Representation of power relations in Ethiopian newspaper front page photographs: A semiotic analysis
| dc.contributor.advisor | Natarajan, Vaidyanathan (PhD) | |
| dc.contributor.author | Fitsumbirhan, Samuel | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2018-07-02T12:48:04Z | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2023-11-08T13:37:40Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2018-07-02T12:48:04Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2023-11-08T13:37:40Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2006-11 | |
| dc.description.abstract | This study examines the representation of social power relations in Ethiopian newspaper front page photographs. The portrayal of power relations between citizens through front page photos was investigated via semiotic analysis of photographs of the human figure. The researcher coded photographs of ordinary citizens and prominent persons and examined how meanings are created through signifiersignified relationships and denotative and connotative meanings attached to the photographs. The major coding parameters were coverage, portrayal, appearance, and activities persons in the photographs perform. The coding objects were The Ethiopian Herald (government-owned), Fortune (private) and The Reporter (private). A major finding was that powerful persons were overwhelmingly dominant on the front pages. They tended to be portrayed positively, sometimes heroic. Ordinary people, on the contrary, had less coverage and were portrayed as victims rather than as newsmakers, experts, or citizens reacting to existing events. The power relations between citizens of different classes can, therefore, be said unequal in the studied newspapers. This implies that interests of the common people, and a balanced participation in communication and democratisation processes of the country have not been foregrounded. The study suggests that the needs and interests of the mass are under-represented, while the few in power are over-represented, and the media influences this representational role. The media outlets under scrutiny, reinforces this representational inequality. The study found that the media do not challenge the conception that only the powerful citizens are newsmakers. The study therefore concludes with a critical note on the role of the media in democratization of communication, which should give all citizens a chance to be fairly represented in the media. | en_US |
| dc.identifier.uri | http://etd.aau.edu.et/handle/123456789/5504 | |
| dc.language.iso | en | en_US |
| dc.publisher | Addis Ababa University | en_US |
| dc.subject | newspaper | en_US |
| dc.title | Representation of power relations in Ethiopian newspaper front page photographs: A semiotic analysis | en_US |
| dc.type | Thesis | en_US |