For the Management of the “Infodemic” during the Covid-19 Pandemic in the DRC, What Lessons Could Be Learned?

In the DRC, the management of the infodemic linked to the Covid-19 pandemic was punctuated by significant episodes, and also by controversies that have fuelled media news. The present communication attempts to study the lessons to learn from the management of the pandemic in the DRC in order to formulate orientations and perspectives for improving the management of future epidemic crises. This reflection was built on the basis of a documentary review (strategic plan, epidemiological bulletins and communication activity reports), the analysis of the content of the main mass media in Kinshasa broadcast by the Canal+ bouquet, informal interviews with four senior executives of the Ministry of Health and direct observation of the media activities of the few actors (experts in the response and political actors) during the first six months response (June to December 2020). With a view to improving communication discourse in the event of future epidemics, three main recommendations stemming from three dimensions of the epidemic are proposed: 1) Providing the media with credible sources of relevant information in real-time during times of crisis with a view to crisis communication. 2) Building a structural partnership between the health sector and media professionals in risk management to establish risk communication and community engagement. 3) Encouraging scientific interactions through the professionalization of health journalists with a view to promoting scientific communication. In future situations, it will be wise to support synergistic coordination between the health and communication sectors to structure a response communication dynamic taking into account the triple dimension of the epidemic as a crisis situation, a moment of community risk and a scientific event.