A Comparative Content Analysis of Ethiopian Newspapers’ Coverage of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs): The Case of the Ethiopian Herald and the Reporter Newspapers
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Date
2019-07
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
Generally, the media especially print have the potential of providing information on current happenings in society. It is also responsible of the media in the country to cover crisis in the society such as the internal displacement of the people in Ethiopia. Hence, this study was conducted with the aim of comparatively coverage of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in the two Ethiopian newspapers – the Ethiopian Herald and the Reporter newspapers. A quantitative content analysis was employed to analysis news stories published on IDPs in the two newspapers. The in-depth interview was also used with the targeted newspaper's journalists and editors. The content analyzed newspapers cover a period of one year from January to December, 2018. In one-year period of the study, it was found only 52 stories on IDPs-related issues in two selected newspapers. Out of these, 17 articles are published in the Ethiopian Herald and 35 articles are produced in the Reporter newspaper. The analysis was further made based on level of the story, type, theme, source, placement, by-lines of story and type of frame used in the stories. News stories, feature articles and editorials were considered as the units of analysis. Moreover, Agenda Setting Theory, Framing Theory and Responsibility Theory of Media were used as the theoretical frameworks. The findings revealed that the Reporter newspaper gave more coverage to the IDPs issues as compared to the Ethiopian Herald. It was also found that the IDPs issue during the period of study was presented mostly as news format in the targeted newspapers. Response indicated that government officials were highly quoted in the selected newspapers. However, displaced peoples were quoted to a limited extent. It was recommended that the media in Ethiopia should pay more attention to IDPs issues. The print media, most particularly newspaper houses, should set more agenda for public discussion regarding to IDPs issues by giving more prominence to the issues.
Key Words: Newspaper, Internally Displaced Persons, Content Analysis,
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Keywords
Newspaper, Internally Displaced Persons, Content Analysis