Journalisme et mutations numériques en République démocratique du Congo : enjeux et impératifs éthiques de la pratique informationnelle

Abstract

Digital transformation has profoundly reshaped the conditions under which journalism is practiced. While digital technologies facilitate the gathering, production and dissemination of information, they also expose journalists to new ethical dilemmas. This article examines the ethical challenges facing Congolese journalism within a digital ecosystem characterized by the exponential growth of social media platforms (Facebook, , Instagram, WhatsApp, X/ Twitter, and TikTok), which have expanded public access to expression. It seeks to identify the principles and mechanisms capable of strengthening responsible journalistic practice. The study shows that digital technology represents both an opportunity and an ethical challenge for contemporary journalism. On the one hand, it enables rapid access to information; on the other, it weakens the fundamental principles of journalistic ethics. It also demonstrates that at the dawn of the twenty-first century—often described as the “information age,” in which our lives are increasingly woven into digital networks— journalists are best defined not by “what they are’’ or even ‘’what they do,” but by “how and why they do it.” The article concludes that digital transformation and technological developments do not signal the end of journalism; rather, they call for the adaptation of its core values—truth, responsibility, and professional rigor—to the realities of the Web and digital communication.