Institutionalizing a Media Self – Regulatory Body In Ethiopia: Challenges and Prospects
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Date
2011-04
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
The study has attempted to unearth the challenges and prospects of institutionalizing a media
self-regulatory body in Ethiopia. media in-house code of conduct is also a subset of this study.
In addition, the study discusses how media self-regulation is strongly attached to freedom of
expression. As outlined in chapter two of the study various literatures and the experiences of
some countries were taken as a bench mark and nucleus of discussion. The study employed
both qualitative, individual in-depth interview and document analysis, and quantitative,
structured questionnaires, research methods. Data were thematically analyzed based on
related literature reviews, in-depth interviews and findings from questionnaires. Journalism is
a profession that highly demands freedom of expression. Freedom to seek, receive and impart
information are the backbones or the cornerstones for every single activities of the profession.
Freedom of expression is clearly stipulated in the constitution of FDRE and subsequent press
proclamations. The outcome of the study illustrates that, there are inhibiting factors which
strangled the establishment of an independent and inclusive media self-regulatory body in
Ethiopia. The polarization of the government and the private press, the existence of weak and
fragile journalists’ associations, the disagreement among the private press, financial deficiency
and little awareness about media self-regulation has made the establishment of a media selfregulatory
body in Ethiopia very remote. The findings of the study also indicate that in-house
codes of conduct do exist in many media organizations, but they are not put into practice and
neither there is an enforcing mechanism. As individual in-depth interviews revealed in-house
regulation of media houses is very poor and the codes do remain only on paper. Still codes of
conducts are violated and even do not referred while producing any form of journalistic
outputs.
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Institutionalizing a Media Self