"The information ecosystem in DRC is fragmented and fragile. It is characterised by a great number of media outlets, however their level of professionalism is low and their vulnerability to partisan capture is high. This fragility is replicated in the online space. The Congolese population rely heav
...
ily on informal sources of information such as word of mouth, interpersonal communication with family and friends. The scarcity of reliable information open avenues for the rumours and misinformation to spread. This context presents serious challenges for the promotion of good governance and accountability that requires well informed citizens. To better address those challenges, it is necessary to understand the main sources and dynamics of information flows both offline and online, and through media and non-media channels. A consortium composed of Fondation Hirondelle (FH), Demos, Harvard Humanitarian Initiative (HHI) and the Institut Congolais de Recherche en Développement et Etudes Stratégiques (ICREDES) was created in order to provide a more holistic view of the Congolese information ecosystem and to identify opportunities for entry. Due to the limited time and resources of the study, and because of the pre-existing networks and capacities of the consortium in this region, its focus is on North Kivu. To identify the voices, networks and themes that dominated this information ecosystem in this region, three levels of analysis were chosen: 1. The sources and level of information of the local populations. This analysis was provided by HHI that implemented household surveys of large samples of populations in Eastern DRC; 2. The sources of information of local journalists. This analysis was provided by FH that surveyed a network of 18 local radios in North Kivu; 3. The network and content analysis of digital and social media provided by DEMOS [...] Findings: Radio is the primary media source of information for the population of Eastern DRC (78% of the sample listens to it occasionally and 43% daily [...] The main sources of information depend on the context and the nature of the information people are seeking [...] The results highlight the lack of reliability of information sources (46% of respondents expressed a moderate to high level of confidence in local radio, and 39% for national radio) ..." (Executive summary)
more
"Artificial intelligence (AI) is now receiving unprecedented global attention as it finds widespread practical application in multiple spheres of activity. But what are the human rights, social justice and development implications of AI when used in areas such as health, education and social service
...
s, or in building “smart cities”? How does algorithmic decision making impact on marginalised people and the poor? This edition of Global Information Society Watch (GISWatch) provides a perspective from the global South on the application of AI to our everyday lives. It includes 40 country reports from countries as diverse as Benin, Argentina, India, Russia and Ukraine, as well as three regional reports. These are framed by eight thematic reports dealing with topics such as data governance, food sovereignty, AI in the workplace, and so-called “killer robots”. While pointing to the positive use of AI to enable rights in ways that were not easily possible before, this edition of GISWatch highlights the real threats that we need to pay attention to if we are going to build an AI-embedded future that enables human dignity." (Back cover)
more
"Defining tabloid journalism practice as an infotainment genre, the book examines corruption exposure by tabloids in Arabic, Portuguese and Francophone speaking countries across Africa, making it a unique addition to the field. In doing so, it also builds an understanding of the evolution of anti-co
...
rruption tabloid journalism in Africa and gains insights into the relationship between the anti-corruption actions of the state and the anti-corruption reporting by tabloid journalists focusing on major corruption scandals. Providing evidence of the successes and struggles of journalistic practice in Africa, the book concludes by providing a synthesis of the emerging patterns and divergences from the cases analysed, looking to the future of corruption in the continent and the role of tabloid journalism in uncovering and challenging it." (Publisher description)
more
"Religion, Media, and Marginality in Modern Africa is one of the first volumes to put new media and old media into significant conversation with one another, and also offers a rare comparison between Christianity and Islam in Africa. The contributors find many previously unacknowledged correspondenc
...
es among different media and between the two faiths. In the process they challenge the technological determinism-the notion that certain types of media generate particular forms of religious expression-that haunts many studies. In evaluating how media usage and religious commitment intersect in the social, cultural, and political landscapes of modern Africa, this collection will contribute to the development of new paradigms for media and religious studies." (Publisher description)
more
"In this moment of unprecedented humanitarian crises, the representations of global disasters are increasingly common media themes around the world. The Routledge Companion to Media and Humanitarian Action explores the interconnections between media, old and new, and the humanitarian challenges that
...
have come to define the twenty-first century. Contributors, including media professionals and experts in humanitarian affairs, grapple with what kinds of media language, discourse, terms, and campaigns can offer enough context and background knowledge to nurture informed global citizens. Case studies of media practices, content analysis and evaluation of media coverage, and representations of humanitarian emergencies and affairs offer further insight into the ways in which strategic communications are designed and implemented in field of humanitarian action." (Publisher description)
more
"Joseph Okania fait ici l'autopsie, voire une intervention chirurgicale, de ce mal récurrent qu'est l'amateurisme de nos journalistes, lequel, bien que décrié par tous, gangrène le corps de la presse congolaise, rives droite et gauche confondues. Après une immersion complète et une laborieuse
...
investigation de l'intérieur de nos médias l'ayant conduit à cerner puis débusquer ces monumentales inepties qui essaiment l'espace médiatique des deux Congos, l'auteur nous livre ses mots et ses expressions, dans une langue de très belle facture littéraire. Sans esprit réducteur et polémiste pour son objectif qui se veut d'abord être un cri d'alarme, il appelle les journalistes des deux Congos au ressaisissement, en vue de redorer le blason terni de cette noble corporation et ainsi de redonner à la presse congolaise ses lettres de noblesse." (Dos de couverture)
more
"La méticulosité et la pugnacité de l'auteur l'ont poussé à croiser les références documentaires. Mais ce n'est pas seulement un récit de l'aventure médiatique de deux magazines et de deux missions protestantes européennes dans le Congo de la fi n du XIXe siècle. On ne peut qu'admirer la
...
puissance de distanciation du chercheur : Jean-Chrétien Ekambo ne relativise rien, ni l'exploitation éhontée et brutale ; il ne légitime rien, ni la violence symbolique et physique ; il n'atténue rien, ni les responsabilités directes des acteurs ; il n'élude rien, ni la dimension marchande des expéditions coloniales. L'auteur travaille à l'écart du romantisme et de l'antiracisme." (Description de la maison d'édition)
more
"Between August 2017 and July 2018, CRF implemented the Kilimo Mtaji project (“agriculture makes sense” in Swahili) in Tanzania and DRC. The aim of the project was to seize the power of youth-produced radio shows and outreach events in order to share key messages that raise awareness around fina
...
ncial literacy and agriculture as a business, incentivise uptake of services and increase access to service providers, advocate for youth-friendly policy changes and create pathways of opportunity and access to employment for youth [...] The first chapter unpacks the communication campaign model CRF used and its achievements. The chapter further explains the reasons why this campaign model is effective in an African context. The chapter then unpacks the youth-centred approach and shares some of the achievements of this model during the pilot phase in Tanzania and the DRC. The second chapter unpacks the pedagogic approach used to capacitate the youth reporters with the ability to produce quality radio shows and conduct outreach events around these topics. The third chapter provides guidance on the use of various tools developed for the purpose of this project. These tools are the fact sheets, radio guides and outreach guides. Fact sheets are developed for youth reporters to use as factual foundations for their own research and localisation of project topics. Radio guides unpack the process of developing a specific topic for radio shows. Outreach guides look at the process of using radio skills to develop interactive live events with radio listeners, or specific targeted audiences, on a particular topic." (Pages 2-4)
more
"Ce petit manuel va à titre didactique répertorier une liste d’infractions de presse pour attirer l’attention des médias et professionnels des médias sur leur responsabilité pénale dans l’exercice de la liberté de presse." (Verso)
"The 43 country reports included in this year’s Global Information Society Watch (GISWatch) capture the different experiences and approaches in setting up community networks across the globe. They show that key ideas, such as participatory governance systems, community ownership and skills transfe
...
r, as well as the “do-it-yourself” spirit that drives community networks in many different contexts, are characteristics that lend them a shared purpose and approach. The country reports are framed by eight thematic reports that deal with critical issues such as the regulatory framework necessary to support community networks, sustainability, local content, feminist infrastructure and community networks, and the importance of being aware of “community stories” and the power structures embedded in those stories." (Back cover)
more
"What are the stakes of cultural production in a time of war? How is artistic expression prone to manipulation by the state and international humanitarian organizations? In the charged political terrain of post-genocide Rwanda, post-civil war Uganda, and recent violence in the Democratic Republic of
...
Congo, Laura Edmondson explores performance through the lens of empire. Instead of celebrating theatre productions as expression of cultural agency and resilience, Edmondson traces their humanitarian imperatives to a place where global narratives of violence take precedence over local traditions and audiences. Working at the intersection of performance and trauma, Edmondson reveals how artists and cultural workers manipulate narratives in the shadow of empire and how empire, in turn, infiltrates creative capacities." (Publisher description)
more
"The volume digs beneath the standardised and universalised veneer of professionalism to unpack routine practices and normative trends shaped by local factors, including the structural conditions of deprivation, entrenched political instability (and interference), pervasive neo-patrimonial governanc
...
e systems, and the influences of technological developments. These varied and complex circumstances are shown to profoundly shape the foundations of journalism in Africa, resulting in routine practices that are both normatively distinct and equally in tune with (imported) Western journalistic cultures. The book thus broadly points to the dialectical nature of news production and the inconsistent and contradictory relationships that characterise news production cultures in Africa." (Publisher description)
more
"Seit mehr als 20 Jahren herrscht Bürgerkrieg im Kongo. Über drei Millionen Menschen haben bereits ihr Leben verloren. Der Kampf um Rohstoffe wie Coltan, Zinn und Kupfer, an denen der Ostkongo reich ist, spitzt sich weiter zu. 2015 inszenierte der Schweizer Regisseur und Theaterautor Milo Rau das
...
Kongo Tribunal - ein politisches Theaterstück -, um den Konflikt und seine Widersprüchlichkeiten öffentlich darzustellen und die gegensätzlichen Positionen, die Interessen und Unvereinbarkeiten zu entschleiern. Durch ein symbolisches Urteil am Ende des Tribunals sollten die Verantwortlichkeiten festgestellt und öffentlich gemacht werden. Milo Rau lud Opfer, Milizionäre, Regierungsvertreter, Oppositionelle, Unternehmer und Vertreter internationaler Organisationen ein und verhandelte mit ihnen drei Fälle, die symbolisch für den Konflikt stehen sollten. Dieses Buch ist eine Verschriftlichung des Tribunals. Milo Rau gewährt Einblicke in sein Regietagebuch und verdeutlicht durch Bilder und Fotos die Eindringlichkeit des Theaterstücks. Im Buch eingebunden sind zudem Interviews, Zeitungsartikel, Reden und Reaktionen. Auch wenn es eine symbolische Verhandlung war, weckt das Theaterstück Hoffnung auf die Möglichkeit eines solchen Tribunals." (Verlagsbeschreibung)
more
"La publication de ce "Manuel de protection des journalistes" rentre justement dans le cadre des actions que mène JED pour la sécurisation des journalistes et autres professionnels des médias dans leur travail. Cette sécurisation, nous essayons de la promouvoir par la sensibilisation, et par des
...
sessions de formation à l'intention des professionnels des médias. Mais JED n'a, ni les moyens, ni le pouvoir d'assurer la sécurité physique des journalistes, qui est de la seule responsabilité de l'autorité publique. L'initiative de ce petit "Manuel de protection des journalistes" fait suite au constat malheureux de la multiplication des attaques et des agressions des journalistes que nous enregistrons souvent pendant les périodes de campagnes électorales. Beaucoup de journalistes et correspondants de la presse nationale ou internationale sont souvent pris pour cibles lors des manifestations politiques, et leurs matériels de travail détruits. Plus particulièrement, lors des manifestations politiques qui ont tendance à dégénérer ou à déraper, les journalistes se retrouvent assez souvent victimes de ces débordements, alors qu'ils sont appelés, malgré les risques, à faire leur travail aussi sur terrain. Les médias audiovisuels sont le plus souvent touchés, car leurs équipes de reportage sont obligées d'être sur le terrain, et parfois dans le feu de l'action pour couvrir les événements. Voilà pourquoi JED a jugé utile, pour réduire un tant soit peu les risques qu'encourent les professionnels des médias, de les sensibiliser sur " Ce qu'il faut faire " et " Ce qu'il ne faut pas faire " pour ne pas s'exposer outre mesure. Tout en gardant en conscience que le risque zéro du métier d'informer n'existe pas, les mesures de précautions proposées dans ce Manuel ne sont qu'indicatives, et ne sauraient être exhaustives, tant il vrai que chacun en fonction de sa situation particulière ou de ses moyens de défense, peut adopter les attitudes et les comportements qu'il juge lui- même salutaires pour sa sécurité et celle de son entourage." (Page 4)
more
"This article analyses the performance and professional culture of journalists in situations of armed conflict, based on the results of research using qualitative techniques and conducted in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (2008–09) and Europe (2010–14), focusing on the case of the Cong
...
olese media women. It investigates the case of the Association of Media Women of South Kivu (AFEM-SK) in order to create greater awareness of the new African mediascapes and the emerging roles of women in journalism. The local Congolese organization has been fighting for women’s rights and against sexual violence through radio for more than a decade and is becoming a paradigmatic case of media activism and women’s rights on the African continent." (Abstract)
more
"Heather Bourbeau finds that in a crisis, media professionals and humanitarian aid providers negotiate a delicate balance between thorough and consistent coverage, and coverage that sensationalizes a crisis and leads to hysteria, misery, and fatigue. In "F" Bourbeau compares the media coverage of th
...
e Ebola crisis in Liberia to reporting on the Second Congo War in the DRC. She finds that when the topic is a contagious disease outbreak, media themes can swing the international community into action, but can also create unnecessary fear in countries far from the affected areas. By contrast, ongoing conflicts such as the war in the DRC often become background noise relegated to the back pages of major newspapers, if covered at all by the international press. She concludes that without continued media interest and informed coverage the international community's response becomes dulled or muted and atrocities can be overlooked despite a continuous need for assistance and diplomatic efforts." (Introduction to part 4, page 186)
more