This is a translation of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s speech on the role of media while responding to questions of lawmakers at parliament on Friday.
In Ethiopia, the media find it hard to play the role it should be playing. To be fair, there are journalists from private and state media who are playing constructive roles, notably in tackling institutional failings, expanding democracy, presenting issues in balanced manner. However, since as institutions they are at nascent stage, they (media outlets) operate by serving the particular interest of forces who set agendas for them. They go around asking, “What should we serve up this week? What area should we focus to get people’s attention? What issue is being discussed on Facebook? Which scholars should we bring and use to convey insults, making it look like scholarly commentary?” This is really a disease. Any media group that is creating a forum for vilifying other individuals and bashing other regional administrations should not forget that it is inviting reciprocal attacks. If a media outlet is there to fuel division, beat the war drum, that is a dangerous thing.
One of the issues we have assessed during the ruling party’s recent convention was the role of the media. A concern was voiced from party members who said the media was not playing its key role of educating and informing the public on vital issues. Setting aside private media and those affiliated with the opposition, we have agreed first to mitigate the failures of the media that are in our control. Direction has been put to urgently improve the situation of those media groups run by federal and regional governments.
There is no healthy media in the country. The regional media outlets are reluctant to report objectively on stories of common national interest, only pursuing insular agenda to curry favour with elites of the ethnic group they represent. These media are busy producing war propaganda, instigations on everyday basis to stir people to violence . This could not be beneficial. The media should be there to show us the proper path when we go astray. If they are unable to do that, that means they are missing their mission.
A common forum should be created among private and state media to set out the principles that guide future reform. A forum that includes, for example ESAT (Ethiopian Satellite Television & Radio), OMN (Oromia Media Network) and others to facilitate ways of discussion on how to move forward, improve and create robust media landscape. Again, there are matured journalists in every media. If we take ESAT as an example, Sisay Agena’s analysis are much more valued than those delivered by journalists working for the state media. Very rational, balanced, instructive. There are many others journalists who do their work competently here and there. However, there are also journalists who are placed on the state payroll who run stories without any corroboration or adherence to journalistic adherences, in such a way as to foment conflict rather than resolve it. Especially when the election approaches, if they continue operating in a partisan and polarized way, they would inevitably set the stage for illegal and destructive acts. Accountability mechanisms and legal proceedings should be in place for both private and state media to fulfil their important mandate.
Let’s us take the current shortcomings as something normal for emerging democracy, like observed in actors such as opposition parties, government. Government get things wrong in the name of maintaining the rule of law and democracy. The media has also its share of problems. Hence, we should make it a point to find ways as government and media agents to evolve together, whether being on the giving or receiving end of criticism. Some tend to think that it is problem of infrastructure. But it is more than that, we government officials ourselves have been abusing the use of the media. If we ourselves don’t change, we can’t expect the media to change. Media institutions alone cannot be reformed.
The private sector, civil society, citizens should support the private and state media to defend democratic gains and towards effectively working to safeguard the peace and democracy of the country.
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