A Content Analysis on Ethiopian Newspapers’ Framing of the 2002- 2003 Ethiopian Drought and Famine

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Date

2006-07

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Addis Ababa University

Abstract

Drought and famine have remained the recurrent problems in Ethiopia. The 2002-2003 drought and famine were one of the most serious ones in recent history. This study primarily intended to examine how the Ethiopian newspapers framed these problems in terms of themes dealt with and sources quoted. Further, it also proposed to study what functions the media played during the 2002-2003 drought and famine. Framing theory was used as a conceptual frame work for the current research. The research was carried out through a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods. The four sample newspapers (The Ethiopian Herald, Reporter, Fortune and Addis Admass) were purposefully selected in order to ensure diversity in content and ownership. A content analysis was used as major research method. Two trained coders coded 178 articles, which met the criteria set by the researcher. Further, in-depth interviews were conducted with key informants who worked for these four newspapers. The result of the study indicated the newspapers’ focus on the relief and recovery stages of the drought and famine. The newspapers employed a number of different frames in covering the 2002-2003 drought and famine. There was a much higher use of the event and appeal frame compared to the diagnostic and prognostic frames, and the newspapers framed the problem as natural phenomena that require urgent short term solutions. The newspapers largely attributed the responsibility of solving the problem to the international communities and the Ethiopian government respectively.

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Keywords

Framing of the 2002- 2003 Ethiopian Drought and Famine

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