Professional development

The journalism profession in DRC is one that offers free access to all people including those who do not have a university education in journalism and who come to train directly in practice. Yet Ordinance-Law N 81-012 of 2 April, 1981 is clear on the status of journalists working in the DRC as to the conditions of access to the journalistic profession, particularly with regard to the apprenticeship of the profession, namely through a probationary period. Internships are mandatory. But this is not respected by most media. The structural weaknesses of the CSAC, the OMEC and the UNPC, make any improvement of this situation unforeseeable. Several finalists from schools in communication or journalism are directly embracing the profession in one or the other professional category of the media field. They do not take any further training in terms of professional preparation. Nevertheless, there are journalists who have never received academic training and who have trained themselves on the job.

Indeed, the country currently has journalists who have degrees in medicine, law and economics. In most cases, these professionals from other scientific fields work as specialists when reporting on issues within their areas of training. They present themselves as experts on these questions and their productions are generally better presented. There are some who practice journalism as their main job and others who exercise it as a secondary profession. The presence of sectoral experts in the journalistic profession is an advantage in terms of the quality and accuracy of their reporting. However, in accordance with the Ordonnance-loi of 1981 on the status of Congolese journalists, it is important that upon entry into the profession all these people make a two-year professional internship to learn about journalistic ethics and deontology.