View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by NORA - Norwegian Open Research Archives 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, 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 vi 6.6 Major Tasks of the Private Press Journalist __________________________________________ 78 6.7 News Sources ___________________________________________________________________ 79 6.7.1 Local Sources for the Government Press _________________________________________ 79 6.7.2 Local Sources for the Private Press _____________________________________________ 79 6.7.3 Commonalities in the Use of Sources by the Government and Private Press _____________ 80 6.7.4 International Media Sources ___________________________________________________ 82 6.7.4.1 Hostile Attitudes of the Government Press ___________________________________ 82 6.7.4.2 International Media as Source for the Private Press to Substantiates Criticism of Government 84 6.7.5 Access to Information________________________________________________________ 86 6.7.6 Freedom of the Press ________________________________________________________ 92 6.7.7 Moments Defining Journalism in Ethiopia ________________________________________ 94 6.8 Conclusion _____________________________________________________________________ 95 Chapter Seven Local News and Analyses Using International Media Sources: A Qualitative Overview _________ 97 7.1 The Selection ___________________________________________________________________ 97 7.2 International Sources Used in the Government’s Addis Zemen __________________________ 98 7.3 International Media Used in the Private Newspapers __________________________________ 99 7.4 Accessing Official Views _________________________________________________________ 102 7.5 Minimizing Risk of Government Persecution ________________________________________ 103 7.6 Credibility with the International Media ___________________________________________ 104 7.7 The World beyond the Conventional Mass Media ____________________________________ 106 7.8 Counterattacking International Media and Other Transnational Organizations___________ 106 7.9 Conclusion ____________________________________________________________________ 107 Chapter Eight Summary and Conclusions __________________________________________________________ 109 References _______________________________________________________________________ viii Appendix I ________________________________________________________________________ xv Interview Guide for Editors/Journalists ________________________________________________ xv vii Chapter One Background 1.1 Ethiopia and Global Politics Little has been studied about the development of media in Ethiopia, and this makes it not so easy 1 ideology. The new leaders seemed to be committed towards creating an open political environment with the state television and radio allowing diverse views and the private press flourishing for the first time in the country’s history (Henze, 1998). The 1995 Constitution of Ethiopia has made important provisions for freedom of expression and the right to assembly