Frame Analysis of Abiy Ahmed’s Premiership and Reform: Aljazeera and BBC in Focus

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Date

2019-06

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AAU

Abstract

This research attempted to analyze how Aljazeera English /AJE/ and British Broadcasting Corporation /BBC/ framed Abiy Ahmed’s premiership and his reform agendas. Informed by Framing theoretical framework, the study employed both quantitative and qualitative methods to gather and analyze the data. About 79 online news articles are gathered from both media websites. The quantitative content analysis helped identify frames used in discussing Abiy Ahmed’s ascendance to power and his reform agendas in AJE and BBC; while the qualitative content analysis provided grounds 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 BBC used 6 individual frames in their news narratives about Abiy Ahmed’s appointment as Prime Minister and his reform agendas. The analysis shows that these global media used the frames with different level of prominence and emphasis of angles in their news narratives. AJE and BBC have also expressed the interest of their owners through these frames. While the peace frame was predominantly used by both AJE and BBC. The study also revealed that four major themes across both media’s online articles: Ethiopia and Eritrea peace deal, reform, refusing the reform and Oromo PM. The extent these themes covered is also different. Similar issues also framed in different by the two media. In general, Abiy’s ascendance to power is framed as an outcome of the Oromo peoples struggle and coupled with the Amhara. The premier reform agendas also portrayed as way to move the country forward and clean previous administrations mess up. When it comes to regional interest both media are influenced by their origin and the orientation of their respective nations towards Ethiopia in particular and East Africa in general.

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analyze how Aljazeera English /AJE/ and British Broadcasting

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