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When people meet a kind of fate such as mine, being
a member of the media since packing my bags and
making the move home to our lovely nation so full of
history and contradictions, they say 'Edele hono;'
loosely translated, it means "as luck would have
it." I use the notion of luck or destiny because
they both play a huge role in the world of Ethiopian
journalism.
Journalism in and of itself is not the easiest
profession to be part of, no matter what part of
the world you choose to practice it in. It requires
complete dedication, it encroaches upon your
personal time and social interactions, is full of
long hours with no overtime pay, and worse, it puts
one in the precarious position of having to think
about the job no matter what situation a person
finds themselves in. Information takes precedence
over everything, even personal commitments and
relationships.
Journalism in Ethiopia is all the more difficult
having to work in a non transparent environment
where the media is closely scrutinized by the state
and constantly runs the risk of incarceration. With
a weak working culture and serious lack of respect
for the profession as a whole, journalism in
Ethiopia is indeed a trial by fire.
In a country where neither the state nor the
consuming public have a high regard for the role of
the press in society, the trade is not one that is
placed at the top of any sensible person's list.
Those of us that still have some naiveté and
idealism left in us try and weather the storm in the
hopes that one day, maybe one day, the hurricane
will pass and that beautiful weather that is suited
for anything finally comes to pass.
Those of us that spend much of our days and nights
trying to make our way through each of the hurdles
and obstacles that are a common part of the
journalism course, have made a commitment and taken
a silent oath not to let any of those things stand
in our way when we are trying to get information to
our public. It is really a tough promise to keep,
especially considering the state of the media in the
nation.
Ethiopian journalism finds itself in the current
state that it is in as a result of a number of
factors. There are three main classifications that
the problems facing Ethiopian journalism today can
be listed under.
The first, at least the way that I see it, is
external pressures that are rooted in the public and
the society in general. The Ethiopian public,
whether or not they are active followers of the
media, does not have a general idea of the role of
journalism in society and its ability to make or
break public discourse. There is a serious lack of
understanding for the profession, what it entails
and the role that it can play in the development and
evolution of a nation.
Many Ethiopians, including some very close friends
of mine, consider journalism the job for a
professional liar. They believe that the profession
is a sort of propaganda tool and all those that are
involved are horn blowers for one cause or another.
The state of the media today and the subjects that
it chooses to cover has done nothing to dispel this
mentality and might have even gone as far as
reinforcing it.
Journalists are not given the respect that is due to
them and their profession, despite working just as
hard at their jobs as any other professional. They
are viewed here as society's losers, and there is
nothing to justify that outlook. Journalism has been
veiled by stereotypes and prejudices making it all
the more difficult to do well a job that is already
past strenuous, bordering on maddening.
The second problem is the press law of the country.
If the legal environment is not one that guarantees
protection but risk, then a free and independent
media can by no means be established in the nation.
Last but not least, the most crippling problem
facing Ethiopian journalism today is within the
profession itself. As a result of the public outlook
and the recent ratification of the press law,
journalists have taken to censoring themselves. Week
after week, and time after time, journalists do not
publish or broadcast top of the line stories for
fear of the reaction that might ensue from the
public, as well as from the state.
Self censorship grows into laziness, because why
chase information that you are not going to use
anyway?
Having been denied their due respect, journalists
have also taken to choosing easy stories to develop.
Investigative reporting is unheard of, and many
times journalists spend more of their time
cultivating their habits and network as opposed to
trying to evolve the depth of information and the
calibre of writing. This is why most, if not all, of
the papers you find today have no substance
whatsoever. There are very few that are willing to
risk their lives and freedom to inform the public.
It is a sort of marriage without commitment, useless
and bound to end in divorce.
With much of the media not being institutionalized
and relying solely on the efforts of one or two
people to come out with an issue, journalism in this
country is going downhill, there has been nothing
breaking or amazing that has managed to change the
policies and discourse of this country of late.
What worries me most is if there is nothing
pioneering about the field, then who is going to
lead this Renaissance that we keep hearing about?
How do we create a free and democratic nation
without the freedom of speech and respect for the
press?
I would like to see the press being more inquisitive
and daring; and require that it lives up to higher
standards. As a public, we must expect more, as a
state, we must give more, and as journalists, we
must do more. |
