiterated that the media do not always fulfill the same functions as required under the circumstances in which they are used. It turns out that each function of the media corresponds a social need.

Due to the evolution of communication throughout the world, news disseminated by journalists acquires an importance aspect to the public which they are intended to serve. Even if the press is still not able to account for all the events that occur around the world, it nevertheless has a paramount consideration in community life which Mermet calls «time of "the media age ". For him, "most attitudes of men and behaviors are influenced, modified or even caused by the accumulation of information of all kinds."

From this angle, Roland Cayrol certifies that despite the fact that we have multiple sources of information, it is the media that are undoubtedly the main channel in the world by which we managed most of the new policies.

Democracy is still based on the possibility to freely express diverse views and the vote of informed citizens. The media and journalists therefore play a key role in the electoral process by providing the circulation of information and opinions and confrontation. They allow a better understanding of candidates, parties and programs.

They contribute to the effective participation of citizens in the democratic debate, particularly by placing at the heart of the campaign of general interest. Guarantors of democracy, journalists also have a critical role in legitimizing and acceptance of election results, especially in countries of democratic transition or crisis as in the case of the Democratic Republic of Congo. ^2(*)

For his part Francis Balle says, elections can be a factor of affirmation and consolidation of the democratic process, as they can turn into a threat against the peace and stability of States. The path taken by each country depends especially on the degree of involvement of stakeholders, the media, political authorities, institutions, political parties, public, civil society in the electoral process.

A free and fair election is not just the fact to file a ballot in adequate conditions, but also to have access to sufficient information about political parties, candidates and the electoral process to allow voters to make informed and responsible choices.

An election campaign is a period particularly sensitive to political life, in which journalists are subject to intimidation and manipulation, to deviate their attention. There are many examples of electoral contexts in which journalists have been subjected to pressure and harassment. In other cases, they are engines of partisan communication and propaganda.

1.3 Problem statement

The pre-election period, election and post-election are crucial times of public information. During these periods and especially to the elections, it is very important for the voters that the information concerning the conduct of the campaign and are media reports are complete and impartial.

To help people to take complete decisions, it is necessary to have a free press. Not only the media must be free, but they must be serious and trustworthy. They must be free to express different points of view. Regardless of the location, journalists have established principles and criteria that allowed them to provide credible information. Unfortunately, there are still journalists who are forced to work under constraint imposed by governments or powerful interests that interfere with professionalism. ^3(*)

This is how the campaign documents advertising, radio, television and print media, the internet, debates and interviews that give candidates the opportunity to present their programs to the public, voters must be covered by journalists filling a recommended profile profession. Media reporting take the form of information, including the importance of electoral participation by explaining with honesty and responsibility to the public, how, where and when to place the vote.

In general, covering political campaign, whether state or private should be impartial in their presentation and profiling of candidates, political parties , campaign themes , merits of elections and the consequences in the case of bad choice of leaders at all levels.

To this end, the work of the media, specifically in audiovisual, multitude of candidates acquires for most cases character check which is more difficult especially in elections or voting that involves a struggle for interests' divergence between the need of power and expectations of the population. A situation that most academicians defined as a clash of democratic values, actions and procedures that eliminate the opponent. In this case the only mediator is the journalist.

However, during elections media coverage other fact finding reports could provide clarification on the voting procedures, contact with sources of electoral information and the candidates.

As proven by professionalism in the harvesting and processing of information and as required by professional ethics, responsibility on the part of the journalist and the media in general has not been the case of the work of the DRC National television during 2011 elections.

It is admittedly true that the search for electoral information by the knights of the pen, presupposes respect for the right to freedom of expression and the principle of the free movement of opinion and ideas.

What made the journalists of the DRC National Television implicitly becoming secondary players, occupying, and unfortunately, complicit in position of good or bad conduct of the 2011 elections which will expand our research on the quality of staff employed by the Kinshasa Congolese National TV station during the period covered in this research.. ^4(*)

Faced with his accomplice position to the success or failure of electoral activities and electoral wherefores, media interference had sometimes led some journalists of national television to affect the integrity of the profession, and even hamper the smooth functioning of the media for the sole purpose of preventing the dissemination of certain information that may reveal the electoral truths and especially in the case of fraud by the ruling power in place.

These professional requirements have pushed us to ask ourselves the following principal question:

ü How Kinshasa Congolese National TV station journalists maintained professional media coverage of the 2011 elections?

This principal question led us to the supplementary question below:

ü How to cope with electoral competition of the Congolese National Television in the area of mobilizing human and material resources in order to ensure good media coverage and maintained neutrality?
These questions constitute the major concerns that we will try to answer in this study.^5(*)

1.4 Hypothesis

The fundamental question we asked ourselves allows us to assume that in a situation where election period exist, the media have a tendency to view and ensue effective coverage of political campaign operations that occur to instruct the best in scientifically and technically informed electoral decisions and issues surrounded by ethical journalism.

In this hypothesis in the following we issued main hypothesis:

v For coverage of the 2011 elections, the National Congolese television Kinshasa station has not mobilized suitable and adequate logistics likely to facilitate the pursuit of excellence reporting that research through the dissemination of quality information, that is to say, truthfulness, objectivity and timeliness remained the key principle of modern das journalism. This will enable TV journalists to primarily serve all Congolese citizens regardless of their political color, origin and religion.

* ¹ CAYROL, R., The media, print, radio and television, Paris, PUF, 1973, p 75

* ² BALLE, F, media corporations, radio and television, telecommunications

* ³ BERTRAND, CJ. Matias, introduction to the press, radio and television, 2nd edition ellipse, 1999.

* ⁴ CAYROL, R., the media, print, radio television, Paris, PUF, 1973

* ⁵ DERVILLE, G., the power of media, Paris, PUF, 1997