Watchdog Turned Puppy

My sister, when she was younger, was fierce about politics. Almost reckless. In the early 2000s, when politics was spoken about only in hushed whispers, I remember there being a genuine concern about her in our home. She'd talk to anyone about politics— the guy who sat beside her in the taxi, her peers in university, the occasional guests in the friend group— which made it all the more alarming because she had less than popular opinions at the time.

Since then, Ethiopia has clearly come a long way. In fact, it's almost overnight that we've become liberated from our gags and have been allowed— even encouraged— to speak our minds. Sometimes, with this memory of my sister fresh on my mind, I scroll through Twitter (sorry, X) or TikTok and am amazed by just how free free-speech has gotten.

This may be an unpopular opinion, but I believe this abrupt emancipation has done more damage than good. Ethiopia's socio-political state has been, is, and continues to be turbulent. Because our democracy is still very much evolving, there may be power struggles, political polarization, and a lack of trust in and within all echelons of society. I believe this has created an environment where freedom of speech is both prized and contested.

There are various other factors at play that make this newfound freedom illusive. We know that Ethiopia has laws protecting freedom of speech, but the reality is that the enforcement of these rights is inconsistent and/or weak.

We've also all come to the harsh realization that education is far from where it needs to be in Ethiopia— but this also means those with limited education may find it harder to engage in constructive, informed, and respectful dialogue. There are many who evidently feel the right to free speech is a hall pass for all forms of speech. This miseducation lends itself to our lack of media literacy. People in Ethiopia clearly struggle to discern credible information from misinformation or propaganda— and have no tools or litmus tests to identify reliable information. Makes you say, “If only!” 

This is where the most significant— yet the most overlooked— factor that could have mitigated, safeguarded, and smoothed over our transition from authoritarian rule over our speech into measured freedom of speech: the media.

Jim Morrison once said, "Whoever controls the media, controls the mind," and he's not wrong. The media had the potential to bridge the gap between Ethiopia's historical limitations on freedom of speech and its recent period. However, it has fallen short for several reasons. There are two sides to this coin. It's crucial to acknowledge the challenges journalists face in an environment that may not always be readily comprehensible to the average Ethiopian. If we jet past the potentially dangerous nature of the job, especially in our context, we need to acknowledge that journalism is a low-paying profession, and the audience journalists and media houses serve, as previously discussed, does little to inspire high-level, groundbreaking journalism. The credibility of journalists and journalism as a whole has been tarnished by other more influential bodies. Not to mention, in the digital age Ethiopia is emerging into, every Tom and Jane with a phone camera and 200MB of data fancies themselves to be a journalist and drowns the news cycle with all sorts of nonsense.

Let's also fairly assess the information landscape in Ethiopia. From firsthand experience, I can attest to the untold levels of difficulty companies, government organizations, institutions, and even individuals present to the access to reliable information. Working at Reqiq Data and Insights , I can tell you trying to get access to what is (or should be) public information is like pulling teeth. I remember when we worked on compiling data on the profitability of banks in Ethiopia, we would struggle to find banks' annual reports (which the law requires them to publicize). We'd call, email, visit, and visit again— only to be met with endless "ቆይ እገሌን አናግሩት፣ እሱ ያውቃል"! They did this because they know there is no one that will hold them accountable for their transgression. This is the landscape in which journalists also operate.

In summary, it's not easy being a "journo", as I've heard some refer to themselves.

On the flip side of the coin, a great number of journalists resort to practices that undermine the integrity of their profession and operate almost independently from the reality that Ethiopia needs them. Ethiopia needs them to do their job, do it with the highest standard of integrity and seriousness possible, and know that the sovereignty of the country is very much influenced by this.

Let's first consider ethics. If my profiling is not nuanced, you'll have to excuse me— I am just a consumer. I often see very personal information being shared by journalists— a most recent memory is the full name, school, age, photo, and locale of the high schooler who scored the highest point in the recent 12th-grade matriculation exam. When I asked if consent from her parents was acquired to share such personal information, I was told I was "making it a big deal." To me, this is deeply unethical regardless of whether or not our society has been sensitized to its rights to privacy. Journalists should hold themselves to a higher standard. Even though these incidents happen more often than I can imagine, this is just one example.

The issue of ethical journalism confronted me nearly seven years ago while working for a company that was launching a nationwide career fair, and we put together a press release. A country of hundreds of thousands of unemployed graduates— this is hot news, right? To my surprise, we were preparing "payments" for the reporters we had invited to cover the event. It was suggested that this was the only way to ensure their attendance. At the time, we allocated approximately 200 Birr for each reporter who attended to cover genuine, impactful news. I watched stunned as each reporter signed an attendance sheet and took their 200 Birr as they filed out.

More recently, we organized a press release to launch Negarit Awards, a first-of-its-kind award program for creatives and the creative sector. While I might be somewhat biased, I assumed that such an initiative would garner at least some attention from the press. However, we not only prepared around 1,000 Birr per reporter but we were also solicited to engage a "delala" (broker) to facilitate the attendance of reporters. These brokers serve as intermediaries who handle payments to reporters, often without any guarantee that the reporters will actually attend the event, all the while taking a substantial cut for their services. The lack of equitable value exchange is staggering, even when we set aside the shocking ethical implications of these practices.

Then there are the likes of Addis Insight that want to straddle the lines between personal opinion, serious news, and satire all at the very same time. The result is confusing, to say the least, yet there's an expectation to be given some value in the journalism space. Whenever I think of this page in the context of meaningful journalism, as rare as that is, it's as though Ethiopia is a baby in the hands of an ill-trained nanny. The nanny will try anything, and feel entitled for trying at all. Meanwhile, the baby is starved, tired, and needs to be fed. This is not to come down on any particular outlet, but rather to emphasize the mismatch between the great need for reliable information and the sad state of the supply.  

The media could have played a pivotal role in the building of democracy in Ethiopia by serving as a watchdog, informing the public, and holding the public and government accountable. It could have provided citizens with essential and accurate information, investigated and exposed misconduct, and fostered impactful public debate. You can see we are so far from this, and continue to veer even farther. By advocating for civil liberties, promoting transparency, and educating the public, the media should have safeguarded the common good. It should monitor elections, advocate for the public interest, and give voice to dissenting opinions. Again, this is far from our reality. I understand that this requires a level of sacrifice in our context, and I am well aware there are not-so-few journalists who are committed to this. I am thankful for them, and their sacrifice. But should the rest be complacent? A responsible and unbiased media— as a sector— unified in its commitment to the people and the truth, should have been a trendsetter. The most influential influencer. It should have set an example for institutions, fostering trust, and upholding principles of accountability and transparency. The media should not reduce itself to a puppy, toeing the line that's been marked for it by its owner, but rather be the cornerstone of democracy, encouraging an informed and engaged citizenry while holding all of us to a high standard of integrity.

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