How Ethiopia’s Private Press Views the Law and the Practice.
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Date
2008-12
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
A willingness to promptly publish corrections and replies are two ways that any press can be
accountable to readers. However, throughout the world and here in Ethiopia, there is no one way
– not even agreement – on how to do this. For example, should the media regulate itself, or
should government regulate the media? Some countries rely on the press to be accountable for
its mistakes. Others, like Ethiopia, enact press laws to force media to be accountable to its
audience. Indeed, its former and current laws require corrections and replies.
This study examines, by analyzing text and conducting interviews, how Ethiopian journalists in
the private press view and publish corrections and replies. The study applies three research
methods: interviews of journalists, text analysis of newspapers, and summative and comparative
analysis of important provisions of Ethiopia’s former and current press laws (Proclamation
34/1992 and the Law on Mass Media and Freedom of Information) and two draft laws circulated
in 2003.
The text analysis makes clear that Ethiopia’s laws, then and now, offer no guidelines on how
media houses should handle corrections and the right of reply. The analysis also shows, with
potentially dire consequences, that the current law has penalties for failing to publish corrections
and replies. Semi-structured interviews show how the editorial policy of three newsrooms treats
complaints and how the journalists try to act accountably regardless of statutory mandates and
regardless of whether complainants understand the process of redress.
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Ethiopia’s Private Press