Browsing by Author "Beyene, Zenebe (PhD)"

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    Analysis of Organizational Communication Practice: Ethiopian Airlines in Focus
    (Addis Ababa University, 2014-12) Shiferaw, Wondwossen; Beyene, Zenebe (PhD)
    This study was an attempt to analyze how organizational communication of Ethiopian Airlines was functioning. As it is becoming known, organizational communication has been an important tool to achieve organizational objective. However, organizational communication of Ethiopian never been studied. Therefore, this thesis studied organizational communication practice of Ethiopian Airlines. The study employed both qualitative and quantitative research method to find out Ethiopian perfonnance in this regard. Questionnaires distributed to three hundred eighty-one employees of Ethiopian airlines. In addition, interview also conducted with the head of employees' engagement office of Ethiopian Airlines. The findings indicated that Ethiopian employees are very much aware of the significance of communication in their day-to-day activity. Moreover, the policy that guides the practice of intemal communication encourages employees to engage in honest and effective di scussion. However, the findings showed they are not effectively engaged in cormnunication; as a result, most employees are not happy by performance on intra-organizational communication their company. Even if Ethiopian has, a solid ground to have effective communication but it fai led to deliver the needed practice in the company. This study concluded based on the findings of this research. In the end, recommendation forwarded that researcher think helpful for the betterment of organizational communication in Ethiopian airline.
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    Audience Reception Analysis on “jihadawi harakat” documentary film Among Addis Ababa Communities
    (Addis Ababa University, 2013-06) Nigussie, Henok; Beyene, Zenebe (PhD)
    Ethiopia Television (ETV) aired a ‘documentary’ entitled “Jihadawi Harakat” on February 5, 2013. The documentary film presented Muslims who allegedly tried to establish an Islamic government in Ethiopia. The documentary film also made reference to rising religious fundamentalism in the country. This study was conducted to find out how the audience was received the message of the documentary film. Data was collected through qualitative content analysis, focus group discussion and individual in-depth interviews. The finding indicates that majority of the discussants perceived the meaning of the title of the documentary film as the theme of the documentary film (Islamic group movement to establish Islamic government). The audience believes that the documentary film is less credible and subjects in the documentary film do not represent the overall Muslim society. The audience also found the theme irrelevant to the socio-religious context of the country. The finding shows that audiences interpret the representation of subjects in the documentary film as terrorists and fundamentalists who threats peace and development in the country. The study also reveals that the documentary film affected the social and religious stability in the country in many ways.
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    Ethiopian Media Coverage of the South Sudan Conflict;-The Case of the Ethiopian Herald, Fortune and Reporter
    (Addis Ababa University, 2015-02) Masresha, Yeshewa; Beyene, Zenebe (PhD)
    The ma in aim of t hi s study was to exa mine how the Ethi opi an Media covered the South Sudan conflict in the stud y period. In order to undertake the assignment, framing theory was employed. The stud y was cond ucted on t hree Eng li s h newspapers : th e Ethiopian Herald, Fortu ne and the Repo rter. A fo ur- m onth data was taken from each newspaper. Quantitative content a nalysis , Textua l a nalysis and in-d epth in terv iew were the teclmiques used. Quantitative content analys is and qualitative Textual ana lysis were applied to inves ti gate how the iss ue of South Sudan was framed in the newspape rs a nd to identify whi ch frame types were used. In-d epth interview was conducted to support the re sults found from the two me thods. The st ud y re ve als t hat the conflict frame was the domina nt frame used by Fortune and The Repo rter. A nd th e next frame was the attribution of responsibility frame which was the dominant fi·ame for The Eth iopian Herald. Co nfli ct and human interest frames were the common fram es used by the three papers. The Ethiopian Herald and fortune showed simil arit y in using Attribution of re s ponsibility frame. For th e two newspapers the e lites from the ri valry groups are re spons ible for the ca use of the confl ict and also to brin g about so lu tion. different to the two newspapers, for The Reporter, Ethi op ia is more responsible in bringing peace because of the prox imit y it ha s w ith so uth Suda n and also in defending herself from the contagious nature of th e confl ict. The contingency fram e was found only in The Reporter's coverage to s how that the \ \ \ . \ f.. e conflict may spillover to Ethiopia, Unlike the Reporter, The Ethiopian Herald and Fortune preferred to say noth ing though aware of it. And also the economic frame was found only in Fortune which is business focused newspaper. In using news sources, it was found that Fortune was highly dependent on international media sources. While, The Reporter tried to use different sources in a balanced way. On the other side, almost all the stories in The Ethiopian Herald were event based whi ch coated the officials' speeches at the events and reports from different organizations. In the case of Ethiopian Herald, The study also prevails how ownership matters in delivering information on time. Based on the finding, some recommendations were forwarded.
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    An Examination of Freedom of the Mass Media and Information Proclamation (590/2008) Vis-àvis its Practices
    (Addis Ababa University, 2013-06) Mekuanint, Getaneh; Beyene, Zenebe (PhD)
    The purpose of the study was to examine the current mass media and information proclamation (590/2008) in light of the present media practice. The study assessed the current status of freedom of expression and the press based on the views of the practitioners working in both government and privately owned media. In order to assess the implementation of the media law, the study examined whether a gap between the law and the practice exists. Data were collected using semi-structured questions with different journalists, editors, managers and government officials. The research used deliberative sampling technique to choose key informants. The researcher purposively selected journalists, editors and managers from both government and private media in order to get diverse and relevant data important to the study. As to the conceptual framework, the Hallin and Mancini’s media systems model and other relevant literatures were reviewed. In addition, the Ethiopian constitution and international standards on freedom of expression and the press were reviewed. The finding of the research revealed that a gap exists between the law and its implementation. There is lack of political commitment on the part of the government in paying attention to the implementation of the press law. Despite the fact that the press law permits the media to express opinions or criticisms on various issues, the government is very critical of those views and less tolerant to criticisms by the media. The absence of strong, credible and all inclusive press council or union of journalists has significantly affected press freedom in the country. Regardless of very little improvement, accessing information from public bodies has been the great challenge for the media, and this in turn affects level of press freedom. Based on the findings, one can argue that the future of freedom of expression is dependent up on the contribution of educational institutions, public, media and other relevant stakeholders. The paper contended that the government could show commitment to the implementation of the press law. In addition, the government and private media should narrow the polarity between them to better serve the public and contribute their parts to the growth of the nation.
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    The Framing of Inflation by the Ethiopian Print Media
    (Addis Ababa University, 2013-06) Abebe, Genet; Beyene, Zenebe (PhD)
    The purpose of this study was to examine how Ethiopian print media framed inflation during the period of March 2008 to February 2009. The research employed qualitative approach using textual analysis. Three newspapers namely, Addis Zemen, Reporter and Negadras were selected for the study. Data was collected using in-depth interview with selected journalists who work for the sample newspapers as well as from the newspapers published between March 2008 and February 2009 and also from in-depth interviews with the few journalists who work for sample newspapers. The findings revealed that the newspapers have framed their news stories predominantly by selecting which facts to include or exclude, emphasize or de-emphasize as well as by positioning the information within the news stories. Addis Zemen defined inflation as a problem caused by various factors and worsened by greedy retailers to unfairly accumulate wealth. Hence, the need for continuous regulation and punitive measures against retailers has been in order. It also presented the establishment of consumers association to effectively curve the inflation. Reporter, on the other hand, defined inflation as dramatic problem which came about by a number of causes. According to this newspaper, the cause of inflation was predominantly the gap between supply and demand and recommended effecting sensible economic development programme. Negadras, on its part, defined inflation as a problem mainly caused and aggravated by shortage in agricultural produce. Thus, increasing production and productivity was suggested as a solution. Lack of knowledge on the part of journalists in the area of economics, reluctance of experts to serve as sources and the editorial policy were the grounds for the framing to come out as such in Addis Zemen. For Reporter, the complexity of the issue, freedom on the part of the journalists to cover issues without interference and strong background in economics and business education were the grounds for the framing to come out the way it did. Lastly for Negadras, it was mainly because of the focus of the newspaper on business and economy which compelled it to side with business firms.
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    Framing of the 2011 uprising in egypt content analysis of the ethiopian herald and the reporter
    (Addis Ababa University, 2014-06) Tadesse, Desalegne; Beyene, Zenebe (PhD)
    The Egyptian popular uprising which brought down the Mubarak regime, not only gripped the minds and hearts of the Egyptians, but also it captured the interest of the national and international media as well. Though Internet-based social networks took the leading role in the dissemination of information about the situation in Egypt, the newspapers significantly mediated the public in providing information. The purpose of this study is to examine how the Ethiopian Herald and The Reporter have covered the uprising in Egypt and its aftermath from January to June 2011. It aims to point out some of differences and similarities in the coverage of the two papers, to answering questions related to the kind of frames employed in the papers and external factors that influence the coverage. Did the papers framed the issue in certain ways to gain readers attention and recognition just as professional journalists do? If they did, what seems to be the trend and what are their reasons? These are also some of the main questions that the study is trying to answer. Content analysis was used to examine their coverage of the event along with mixed data collection methods and interviews. A sample of 46 news articles and feature pieces were thoroughly examined and taken using non-random sampling from the two papers. The study reveals that six frames (conflict, economic consequence, attribution of responsibility, diagnostic and prognostic) were used by the papers in light of the agenda and interest of their owners. The Reporter covered the event more frequently leaning vii more towards positive tone taking the side of protesters and depicting them positively. However, Herald adhered to down play the event and to abstain from providing detail analysis. While interpreting the situation, the papers committed some biases in balancing the sources, placements, portraying and narrating the event towards the direction of their position and ideology, and providing emphasis on either causes or consequences to guide the readers, which the study considers unfair treatment of the story which emanated from the lack of editorial independence of the papers.
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    The Impact of European Football on Urban Youths in Addis Ababa: Kolfie Keranio Sub City is in Focus
    (Addis Ababa University, 2016-07) Shemelis, Dehinasew; Beyene, Zenebe (PhD)
    The principal aim of this study was examining the impact of European football on urban youths in Addis Ababa Kolfie Keranio sub city woreda 14 and woreda 15.To achieve this, the researcher needed theoretical Frameworks to inform the study. Accordingly Cultural imperialism theory and conflict theory were used as theoretical frameworks for this study. The study was conducted using survey research and carried out by combining qualitative and quantitative research methods. The target areas were DSTV show rooms, Youth entertainment centers, and hotels which provide European football show services. In the target area, the target populations were 1178 people. From target population the sample size (364) was determined by Krejcie and Morgan formula .Then the data was collected from sample population of 364 youth audiences by three data collecting tools, namely questionnaire, interview and observation, but before the data was collected the sub city was conveniently selected and so were woreda 14 and woreda 15. Then the list of the DSTV show rooms, youth entertainment centers and hotels and entertainment was obtained from trade and industry offices in woreda 14 and woreda 15. According to the list, there are 9 DSTV rooms, 2 youth entertainment centers and 4 hotels which provide European football show services, totally 16 entertainment centers. Among them the 9 DSTV rooms and the 2 youth entertainment centers were purposely selected to select the sample populations because the student researcher observed before the distribution of the questionnaire that there are not many youths who watch European football in hotels, but most of most of the youths in the study area watch European football in DSTV rooms and youth entertainment centers. That is why the DSTV rooms and youth entertainment centers were selected. Then the questionnaires were distributed to respondents and the data were collected and presented in table and percentage. After that, the data obtained from the respondents were qualitatively analyzed. The data collected through interview and observations were also qualitatively analyzed. The research finding revealed that mediated European football increases the social ii interaction of the youth audience and gives a chance to the audiences to make new friends. It was also found that Mediated European football can also be cause of conflict between friends and also affects their friend preference of the audiences In addition to this, the result of the study revealed that the youth audiences in the study area consume European football related goods such as t-shirts, shoes and so on due to their love to European football and its players.
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    An Investigation of The Practice of Journalism in Ethiopian Television
    (Addis Ababa University, 2013-06) Alemu, Temesgen; Beyene, Zenebe (PhD)
    The main focus of this study was to investigate the practice of journalism in Ethiopian Television (ETV). The study examined whether ETV practices journalism or public relations. It assessed how journalists find discrepancies between journalism and public relations and the impact of public relations on journalism practice. It was also the main objective of this study to investigate the factors that affect news and source selection. Data was collected using qualitative and quantitative content analysis as well as in-depth interview. A total of 147 news stories ETV broadcast were selected purposely from the first two weeks of three months news stories (December, 2012 up to February, 2013). The findings of the study showed that most of the news was event and development oriented. As a result, very few news stories were critical of the government and most news deals with success stories. The selected news stories revealed that most of the news stories were presented not from the public interest point of view, but from the government interest view. The study further revealed that ETV’s journalists were cognizant of the differences between journalism and public relations. However, due to lack of journalistic independence in the media, journalists were coerced to select news and sources which served government interest. Journalists were influenced to report the positive sides of government and conceal the wrong doings of government officials. The findings of the study also indicated that ETV’s use of public relations as one of sources of news tainted the practice of journalism because both journalism and public relations are quite different in purpose. Overall, the study concluded that the principles of journalism, like; the obligation to the truth and loyalty to citizens were, not portrayed in ETV. Rather the media served as the major rhetorical tool for the government. ETV’s practice reflects the principles and purposes of the government public relations.
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    An Investigation on the Effectiveness of Igad’s Communication Messages in Mediating the South Sudan Conflict Parties
    (Addis Ababa University, 2016-07) Aynekullu, Biruh; Beyene, Zenebe (PhD)
    The study investigates the effectiveness of the communication messages imparted by IGAD to impact the conflict parties’ behaviour during the mediation process of the South Sudan conflict that broke out on December 15, 2013. Since, the mediation process has ended on August 17, 2015 and transformed to the implementation phase, the study culled the messages IGAD conveyed within the last six months of the mediation process, March, 1, 2015 – August, 30, 2015, in its press releases, newsletters and brochure to be analyzed. The study used social cognitive theory and elaboration likelihood model as the principal frames to investigate how the regional institution designed its messages to have influence on the behaviour of the conflict parties. Employing qualitative content analysis, the study examined what types of communication messages the regional institution imparted and the nature of the persuasive techniques IGAD’s communication used to enhance its messages effectiveness. The analysis found out that in its different types of messages IGAD described somewhat the desired behaviours and provide encouragement and encomium to the attuned behaviours of the conflict parties in the mediation process adequately and repetitively to motivate and enhance the self-efficacy of the conflict parties. Moreover, the study revealed that IGAD used attractive messages that acclaim its efficiency and proficiency as an institution to enhance its credibility and trustworthiness to engross the conflict parties’ in consuming its themes. The study also disclosed that the communication messages IGAD conveyed were inadequate in providing information about the situation of the conflict and the challenges the mediation process encountered from the conflict parties. Since, informing the conflict parties about the risk and benefits of their behaviour would make them exert an effort to change their behaviour. Moreover, it is argued principally in this study that the effectiveness of the communication messages in expediting the mediation is limited by the inadequacy and feebleness of the messages contents. Finally, the study makes some suggestions what the communication messages should subsume in their design to have a cogent impact on conflict parties’ behaviour to expedite IGAD’s mediation processes.
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    Media Framing of the Syrian Conflict: Aljazeera, BBC, and ETV in Comparative Perspective
    (Addis Ababa University, 2014-11) Salih, Mohammed; Beyene, Zenebe (PhD)
    This study entitled Media framing of the Syrian conflict: Aljazeera, BBC, and ETV in comparative perspective was conducted to investigate how these media institutions framed the conflict in Syria. Guided by framing and political economy theory of the mass media, this study was carried out to answer three research questions. To do so, articles that explicitly entertain the Syrian conflict were downloaded from their respective websites: www.aljazeera.com, www.bbc.com/news, and www.erta.gov.et. With the aim to answer the research questions, a three month time frame was purposely chosen and qualitative content analysis (textual analysis) method was employed. Purposive sampling technique was also used to select articles which were relevant to answer the research questions. By thorough reading, analytical frames were finally identified to analyze how the selected media organizations framed the conflict during the time frame. These were diagnostic frame, responsibility frame, portrayal frame, solution frame, and prognostic frame. The study revealed that differing only in portraying of ISIS and al-Nusra Front, and in the prognostic frame, Aljazeera and BBC framed the Syrian conflict almost the same way, while ETV, except in few frames, framed the Syrian conflict in a different manner. In the diagnostic frame, Aljazeera and BBC reported that the Assad family rule and the authoritarian nature of the government (emergency law and its repressiveness) were sole causes for the initial protests. In addition, all three similarly stated that the excessive force the government used on the demonstrators was a cause for the conflict to spread to other areas. In the responsibility frame, VII VIII Aljazeera and BBC blamed government forces for killing civilians by chemical weapon but ETV took a neutral position. In portraying the government and the opposition forces, all three depicted government forces as killers of innocents, and, with the exception of ETV, portrayed the opposition forces as Victorious and caring of civilians. Within the opposition group, Aljazeera and BBC reported different attitude towards the two powerful groups of the FSA, ISIS and al-Nusra Front. While Aljazeera represented the two groups positively, BBC described them negatively. Western, particularly U.S, military intervention was reported by Aljazeera and BBC as a solution to end the conflict. But ETV stood on the side of peaceful solution. In the prognostic frame, while Aljazeera predicted state disintegration, BBC reported that the transformation of the country into an Islamic state. Finally, the study found that Aljazeera and BBC were working toward their elite preferences rather than sticking to journalism profession in reporting objectively facts on the ground. Because of ownership and political positions, Aljazeera and BBC treated the Assad government unfairly. In contrast to the above two, ETV generally showed a neutral position.
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    Political communication Vis-à-vis Anti-Terrorism Laws: The Case of Ethiopia
    (Addis Ababa University, 2014-06) Getnet, Dessalew; Beyene, Zenebe (PhD)
    Ethiopia uses legislation as one way of counterterrorism. This legislation is “Anti- Terrorism Proclamation; Proclamation Number 652/2009.” Against its principal aim of preventing every intent and act of terrorism, some claim that the law shackles the political communication in the country. The primary purpose of the study was to explore the impacts of the law on political communication as practiced by various political parties and media organizations. In attempting to explore the impacts of the law, the Spiral of Silence and Media Politics Theories were used as theoretical framework of the study. Media-terrorism relations model was also employed to support the analysis. The study is entirely qualitative method in which some political parties and print media organizations were purposively selected for the analysis. Accordingly, nine multi-ethnic political parties: Ethiopian Peoples’ Revolutionary Democratic Front, All Ethiopia Unity iv Organization, Ethiopian Democratic Party, Ethiopian Social Democratic-South Coalition Unity Party, Ethiopian Raie Party, Coalition for Unity and Democracy, Ethiopian Democratic Union, Unity for Democracy and Justice and Blue Party were selected. Seven media organizations: Addis Zemen, The Reporter, Addis Admas, Ethio-Mihidar, Addis Guday, Fact and Lomi were also selected for the study. Semi-structured interview with representatives of political parties and media organizations and textual data obtained from the publications were used in the study. The textual data collected from the publications were stories and features ran from 8 July 2013- 10 October 2013. This study has found out that the Ethiopian Anti-Terrorism Proclamation affects the political communication by further weakening the already weak political communication by repressing opposition political parties and media organizations. The law suppresses opposition political parties by restricting political space, intimidating members and supporters as well as through routine surveillance. Similarly, the law affects the political communication of media by pressurizing journalists, challenging access to information and intensifying self-censorship. However, the study has found out that all the existing problems of political communications should not be considered as the byproduct of the proclamation.
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    The Practice of Development Journalism on Tv Oromiya: “IFTOOMAA’’ in Focus
    (Addis Ababa University, 2017-06) Gemechu, Kefale; Beyene, Zenebe (PhD)
    The FDRE government and the Oromiya Regional State, as well, repeatedly claim that the state conforms to the model of Development journalism. Their respective media also proclaim in their editorial policies and also in practice that they are applying the concepts of development journalism in their broadcasts and printings. The general objective of this study thus was to examine the practice of Development Journalism on TV Oromiya centering on Iftoomaa‘ program in focus.Data were collected through content analysis and in-depth interview. Content sample of broadcast ‗Iftoomaa‘ programs and the responses of the professionals that collected through open ended question were analyzed qualitatively. The research, being conducted using the theoretical foundation of development journalism, found that the practice of development journalism in the medium has a good beginning. This has been particularly evident this year, since the deep renewal process has begun both at Federal and Regional levels. The ‗Iftoomaa‘ program following the model of investigative journalism under the big picture of development journalism is exposing problems of corruption, land grabbing, mal-administration and good governance issues. The producers conduct extensive studies of the cases, collect facts and figures, interview those affected and take stand on the issue before production is started. The research, likewise found that Journalists are facing an obstacle in investigating issues related to corruption, mal-administration and preferential treatments in government offices. One is lack of proper information and the other one is unwillingness of officials to present themselves in the program. The researcher noticed that lack of follows up to check whether problems are fixed once the program is has been aired is a critical weakness of the ‗Iftoomaa‘ program. Another minus is that the program hardly report on issues related to democracy and democratic and human rights. The overall assessment however shows the practice of development journalism in TVO in general and the ‗Iftoomaa‘ program in particular is, despite its young age, on the right track of the model of development journalism. The effort of the developmental journalists working in the medium to promote the socioeconomic development of the region and to expose mal-administration which are affecting the society is of paramount importance to fly high development journalism in the country.
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    The Practice of Investigative Journalism in Fana Broadcasting Corporate. The case of teguazh neqash investigative program
    (Addis Ababa University, 2017-06) Muluneh, Wegayehu; Beyene, Zenebe (PhD)
    This research was conducted to analyze the practice of investigative journalism in Fana Broadcasting Corporate (FBC) on case of “Teguazh Neqash” investigative radio program. Qualitative research approach was employed to conduct the study. In depth interview with eight target sample respondents and systematically selected 12 investigative programs broadcasted during the last three years (2014-2017) were collected and content analyzed to address the research objective. Agenda setting and Gatekeeping theories were used as theoretical framework to inform the study. The study found “Teguazh Neqash” investigative radio program in FBC practicing investigative journalism mainly focusing on issues of public and national concern. However, the investigation is found to be superficial and lacked in-depth research to reveal the probable hidden facts. The program uses inputs from the community and investigative journalists as a major source of areas of issues to be investigated. Failure to challenge the stakeholders and making the actors accountable expose system failure and making impact in policy, administration or public debate and support public complaint and claims with factual based investigation were found as the major problems of the program. Lack of interested journalists working as investigative reporter in the program and lack of sufficient man power and shortage of time to conduct an in-depth investigation were found as factors challenging the practice of investigative journalism in FBC.
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    Radio Fana’s Coverage of The 2015 National Election of Ethiopia on F.M 98.1
    (Addis Ababa University, 2016-06) Mekonnen, Yared; Beyene, Zenebe (PhD)
    This study aimed at assessing the coverage of the 2015 national election of Ethiopia on the first established private FM radio, Fana F.M 98.1. The study employed quantitative content analysis. The sample selection underwent different stages. First, the ninety seven days of the campaign period, from February 16 – May 21, were stratified under fourteen weeks of the three months and then the samples were proportionally allocated and selected using simple random sampling technique. Nevertheless, due to lack of reported news of election particularly in March and April availability/convenient sampling was also used. News stories and programs focusing on the election and broadcasted on the media were targeted. The contents of these media products then were content analyzed using coding sheets organized under seven analytical categories which the media require to fulfill for standardized coverage of elections. The findings indicated that Fana F.M covered the election by reporting follow up news stories and organizing a three month special debate and discussion program on the weekly ‘Mogach’ talk show. In both the news and the program, political messages that inform and educate voters were transmitted, political parties got additional media access, with irregular frequency and length of air time, beside their direct free air time access. Though the coverage of the media about the election in news stories as well as the special programof discussion and debate was vital to make voters informed, the space given to the public’s participation, however, was narrow and limited. Finally, because this was only one of the steps in creating knowledgeableelectorate, further area of investigations were recommended at the last section of the study.
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    Role of Public Service Announcements as Behavior Change Communication Tool for Maternal Mortality Reduction in Ethiopia; A Content Analysis of TV Public Service Announcements from the Safe Motherhood Initiative, Federal Ministry of Health of Ethiopia
    (Addis Ababa University, 2014-06) Tiruneh, Yosef; Beyene, Zenebe (PhD)
    The purpose of th is study was to explore the ro le of public serv ice announcements as behav ior change tool in maternal mortality red uction efforts in Ethiopia . The study aimed to identify the key awareness messages in the PSAs and sought to see if they were constructed in line with hea lth communication theories and standard PSA des ign strategies. Content Analysis was used as the main methodology for this study. Interv iew with the PSA production team was also used to supplement the content analysis. Health Belief Model and Social Cognitive Theories were used to inform the ana lys is and discussion in five thematic areas (The Awareness Message in the PSAs, the Instructions and Cues to Action, Content Construction, Mechanical and Stylistic Factors ofthe PSAs and the Messenger).The findings ITom the study show that awareness messages were communicated on the dangers of home births and other barriers to safe motherhood including cultural beliefs, practices and health facility problems. Most of the designs of the PSAs prove to be in line with recommendations ITom the Social cognitive theory and hea lth belief model as well as effective PSA designing strategies. However, in-depth theoretical foundations have not been laid in some of the PSAs. There were gaps in incorporating key community beliefs that prevent women from seeking care. Reinforcement messages to adopt the behavior recommended and so urce of information for further inqu iry for pregnancy related concerns have not been clearly stated to incentivize audience to think abo ut taking actions. Creative and artistic appeals for the messages have not been dealt with adequately in the PSAs. Desk reviews of evidence may not necessarily provide full picture of problems. Therefore, contextualizing theoretical base and pretesting of the PSAs among the target audience could have provided more insight and community wisdom to identify practical appea ls to incorporate in the PSAs and motivate behavior change.
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    A Study on How Some Newspapers Sustain the Challenging Private Press Milieu in Ethiopia: Reporter and Addis Admas in Focus
    (Addis Ababa University, 2015-06) Girma, Wondwossen; Beyene, Zenebe (PhD)
    The history of the press in Ethiopia goes as far back as the second half of the 19th century. In spite of its long history, the press is still in its infancy materially, professionally and economically. Other than serving the public interest, the press has been muzzled by successive governments to serve their interests. Even at times when the grips of the state have become moderate, the majority of the private press in its earlier days opted to serve political interests whose ramifications sustain to this day creating a polarized press environment. The polarization of the private press in turn has resulted in many negative consequences which culminate in jeopardizing its very existence. As a result, in the last couple of decades, the private media market in Ethiopia has seen the coming and going of hundreds of private newspapers where only a handful of them have sustained over a decade. This research had the objective of investigating and explaining factors responsible for the survival of those few newspapers focusing on Reporter and Addis Admas thereby implicating how and why the others vanished from the market. In order to address its objectives, the research has been generally informed by the Political Economy Theory. Among the models that can be included in the theory, Polarized Pluralist Model and the Political Economy of the Mass Media, Propaganda Model, have been selected. Triangulation of data in the realm of qualitative research method employing in-depth interview and document analysis has been employed. Thirteen key informants representing the surviving and defunct newspapers, media associations, media researchers and/or scholars and a government representative have been purposely selected. In addition, convemence sampling has been used to analyze available documents. The findings of this research have revealed two things. Firstly, they have ascertained previous research findings about the existence of multiple challenges that have kept the private sector fragile and prone to extinction. Secondly and mainly, despite the existence of a myriad of challenges in the sector, factors that have helped the survival of Reporter and Addis Admas have been uncovered. These are professionalism, discharging roles and responsibilities, maintaining independence, getting access to ads and decreasing the likelihood of charges by maneuvering responsibly and defending the unavoidable ones likewise. The findings imply that in order to survive the challenging private press situation in Ethiopia, the press needs to work in a professional and responsible manner avoiding confrontational approach with the government. This does not mean that the press should not be critical to the governn1ent; rather, it should present its criticisms constructively but not in a hostile intent as it has been proven counterproductive.
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    Sustainability and Roles of the Ethiopian Media Council
    (Addis Ababa University, 2017-06) Shimelis, Bereket; Beyene, Zenebe (PhD)
    The purpose of this study was to examine sustainability and the roles Ethiopian media council plays in addressing the issues the media faces in Ethiopia. In order to assess the sustainability and roles of EMC, the study examined determinant factors of sustainability and success of the council. The study employed mainly qualitative, in-depth interview and complemented by quantitative, structured questionnaires, research methods. Data were thematically analyzed based on related literature reviews, in-depth interviews, and findings from questionnaires. The social responsibility theory remains central in guiding this study. The study revealed media community do not reach consensus on the roles of EMC plays in the industry because a clear understanding and explanation of the council role was not given. The result showed EMC is not independent (from government and media proprietors) to deal fairly with complaints and to secure public trust and confidence. The findings also indicated that the council does not bring the entire media platform (online & offline) because of this it will be difficult for the EMC to enforce a code of conduct. In addition, government interference, lack of finance, lack of commitment and cooperation, media polarization, conflict of interests and distrust among media society are major challenges for the EMC in promoting and sustaining freedom of expression and media freedom. Based on the findings of the study, recommendations have been forwarded.