Freedom of the Press: Media Non-partisanship Possible to Achieve in Ethiopia?

By Bob Buttons

Independent media can be likened to a spick-and-span looking-glass. They reflect the reality in direct and impartial ways. Besides painting a clear picture of the status quo, they don’t only touch upon what has taken place in retrospective but also provide a prognosis of what the future holds. Genuine work of the media more often than not goes down in history as spectacular feat. Who can imagine the Watergate Scandal in the history of American politics without the involvement of the media?


Impartiality can be achieved if the media manage to drive clear of the influence of the government as well as other institutions and authorities and operate according to the journalistic principles of truthfulness, accuracy, and nonalignment. Any form of media functioning against the backdrop of these scientific principles that govern the professionals in the trade never attempts to get involved in something that happens to put individuals, communities, or countries at loggerheads. It would be able to foresee and therefore be concerned about the likely outcomes of all it undertakes with a sense of utter responsibility. Rather it might further the cause of amity between various groups and nations, unity in the face of pluralism and common good for humanity.

Come what may, a medium that runs its business on the basis of the aforesaid universal journalistic codes of conduct never falls prey to making sycophantic hypes that promote the causes of one group over the other rather than laying down the naked truths. It does not get swayed by power, force, or pecuniary benefits procured from the powers that be. In short, it plays the role of a watchdog not a lapdog.

Addis Ababa University’s School of Journalism conducted media monitoring on pre-election and post-election reporting of government as well as private media whereby it revealed that some government and private print media were found to be impartial reporting either in favor of the government or the opposition wing. According to the survey, the radio and television stations all supported the ruling party in one way or another. More specifically, the monitoring report indicated that over 80% of the times the radio and television channels were on the side of the ruling party and about 50% in terms of tone of coverage.

If we are to draw a conclusion based on the survey put forth by this School of Journalism, electronic media in Ethiopia, which is supposed to be the most accessible, especially the radio, have fallen under the heavy hand of the government and journalists are not free to exercise their personal conscience. This fact overshadows the responsibility of the media to enlighten the masses.

The absence of strong and well-founded independent media in a given country that can critique the government and other public and private institutions dents not only the public but the media themselves and the government that applies the unfair pressure. The media are referred to as the fourth estate the world over, coming next to the legislative, judiciary and the executive bodies in the chain of governance. They constitute the bridge between the people and their governors; governments lay bare their innards, as it were, thereby letting the people know how they operate through the media.

It is time the Ethiopian government made sure if the fourth estate is really playing its watchdog role and serving the public on basis the principles of journalism upheld universally. Media independence has been achieved elsewhere in the world and it is also achievable in Ethiopia. Ethiopia cannot be an exception. Only, we need to exert more energy in that direction.

NewsDire Staff Writer
Gubae Gundarta