5.1. THE WRITTEN PRESS
After a period of strong State control (the President Mobutu
had authorized the publication of two national bodies, Elima and Salongo, and
one newspaper by province), the beginning of the 1990s was marked by the
explosion of the private press in Kinshasa and, to a lesser extent, in the
province. From 1990 to 1995, more than six hundred (600) publications were
registered with the Ministry, but most have hardly exceeded the first numbers.
The press, which is essentially political, then shared in 'red' press (radical
opposition) and press "blue" or "green" (favorable to the Mobutu regime).
After eighteen years of tumultuous Congolese political
history, only a few of these titles have survived; some remaining faithful to
their editorial line, other operating sometimes spectacular reversals.
In August 2008, if there are 638 publications registered
throughout the Congolese territory, 228 titles just seem the most irregular
way. The legal regime under the 1996 press law is that of the prior statement:
before launching his title on the market, a Publisher must simply submit to the
appropriate service of the Ministry in charge Information, a declaration
containing the title of the newspaper, its periodicity and the full identity of
the owner and the Director of publication. Some tracks recorded have never
experienced their first edition, while others appear on the market before
making the slightest administrative approach.
The publications are mainly concentrated in the city of
Kinshasa where, on 125 titles currently identified, a small score is published
regularly, either daily (potential, the lighthouse, La Référence
Plus, Uhuru, the storm from the tropics, Le Palmarès, the observer, the
future, the Forum des As, to which is added the daily newsletter of the
Congolese press agency) 9, either periodically (The Post, the developer,
Numerica The prosperity, tomorrow the Congo, Africa News, the Soft, the Manager
Grognon, the alert, potpourri...).
There is no daily outside the capital. There are 65 newspapers
reported in Katanga, 19 in the Eastern Province, 17 in Kasai Oriental, 12 in
North Kivu, 8 in South Kivu, 11 in Bas-Congo, 5 in Ecuador, 4 in Kasai
Occidental and 1 in Bandundu. There is none in the Maniema.
The main private newspapers often appear randomly in the
provincial capitals:
· Lubumbashi: Mukuba, misunderstanding, brotherhood, and
the Lushois;
· Bukavu: The banner and the sovereign (only forthcoming
actually), Karibu, Kasuku and Kivu Safari;
· In Goma: Info Plus, the primary sovereign, the
peacemaker, junction and the scenes (published in blessed);
Print media companies are struggling to ensure their financial
survival. With low draws 1,500 maximum copies for the Kinshasa dailies, some
newspapers is limited to 150 or 200, a selling price high, inaccessible to the
common of the Congolese people (nearly 2 US$ for a Kinshasa newspaper), and an
advertising market limited, many newspapers survive occult financing, which
seriously compromising their perceived credibility. Often, the press of
province appears when she found a "sponsor".
There is the belief that the money is in the policy and that
it is through policies, inter alia, by the press that can enrich them. "This is
a congenital feature of print Khan in particular: its strong politicization,
many titles being born in the lap of a party or a politician. »A Minister,
a newspaper", was wont to say in Kinshasa where new titles appear when formed a
Government, to disappear when the sponsor Minister loses his wallet.
Except for a few daily newspapers and weekly regular capital,
most Congolese newspapers work widely informally and respond little to the
appellation of 'undertaking' of press. Many titles are animated by a single
person, here and there seeking the collaboration of freelancers when met the
means necessary for the publication of an issue. Fifteen newspapers only have a
seat; others are made at home or in the workplace of their owner.
Outside the circuit of the "commercial" private press, several
thematic publications circulate in the DRC, edited by NGOs or religious
communities. Some are derived from cooperation projects that have the ambition
the General information of the citizen; they can therefore be considered as
actors of the media landscape in its own right.
The Journal of the citizen (JDC) is a weekly supplement of
(election of first citizen then) information inserted in eight major newspapers
in Kinshasa and sent in the form of photocopies in the province.
Launched in September 2005, jointly by the Panos Institute in
Paris and the Association for the Promotion of Education and training abroad
(APEFE), under the aegis of the high authority of the media (HAM), it was
directed by a team of 7 to 10 freelancers from newspapers partners, placed at
disposal of the JDC by their employer one day a week, for a period of three
months. Their portion at the JDC allowed these journalists to train for various
journalistic genres just usual press Khan and practice information.
Freelance was paid 50 US$ and the editor was paid for the
insert of the newspaper in its publication. In August 2008, JDC drew more than
18,000 copies, making it the first draw of the DRC. Distributed in over 35
locations, it was the only title of the Congolese press to have national
coverage.
Since September 2008, JDC is transformed into a 'log-school',
integrated with the Institute faculty of Sciences Information and Communication
(IFASIC). It is now produced by students in the terminal year of the degree
course "print media", framed by two permanent. Several newspapers continue to
encarter it, now without financial compensation, and its circulation has been
reduced to 9000 copies.
The Syfia Great Lakes newspaper is, for its part, a regional
project on the DRC, Rwanda and Burundi, led by agency Syfia International (a
network of nine news agencies located in Europe and francophone Africa). The
Congolese branch of Syfia, called Inter Congo Media (ICM), publishes this
publication bimonthly 12-page with the support of French branches (here Labas
media) and Belgian (Info South Belgium). The newspaper published a part of the
reports and investigations produced by correspondents Syfia lakes in the three
countries concerned.
He is fired 4,000 copies and distributed free of charge to
organizations that can make it available to their public (schools, parishes,
libraries, NGOs, local bodies and local authorities), in ten of the eleven
provinces of Congo. It is sold to consumers at points of sale at a price of 200
f.c. (Congolese francs), an amount significantly lower than that of private
newspapers.
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