Journalism and Communication

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An Analysis of ICT Utilization in Ministry of Finance and Economic Development (MoFED)
(Addis Ababa University, 2015-06) Girma Kebede ; Abdissa Zerai
This study focused on exploring the utilization of lCT as a strategic communication tool 111 Ministry of Finance and Economic Development (MoFED). The research specially doweled on mainly email, website and lCT policy utilization. In order to generate a realistic data quantitative and qualitative and research methods were employed. Questionnaires were distributed to 172 respondents who were selected through purposive sampling method. Documents investigation both in email inboxes and file boxes was conducted in selected three departments. In order to triangulate the research qualitatively, 10 key informants were interviewed in depth. The research was informed by system theory and network analysis was employed too. Eventually, the research findings revealed that email versus paper mail is unbalanced in the internal communication of MoFED. The respondents' attitudes towards MoFED website mainly fall on weak and satisfactory ratings. MoFED's lCT policy is known only by 36% of the employees. Moreover, findings revealed expenditure for papers and stationeries has been increasing in millions birr and the strategic goal to make the Ministry paper free environment unachieved. Finally, the study forwarded some recommendation to MoFED's ISAC and Management.
Analyzing the Role of Citizen Journalism in Advancing Ethiopia’s National Interests and Shared Vision: The Case Study of ‘Ye'Abayi Niguswochi’
(Addis Ababa University, 2024-05) Yohnathan Abebe Yimenu; Abdissa Zerai
This paper presents the significant impact of citizen journalism in advancing national interests and fostering shared values needs to be embraced about the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) among Nile riparian states, as a vital infrastructure for sustainable development of the region. The paper examines how Citizen Journalist, especially Ye'Abayi Niguswochi or otherwise known as Kings of Abbaye, setting a profound Media discourses and narratives affecting the Hydro-politics of the region and world as a whole. Both quantitative and qualitative methodologies are utilized to gain meaningful perspectives on the subjects through the lens of Social Responsibility Theory. The study enfolded on quantitative data selecting 500 productions randomly and classifying in thematic areas, conducting a survey for 72 new media consumers, and an interview directed to Ye‟Abayi Nigusowchi (YAN) founder, Usthaz Jemal Beshir, are incorporated as a qualitative method to examine how citizen journalism is becoming an increasingly important alternative medium to advance national interests and foster a shared values. The Method triangulated these three approaches to find reliable results that could contribute to a deeper understanding of the role of citizen journalism in today's media landscape. Testing Inter-code dependability, and reliability coefficient formulas that yielded a result 0.896 which showed significant agreement with theoretical predictions that proves YAN dispositions has been socially responsible in advancing national interests of Ethiopia. The work presented here has profound implications on the future studies on flourishing opportunities and challenges of Citizen Journalism, and the New Media realms.
Audience Reception Study on Debub FM 100.9 Programs with Special Focus on 'Sile Tenawo Yiteyiku'
(Addis Ababa University, 2014-10) Tsedeniya Solomon ; Abdissa Zerai
This study aims at finding out the audiences' response regarding Debub FM 100.9 programs with particular reference to issues related to health. In light of this, attempts were made to assess audiences' program preference, their purpose for listening to the program, and some factors influencing their reception towards the program. Regarding related literature, attempts have also been made to review various literatures written in related with the theme. Accordingly, different theoretical frameworks with particular emphasis to the uses and gratifications approach were presented and discussed. The research method used in this study was quantitative approach. Hence, in order to find answers to the research questions, questionnaire was used as a major instrument of data collection. Accordingly, three hundred questionnaires were distributed to a randomly selected subjects of Hawassa city residents and Hawassa University students. Factors like age, sex, education, occupation, and place of residence were considered to be among the issues that could influence the response of audiences for a particular media text.The analysis of the data shows that age, gender, and education factors were important in influencing the audiences' program (genre) preferences, and their opinions towards the specific program called "Sile Tenawo Yiteyiku". As (McQuail, 2000) states the need of audiences varies according to their experience, gender and educational levels. Thus, the finding reveals instances whereby majority of male respondents preferred to listen to news and educational programs than fema le respondents. What is more , the findin g also indicates that s ign ificant majority of the respondents in all age groups agreed that " Sile Tenawo Yiteyiku " is certainly educative. However, few of the younger participants viewed the is sues rai sed in the program in a negat ive way. On the other hand, place of re sidence and occupation differences were not that much critica l factors in influencing audience reception in thi s study. With reference to occupation, the analysis shows that the tran smission time of "Sile Tenawo Yiteyiku" was un suitabl e for the overwhelming majority of the re spondents, especially for tho se who were students and government employees. Based on the findings, the stud y ha s made some pertinent recommendations.
Challenges and Limitations faced by Women Journalists in Ethiopian Media: The Case of Ethiopian Broadcasting Corporation, Fana Broadcasting Corporate & Walta Media and Communication Corporate
(Addis Ababa University, 2024-09-05) Saba Hailemelekot; Abdissa Zerai
This study explores the challenges and limitations encountered by women journalists in Ethiopia, specifically examining their experiences within three major media organizations: Ethiopian Broadcasting Corporation (EBC), Fana Broadcasting Corporation (FBC), and Walta Media and Communication Corporate. Employing a mixed-methods approach, the research incorporates quantitative data from surveys and qualitative insights from in-depth interviews and Focus Group Discussions, providing a comprehensive analysis of the factors affecting women's participation and advancement in the Ethiopian media landscape. The findings reveal significant gender disparities, with male journalists predominating the workforce in each organization. The study highlights that female journalist make up a relatively small percentage of the workforce; for instance, EBC employs 68.5% male journalists, while FBC has 64.5% and Walta 58.3%. This gender imbalance not only limits women's representation in media but also perpetuates stereotypes and biases in reporting practices. Educational qualifications among female journalists are noteworthy, with 80.2% holding at least a bachelor's degree. However, despite their qualifications, women face numerous challenges, including gender discrimination, harassment both verbal and physical and limited opportunities for career progression. Nearly 46.5% of respondents reported experiencing gender-based discrimination, which aligns with existing literature on the broader global phenomenon where women face hostility in male-dominated work environments. The analysis also reveals that mentorship and professional networking are essential for women's career development, but participation in training and mentoring programs remains low, with 65.1% of respondents indicating they had not engaged in such initiatives. In light of the findings, the study makes several recommendations for media organizations, including the development of targeted diversity and inclusion programs, implementation of clear anti-discrimination policies, fostering an inclusive organizational culture, and providing more opportunities for female journalists to advance their careers. By actively addressing these challenges, media organizations can cultivate an environment that promotes equity and empowerment, supporting women's professional growth and representation in the journalism field. This research highlights the need for gender equity in Ethiopian media, advocating for systematic changes to improve credibility, diversity, and informed public discourse.
A Discourse Analysis of Aljazeera's Documentary 'Struggle over the Nile
(Addis Ababa University, 2014-11) Dejene Sojato ; Abdissa Zerai
Given the fact the politics of the Ni le is full of tension, mistru st, anxiety, mystery, and diplomatic confrontation among the downstream and upstream riparian countries particularly between Ethiopia and Egypt since time immemorial, thi s study examines how Aljazeera's documentary series ' Struggle over the Nile ' represents of the Ni le riparian countries that attempt to establish their causes over the usage of the Nile river. Post Stru ctural di scourse theory is used as the theory and method for the analysis. The study uses qua litative approach on the ba ses of textual ana lysis, u si ng di scourse analytical tools. The corpus of media texts is se lected based on purposive rather than random sampling. [t consists of three documentary se rie s under a major title ' Struggle over the Nile', on is sues of the Nile River and the relations among riparian countries struggling to secure their share from the river. The method for the analysis of the text is through the three types of text analysis, namely analysis of the meaning, the rhetoric and construction of subjectivity. This stud y outlines the fact that documentaries are products o f indi vidual rather than absolute truth as the filmmaker is in direct contro l of arranging the sequences, omitting material, forming arguments and presenting ideas thus making it important to assess fi lmmaker point of view. Due to this fact t h is s tudy revea ls that Aljazeera's documentary demonstrated the dilemma of the down s tream countries to maintain the status quo that resulted in their fai lure to bring the needed coope ration over the use of the Ni le waters. There was a clash between the upstream riparian countri es id eas of the bringing cooperation . Downstream countries expressed an antagonistic approach towards the downstream riparian countries; they opposed the modification of colonial agreements of 1929 and 1959. They wanted others to respect those legal frameworks as binding. Most of the informants of the documentary episodes were from Egypt and Sudan albeit the story affects other Nile basin countries. Therefore, the study concludes that the documentarian has to accommodate the interest of both parties in conflict to attain objectivity.
The Discursive Construction of Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples’ Day by the Ethiopian Broadcasting Corporation
(Addis Ababa University, 2015-02) Hailu Mideksa ; Abdissa Zerai
The principal aim of this study was analyzing the discursive construction of nations, nationalities and peoples‟ day commemoration by the Ethiopian broadcasting corporation (EBC). Discourse theory, framing theory, and political economy of mass media were used as theoretical frame works to make sense of the research questions. The study employed critical discourse analysis with framing as a strategy to analyze the three documentary texts of the Ethiopian broadcasting corporation (EBC). The findings showed that EBC employed attribution of responsibility frame to discursively construct nations, nationalities and peoples‟ day commemoration. In this regard, EBC discursively constructed nations, nationalities and peoples‟ day as a forum of displaying their cultures and mobilizing them for development. EBC portrayed the past Ethiopian regimes as abusers of human and democratic rights of nations, nationalities and peoples. In contrast, the current regime was portrayed as democratic that ensured equality of religions, equality of languages and equality of all kinds of identities of the Ethiopian peoples. The study also revealed that some important narratives about nations, nationalities and peoples were marginalized in EBC‟s commemorative discourse. The findings of the study concluded that EBC‟s portray of the past regimes and the current system is a misrepresentation
A Discursive Construction of Terrorism and Terrorists in EBC's Documentary Film "Terrorism in Ethiopia"
(Addis Ababa University, 2015-03) Abenezer Estifanos ; Abdissa Zerai
As media have a vital role to play when talking about the representation, framing and reporting of terrorism; this study aims at analyzing the discursive construction of terrorism and terrorists in the documentary film "Terrorism in Ethiopia." Attempts were made to analyze the representation and portrayal of terrorism and terrorists, to examine rhetorical strategies used to support the arguments advanced and to look into how structural factors have played a role in the discursive construction of terrorism and terrorist in the documentary film. In line with the theme of the study, related literatures have been viewed and the representation and framing theoretical frameworks were deployed. A qualitative research approach with discourse analysis as a method has been employed. The result of the analysis reveals that with reference to the systematic content analysis of the documentary film, the producers of the documentary film were parties that have a direct hand on the issue raised; and the themes presented were in line with the issue raised and seemed befitting. With regard to the representation and framing of terrorism and terrorists, the producers have depicted terrorism as 'an evil deed' that does not differentiate race, age, religion, etc. However, some of the claims made by the producers of the documentary were overstretched and were ii contextualized so as to fit their objectives. Opposition on how the government exercises its power and disagreements on the practice of the country's legal system were portrayed as terrorism acts. In addition, the rhetorical strategies used to support the arguments forwarded have played their role in a way that allows the readers to identify themselves with the victims and validate and accept the arguments presented by the interviewees and the producers. Based on the findings of the study, some recommendations have been forwarded.
Ethiopian Media industry: Ownership and Regulations From Historical Point of View
(Addis Ababa University, 2013-12) Nutman Aliyi ; Abdissa Zerai
This paper aims at analyzing the history of the Ethiopian media industry from the imperial period to the current federal system - focusing on ownership and regulations. In Ethiopia, the media institutions had been under the monopoly of the government until 1991. The coming of the Ethiopian Peoples‘ Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) into power in 1991 has laid a historical legal framework for the Ethiopian press, with all its challenges on the ground. However, the Press Proclamations of 1992, 1999, and the Broadcast Proclamation of 2007 have not been able to guarantee journalists and media workers freedom in carrying out their duties with ease. According to Ethiopia‘s legal frameworks, religious institutions and political parties cannot own broadcast media. Although the law provides for the private ownership of broadcasting, it is yet to be realized in practice (especially ownership of television), leaving the sector virtually under the control of the government. As a result, it is difficult to call the Ethiopian broadcast media as public media. The private press - newspapers and some magazines – have continued to produce contents which often tend to be highly critical of the government. Some of these papers appear to be pro-opposition parties as their counter-part, the ―public media,‖ is pro-government – and thus two opposing polls created in the media industry. What is more, the profession is underdeveloped, and this situation coupled with the low conscientious level of the wider public and the prevalence of weak legal institutions, has made the challenge monumental. The findings of this study reveal that different factors have contributed to the low level of journalism profession in Ethiopia. Ownership has a big role to play in terms of controlling what and how the media should operate. As noted earlier, except a few FM Radios, the vi broadcast media are under the government control and they hardly discharge their watchdog role in exposing officials‘ misdeeds without a green light from the same. As most of the private newspapers are critical of the government, they are often subject to accusation, imprisonment and intimidation. On the other hand, the absence of credible national journalists‘ association has negatively contributed to the profession‘s predicament. Even though many in the profession believe that having a press council is vital for the development of the profession, it has not yet come to fruition, and the one that is still in the process does not seem to win the trust of some journalists in the private sector. Furthermore, financial problems have posed a serious challenge to the survival of the private newspapers; this in turn has put them under different pressures. Last but not least, there is a lack of clear and shared conceptual understanding of the notion of development journalism among the practitioners of the profession, making coherence difficult among them. Thus, the paper calls for a sustained deliberation on the issue of journalistic professionalism among the various stakeholders so that the Ethiopian media industry could be transformed. It also calls on media scholars to look into the Ethiopian media predicament seriously and come up with a relevant media model for the Ethiopian context.
Ethiopian Print Media Coverage of the Arab uprisings: The case of Addis Zemen, Fetehe, and Reporter
(Addis Ababa University, 2013-06) Asmeret Hailesilasse ; Abdissa Zerai
The principal aim of this study was to investigate how the Arab uprising was covered by the selected newspapers. With the aim of examining the coverage, framing theory and political economy of the mass media were employed as the theoretical frameworks of the study. By taking a three month data, the study was conducted on three newspapers namely, Addis Zemen, the Amharic Reporter and Fetehe. Quantitative content analysis, Qualitative content (textual analysis) analysis and in-depth interview were the techniques used. While the quantitative content analysis and the qualitative content analysis were applied to identify the frames and provide supporting excerpts for the frames respectively, in-depth interview was employed to back the results found from the two methods. The study revealed that the conflict frame was predominantly used by the papers, Addis Zemen and Amharic Reporter. The next frame was the contingency frame which stands as the dominant frame of Fetehe. The use of the contingency frame varied between the private and government owned papers. While the two private papers claimed that there were causes that could have made Arab like uprising possible in Ethiopia, Addis Zemen argued that Ethiopia is free from the problems of the Arab uprising. Following contingency frame, the turn was for human interest frame where the newspapers largely entertained the personal behaviour of Muammar Gaddafi. In their Prognostic frame, Addis Zemen and Fetehe expressed pessimistic and optimistic view about ii the consequences of the Arab uprising respectively while Amharic Reporter presented both. Attribution of responsibility was found in Fetehe and Amharic Reporter but not in Addis Zemen. Finally, the least used frame happened to be diagnostic frame where differences and similarities were observed among the papers in conceptualizing the causes of the Arab uprising. What is more, it was found out that the coverage of Addis Zemen and Fetehe was tilted towards owner interest than the real depiction of the issue. Amharic Reporter tried to give a fair coverage. Based on the finding, some recommendations were forwarded to mitigate the limitations.
ETV's Framing of Agricultural Transformation: The Case of Weraynna Tigrigna Program
(Addis Ababa University, 2012-06) Furtuna Kahsay ; Abdissa Zerai
The aim of this thesis was to examine the framing of agricultural transformation in ETV's Tigrigna program known as werrayna. To this end, this study employed a qualitative method. The data was collected from the documented programs and in-depth interviews were conducted with the staff that produced the program. The study was informed by framing theory, and frame analysis was used as a strategy. On the basis of Entman's framing conceptualization, textual message, visual effects and metaphors were examined and analyzed. The finding of the study revealed that the weraynna program defined the problem as the persistent practice of traditional fanning method; it attributed the problem to illiteracy, poor administration and poverty. The progran1 presented irrigation and other simple farming methods as a mechanism to transforming the agriculture. Moreover, the weraynna program suggested educating the farmers to conserve natural resources, improve the fertility of the land, and heed the advice of agricultural professionals so as alleviate poverty.
External Influence on News Reporting: The Case of Reporter, Fortune, and Capital
(Addis Ababa University, 2015-06) Mihret Aschalew ; Abdissa Zerai
This study was aimed at investigating whether external influence exists on news reporting. To this end, Reporter Amharic, Fortune and Capital newspapers were selected as a case from the Ethiopian print media. The most relevant theoretical framework to the topic, political economy of the mass media has been employed as theoretical framework. Qualitative data gathering techniques of focus group discussion (FGD) and in-depth interview were employed to undertake the study. Using purposive and convenience sampling techniques, 18 journalists were selected for focus group discussion and in depth interview. In depth interview was employed mainly to get rich data that can enable the researcher to examine whether there are external influences on news reporting while focus group discussion was used to get preliminary information and diverse views regarding the issue. The study revealed that there is external influence on news reporting in Reporter Amharic and Capital while the influence is relatively minimal in Fortune. Heavy reliance on official sources, journalist-source friendship, news gathering habitual (routine) and news management of PRs, advertisers’ interest and self censorship resulted in the mediation of news of the newspapers. The study has revealed there is ownership interference and symbiosis between the newspapers and powerful political and economic actors that resulted in influence on news reporting from outside. ii The study has concluded that news reporting of the newspapers investigated was influenced by external political and economic actors’ interests though a relatively better professional standard enabled Fortune to minimize the influence.
Framing ISIS in Global Mainstream Media: A Comparative Content Analysis of Television News from Al Jazeera English /AJE/ and Cable News Network /CNN/
(Addis Ababa University, 2016-06) Wibishet Fessha ; Abdissa Zerai
The aim of this study was to investigate how ISIS is covered in the news reports of Al Jazeera English /AJE/ and Cable News Network /CNN/. Informed by Orientalism and Framing theoretical frameworks, the study employed both quantitative and qualitative methods to gather and analyze the data. The quantitative content analysis helped identify frames used in discussing ISIS in AJE and CNN; while the qualitative content analysis provided a ground to explain why the specific frames are selected. Purposive sampling was used to select the media and the news items for this research. The study revealed that both AJE and CNN used 14 individual frames in their news narratives about ISIS, which were further categorized into six umbrella frames: war, killing, outline, victim, intervention and protagonist frames. The analysis shows that these global media used the frames with different level of prominence and emphasis of angles in their news narratives. While the intervention frame was predominantly used by both AJE and CNN, the first reinforced regional military movements but the latter emphasized on western military support to defeat ISIS. Then, AJE used the victim frame to report civilian casualties of the conflict whereas CNN had less news about victims. The war frame was the second dominant frame CNN used to discuss the damages the terrorist group caused, where the broadcaster shed light on the ineffective regional resistance. The war frame was the third frame AJE widely used to show the Sunni rebel group as gaining victory but capitalized on the regional resistance. For CNN the outline frame was the third dominant frame used to narrate and explain about the group and its various aspects. AJE produced very few reports with the killing frame, covering ISIS’ beheadings where it II sympathized with victims and their families. CNN had much more news about westerners’ beheadings and soldiers’ executions in which it showed how horrible and barbaric ISIS is. In the protagonist frame AJE portrayed Iraq as a country directly threatened by ISIS, whereas for CNN, it was the U.S under threat. The findings show how the media in fact belong to two distinct media hemispheres where CNN’s narratives were shaped by oriental discourse about ISIS and related events in the Middle East and AJE news narratives primarily focused on providing alternative perspectives about the same phenomena. In conclusion, this narrative disparity further proved that AJE and CNN stand on two extreme media poles even on the issue of ISIS
Framing of Climate Change in Addis Admas and the Reporter (Amharic Version)
(Addis Ababa University, 2014-11) Azeb Gebrekiros ; Abdissa Zerai
This study examined climate change-related news coverage in two widely circulated private Amharic newspapers, Addis Admas and the Reporter, published in 20 13. A framing approach established by Benford and Snow (2000), and later adapted by Yun,Ku, Park and Han (2012:201 ) and specifically designed to apply to climate change issues laid the groundwork for the investigation. A quantitative content analysis was conducted to determine the coverage, story frames, dominant themes and sources portrayed in the news coverage; and semi- structured interviews were held with edito rs of the twu newspapers to further explore how stories are se lected and prioritized for the newspapers. Results revealed that the most conUllon frames in the newspapers are the "prognostic" frame, which focuses on the means of responding to climate change and the "After-effect" fi'ame, which focuses on the results of implementing climate change countermeasures. On the other hand, the dominant themes frequently discussed are the "conservation" theme focu sing on conservation of natural resources and the "mitigation" theme focu sing on mitigation of climate change. Politicians and civil society organizations were more likely represented in story frames making judgments and suggesting so lutions-there were limited voices from the academics and the continuities.
The Framing of Political Parties by the Ethiopian Print Media in the 2010 Parliamentary Election
(Addis Ababa University, 2012-06) Ashenafi Gudeta ; Abdissa Zerai
The main aim of the study was to examine how the Ethiopian print media framed the political parties of the country during the 2010 Parliamentary Election. The research employed both quantitative and qualitative approaches. To conduct the study, three newspapers namely Addis Zemen, Reporter and Awramba Times with a relatively high coverage of domestic politics and larger circulation, and two contending parties-the EPRDF and Medrek-which had seats in the parliament were included in the study. The study included newspapers published within the period of January 15 to May 15, 2010. Results of the study revealed that the government owned newspaper Addis Zemen portrayed EPRDF positively, but it portrayed Medrek negatively. On the contrary, the privately owned newspapers, Reporter (though with some exceptions) and Awramba Times, portrayed EPRDF negatively, whereas they portrayed Medrek positively. Awramba Times appeared to favor Medrek while Addis Zemen seemed in favor of the EPRDF, and this shows that there was biased view in the newspapers which could lead to less informed and more polarized electorate. However, Reporter was relatively in a neutral mode. The study also showed that conflict frame, followed by attribution of responsibility and economic consequence frames, was found to be the most manipulated frame. Finally, recommendations for further research were forwarded.
Impact of Akebabiyachin (Environmental) Radio Program Through the Eyes of the Rural Communities of Arsi Negelle.
(Addis Ababa University, 2015-06) Samrawit Sintayehu ; Abdissa Zerai
This study aims at investigating the impact of Akebabyachin (Environmenta l) radio program on the rural communities of Ethiopia with part icularfoc us on Arsi Negelle communities; and the study has been informed by the Social Cognitive theoretical perspectives. A qualitative methodological approach was employed for gathering relevant data for the study. Accord ingly, Focus Group Discuss ion and in-depth interview were the main data gathering too ls used. Threefocus group discuss ions and in-depth interview were carried out with 30 participants selected purposively from the communities of Arsi Negell e and 2 participants from the radio program producers. The study reveals that Akebaby chinradio program has brought about considerable positive impact on the communities of Arsi Negelle, particularly in relation to minim izing deforestation and so il erosion. The study also confirms that the palticipants of the study considered the program as useful and informative and its transmission time to be convenient. However, they complained about the duration of the program being not sufficient considering the importance of the program. Based on the findings, the study has suggested pertinent recommendations for future consideration.
The Impact of Ethiopia's Anti-Terrorism Law on Freedom of the Press: The Case of the Ethiopian Private Press
(Addis Ababa University, 2013-01) Binyam Tamene ; Abdissa Zerai
The study examines the impact of Ethiopia's Anti-Terrorism proclamation on the private press' ability to investigate and report on matters of public interest. The topic started to grab attention since Ethiopia introduced an Anti-terrorism Proclamation in early 2009, which became a part of the country's legal book on 28 August 2009. Since then, there have been contradictory arguments made by various parties. The freedom of expression activists and journalists, for example, have argued that the law is being used by the government as an instrument of suppressing dissenting views ~nd criticisms of the government, while the government officials have argued otherwise. Thus, the study pays attention to examining how this debate has shaped the real world of journalism and thereby affected the ro le ofthe private press.To this end, the study employed both qualitative and quantitative methods for collecting the data. In-depth interview, documents and survey questionnaire were the specific data collecting tools used. The data was gathered over a three- month period [from September 1 to December 28]. What is more, the libertarian theoretical framework was used to inform the study. The findings of the study reveal that overbroad and vague definition of terrorism and other vaguely defined provisions in the anti-terrorism law are having a chilling effect on the media landscape in the country. Particularly, the controversial use of the terms 'terrorism', 'terrorism acts' and 'encouraging' terrorism has created a lot of gray areas and the government appears to be exploiting them to its advantage.Furthermore, provisions that affect the journalists' privileged relations with their sources as well as the diminutive understanding of the law from the journalists' side were found to be making the task of reporting challenging. These factors along with the prosecution of a number of journalists under this law seem to have in sti lled fear among journalists and dissuaded them from investigating issues related to politics, good governance, sensitive religious matters and humanitarian works. As a result, self-censorship abounds in the private press, hampering the media's ability to investigate and report on matters of public importance, which in turn affects the public right to know.
The Impact of Social Media on Newsmaking Process at Oromia Broadcasting Network: Facebook in Focus
(Addis Ababa University, 2018-06) Wagari Kenea ; Abdissa Zerai
This study was aimed at examining the impact of social media, mainly Facebook on newsmaking process at Oromia Broadcasting Network Television. The relevant theoretical frameworks employed for the topic were information network theory, media convergence theory and technological determinism/McLuhan’s media ecology. Qualitative data gathering techniques of structured interview and overt observation were employed to undertake the study. Using purposive sampling technique, 30 newsroom practitioners were selected for the interview. Structured interview was employed mainly to get reliable data that can enable the researcher to examine whether there are social media impacts on newsmaking process in mainstream media, while observation was used to get preliminary information on newsmaking activities at OBN TV newsroom and for cross-checking interviewees’ responses. The data was collected from April to May 2018 and analyzed qualitatively by using discursive strategy informed by the chosen theoretical frameworks. The study reveals that Facebook exerts influence on TV newsmaking process through either feeding updated information or killing the news story; it especially poses a challenge with regard to determining news angle. Social media, especially Facebook threw out the traditional principles of newsmaking process employed in the mainstream media for providing breaking news. What is more, Facebook exerts a profound influence on newsgathering and editorial decision making process besides challenging the principle of journalistic verification in order to ascertain the truthfulness of the story. Further, although the organization is multi-channeled, the broadcaster’s journalists were busy feeding a single medium; however, social media/Facebook often employs a converged multi-media journalism. Thus, based on the findings, some pertinent recommendations are suggested.
An Investigation of National and International Press Coverage of Ethiopia’s Decision to Construct the Grand Renaissance Dam on the Nile River
(Addis Ababa University, 2012-06) Muez Hailu ; Abdissa Zerai
The overriding purpose of this study was to examine the national and international press coverage of Ethiopia’s decision to construct the GERD project on the Nile River. Theories of agenda setting, framing and political economy of mass media have been employed as theoretical frameworks for this study. Drawing on a six-month textual data, an analysis and interpretation of three newspapers, one from each major Eastern Nile basin member countries (i.e., Ethiopia, Egypt and Sudan) was conducted. Besides, three informants, one from each of the aforementioned countries were selected and interviewed, to triangulate the information gained via content analysis. The result of the study revealed that Addis Zemen has provided an exceedingly considerable amount of coverage for the GERD project than Al Ahram Weekly and Sudan Vision newspapers. Development and diplomacy were found to be the frequently reported themes. Government officials were employed as major sources of information, simultaneously. The media generally covered the dam positively or neutrally. The selected press outlets mostly framed the GERD in terms of economic consequences, diagnostic, mutual benefit and prognostic frames. Political challenge was found to be a major problem, while national consensus, electricity generation and bi(multi)lateral relations improvements were identified as major opportunities. What is more, the press coverage on the GERD project shows that those three newspapers have had a tendency towards favoring their country’s national interest over the handling of this supranational issue, i.e., the dam. Based on the study, a couple of recommendations that might help to lessen the limitations of the press are suggested.
Media and Democracy in Ethiopia: Roles and Challenges of the Private Media Since 2005
(Addis Ababa University, 2013-06) Dagim Afework ; Abdissa Zerai
It could universally be agreed that the form of government that is ideal and preferable to any other forms is democracy. Democracy is preferable because it gives an opportunity for the people to participate in decision-making that affects their lives. The process of decision-making would mostly, if not all the time, be facilitated through the provision of information and forum by the media. Being considerate of this notion, this study was mainly conducted to examine what roles the Ethiopian private media are playing in the democratization of the country since 2005 and what challenges are obstructing them when trying to discharge democratic functions. To this end, the study has employed social responsibility theory of the press, the public sphere, media politics theory, and Hallin and Mancini’s models of media systems as its theoretical frameworks. The theories in general take into account the democratic roles that media could play in a given democratic governance. Triangulation of quantitative and qualitative methods has been employed. Accordingly, 40 questionnaires were distributed to journalists who were randomly selected from the private media and in-depth interviews have been conducted with 13 informants who were purposively selected from the media, journalists’ professional associations, government offices, and political parties. The result of the study revealed that the Ethiopian private media are not properly carrying out the democratic roles that they are expected to play owing to both internal and external challenges. The internal challenges included journalists’ poor understanding of some of the roles, poor level of journalistic professionalism, and economic and institutional incapabilities. The external challenges, on the other hand, included, among others, the reluctance of government officials to give information for journalists, the government’s poor, or no recognition of the private media’s democratic roles and lack of support from the government. The study has also attempted to identify the kind of relationship that the private media have with the government and political parties. Accordingly, it reveals that there is an unfriendly relationship with the government while there is a good relationship with the political parties
Media Coverage of China-Africa Relations: the Case of the BBC and ETV
(Addis Ababa University, 2013-06) Muluken Asegidew ; Abdissa Zerai
The main aim of this study was examining the media coverage of China- Africa relations in light of Framing and Orientalism theories. The study focused on the 21st century China- Africa relations, when China has become one of the world’s powerful nations and Africa has started building a new name. It also pointed out emphasized and deemphasized issues and commonly utilized media sources. To this end, a qualitative method, (particularly) textual analytic method was used. The BBC and ETV were selected purposefully and their online version of the news stories published from Jan. 2011 to Feb. 30, 2013, were collected from the websites, www.com/news and www.erta.gov.et, respectively. The analysis shows that the BBC and ETV online news stories used South-South co-operation frame, non-interference frame, and mutual benefit frame in articulating China-Africa relations. While ETV’s online news stories focused on success-oriented positive narratives in describing the relationship, the BBC online news stories presented both the positive and the negative sides of China-Africa relations a bit with some exaggerations on the negative side of the relationship. Along the negative side, the BBC online news stories framed the relationship as a new form of colonization. However, ETV had nothing to say about the negative consequences of China’s practice on the Continent. ETV online news stories highlighted the economic and political gains that have accrued from China-Africa relations, whereas they deemphasised the negative influence the relationship brought on Africa. The two selected media outlets represented China-Africa relations differently. What is more, while ETV’s news sources were predominantly official government sources, the BBC used an array of sources from different walks of life in its news production. This might be attributable to the fact that the two media outlets follow different models of journalism: ETV follows the developmental journalism model, whereas the BBC adheres to the liberal model. Finally, based on these findings a few recommendations have been suggested.

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