Challenges to Journalistic Independence: The Case of the Amhara National Regional State Mass Media Agency
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Date
2008-09
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
Independence is one of the four guiding principle in which the journalists should exercise while performing their work. Therefore, Challenges of Journalistic Independence: the case of the Amhara Mass Media Agency attempts to describe how far journalists in this particular Agency are independent in doing their journalistic work and asses the factors that constrain their independence. The research uses gate keeping theory and other relevant principles as well as legal documents to show the potentials and limitations of journalists’ independence. Moreover, to address the problem and identify the factors that compromise journalists’ independence, the researcher uses questionnaire, interview; document analysis and observation methods. Therefore, questionnaire has been distributed to all journalists, editors and board members in that particular media as well as to certain public relations officers in the region. Interview is also done with two department heads to explore how journalists perform their work in this media. To substantiate the data various documents like: editorial policy and journalists code of ethics were consulted.
The findings of the study show that the following factors inhibit the exercise of journalistic independence of journalists of the Amhara Mass Media Agency: lack of freedom of expression, financial interest of journalists, journalists’ relatives and friend’s interest, self-censorship, self-interest of journalists and pressures from editors and bosses.
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Regional State Mass Media Agency