Understanding the Local Media Environment and International Media as Source for Local News: Five Ethiopian Newspapers in Focus Zewge Abate Assefa Faculty of Humanities Department of Media and Communication University of Oslo December 2010 Acronyms AAU – Addis Ababa University AFP – Agence France Press ArabSat – Arab Satellite Communications Organization BSP – Broadcasting Service Proclamation CUD – Coalition for Unity and Democracy DStv – Digital Satellite Television DW – Deutsche Welle EFFORT – Endowment Fund for the Rehabilitation of Tigray ENA – Ethiopian News Agency EPO – Ethiopian Press Organization EPRDF – Ethiopian People Revolutionary Front HRW – Human Rights Watch IMF – International Monetary Fund MCC – Media and Communication Center NGO – Non-Governmental Organization ONLF – Ogaden National Liberation Front PIAL – Press and Information Access Law PMC – Population and Media Center UEDF – United Ethiopian Democratic Front VOA – Voice of America WIC – Walta Information Center ZANIS – Zambian News and Information Service i Abstract Ethiopia’s media environment is primarily Government owned and controlled with some private news media struggling to survive the limitations of a small market base and political pressure. The current Government has allowed the operations of the private press and political opposition for the first time in the country’s history. However, the challenge for these entities to enjoy a genuinely free political space is formidable particularly following the hugely disputed general elections in 2005. The media in general and the private press in particular seem to have faced difficulties related to gaining access to official information and generally enjoying a free political space to communicate their news and views. Self-censorship seems to have become a common practice among journalists. The research attempts to look into these challenges and the place of international media as alternative sources of information on local affairs reporting of the Ethiopian press as perceived by local reporters and editors. Its main objective, therefore, is to explore situations that lead the Ethiopian press to utilize international media outlets as sources of news on local state of affairs. Employing various techniques with the qualitative research paradigm, data was gathered through in-depth interviews, qualitative document and newspaper content analyses. Findings indicate that the private press operates under challenges such as lack of access to official information and a climate of fear of Government harassment and persecution. As a consequence, the private press tends to use more international media sources for locally available information that it would not be able to obtain itself. The generally critical reporting of the international media on Ethiopia also seems to suit the tendency of the private press to focus more on criticizing Government activities. The Government press, on the other hand, largely praises and promotes the Government in such a way that it finds little relevance in international media sources except to launch attacks against their coverage of Ethiopia. ii Acknowledgments This research had to stand against a trying period of family tragedy; thanks to my supervisor, Professor Helge Rønning (Prof.), who greatly helped me through his persistent fatherly encouragement and candid academic engagement to put the work above my fragile state of being. My genuine gratitude also goes to the Norwegian Government Quota Program which kindly made possible my study through its financial support. I am also thankful to Fritt Ord for the financial provisions it made to support this project. Etsegenet Abate Assefa, my sister, is always behind my academic endeavors and life at large. I am grateful to her and wish that her new chapter of life bless her with happiness and more success. All my Ethiopian friends in Oslo have been hugely important for me to get comfort against all odds for which I am truly indebted. I specially thank Wolela Haile, Mesay Mulugeta (PhD), Teshome Kebede, Nigussie Taddese, Beyene Girma, Indalkachew Yenet and Zegaye Seifu for their support in direct relation to this work. God bless all. My gratitude also goes to Eshete Assefa for helping me establish my contacts with some media houses in Ethiopia and for providing me with useful information. The Ethiopian Broadcasting Authority (EBA) deserves my genuine gratitude for providing me with information without any bureaucratic complications. I encourage them to keep up their cooperation for the development of research on the media systems in Ethiopia. Last but not least, I thank all my respondents very much for their amazing cooperation without which this work would have not been possible. iii In memory of my beloved mother, Meaza Yemaneberehan, who was destined to go before the completion of my studies, and I was not able to quench my thirst to see her again happier and healthier. May your soul rest in peace and I hope to mend my broken heart by registering more success to which you’ll always be credited as a strong single mother. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS Acronyms __________________________________________________________________________ i Abstract ____________________________________________________________________________ ii Acknowledgments ___________________________________________________________________ iii Chapter One Background ________________________________________________________________________ 1 1.1 Ethiopia and Global Politics ________________________________________________________ 1 1.2 The Media and Politics in Ethiopia __________________________________________________ 2 1.3 The 2005 Elections ________________________________________________________________ 6 1.4 The Size and Circulation of the Press in Ethiopia ______________________________________ 8 1.5 Professionalism in Ethiopia’s Press _________________________________________________ 11 1.6 News Sources in the Ethiopian Press ________________________________________________ 12 1.7 Conclusion _____________________________________________________________________ 13 1.8 The Project _____________________________________________________________________ 14 1.8.1 Objectives of the Study _________________________________________________________ 15 1.8.2 Research questions _____________________________________________________________ 15 Chapter Two Theoretical Framework _____________________________________________________________ 17 2.1 Introduction ____________________________________________________________________ 17 2.2 The Nature of News ______________________________________________________________ 18 2.3 Setting the Agenda _______________________________________________________________ 19 2.4 Framing _______________________________________________________________________ 21 2.5 News Flow: Global Trends and Implications _________________________________________ 22 2.6 Simple Perception Psychology as Determinant of News Flow ____________________________ 24 2.7 ‘Global Media’ and ‘Network Society _______________________________________________ 27 2.8 Globalization and the Media ______________________________________________________ 29 2.8.1 The Concept of Globalization: A Brief Overview __________________________________ 29 2.8.2 Critical Assessment of Globalization ____________________________________________ 30 2.9 Conclusion _____________________________________________________________________ 32 Chapter Three Methodology_______________________________________________________________________ 35 3.1 Introduction ____________________________________________________________________ 35 3.2 Qualitative Research _____________________________________________________________ 36 3.2.1 Observation _______________________________________________________________ 37 v 3.2.2 In-depth Interviews __________________________________________________________ 39 3.2.3 Qualitative Textual Analysis __________________________________________________ 41 3.2.4 Document Analysis _________________________________________________________ 43 3.3 Methodological Limitations _______________________________________________________ 44 3.4 Conclusion ____________________________________________________________________ 44 Chapter Four The Legal and Policy Environment of the Ethiopian Press _________________________________ 47 4.1 Introduction ____________________________________________________________________ 47 4.2 Legal Provisions for the Media: An Overview ________________________________________ 47 4.2.1 A Proclamation to Provide for the Freedom of Mass Media and Access to information (Proclamation No. 590/2008) ______________________________________________________ 47 4.2.2 A Proclamation on Anti-Terrorism (Proclamation No. 652/2009) ______________________ 51 4.2.3 The Proclamation on Broadcasting Service (Proclamation No. 533/2007) _______________ 53 4.2.4 The Proclamation to Provide for the Registration and Regulation of Charities and Societies (Proclamation No. 621/2009) ______________________________________________________ 55 4.3 In-house Policies and Working Documents___________________________________________ 56 4.3.1 The Editorial Policy of Ethiopian Press Organization _______________________________ 56 4.3.2 The Bases and Future Directives of the Developmental and Democratic Philosophy of Our Media Work (A Working Document) ________________________________________________ 58 4.4 Conclusion _____________________________________________________________________ 59 Chapter Five Observational