How Ethiopian Television covered the death of Meles Zenawi: A framing analysis
Meles Zenawi, Ethiopia’s leader since 1991, died on 20 August 2012, age 57. Although he had been ill for several weeks and failed to appear at the African Union Summit in Addis Ababa in mid-July 2012, his passing came unexpected. Elements of the private press speculated a month in advance that the government was withholding information that the Prime Minister had already passed away, but it was only with the news of his death that the state-owned broadcaster as well as the international media gave broad coverage of his illness and death.
This research investigates the coverage of Meles Zenawi’s illness and death by the state broadcaster Ethiopian Television (ETV). In the situation of being the only national television service in Ethiopia, ETV plays an important role in the dispersion of news and information in the country. The study used framing analysis to identify the dominant frames in ETV’s coverage at various periods during the illness and death of Meles Zenawi. The period chosen for analysis is 16 July 2012, when ETV first reported Meles’ illness, to 2 September 2012, the day when the state funeral was held in Addis Ababa.
The research finds that during the illness of the Prime Minister, ETV covered the issue only scarcely and partly. This period induces a conflict frame whereby the broadcaster defended the government from rumours and denounced unofficial reports about Meles’ illness. The broadcaster attributed the Prime Minister’s health condition to his hard-working spirit, but after all he was now recovering. However, when the news of the death finally came, the portrayal shifted to a human interest frame, where the former Prime Minister was praised for his personal commitment and national leadership. The study reveals that ETV was highly dependent on government news sources to cover the issue. Ultimatley, the research is a portrayal of a government-controlled media society where the national broadcaster is a conduit for official interests.
This research investigates the coverage of Meles Zenawi’s illness and death by the state broadcaster Ethiopian Television (ETV). In the situation of being the only national television service in Ethiopia, ETV plays an important role in the dispersion of news and information in the country. The study used framing analysis to identify the dominant frames in ETV’s coverage at various periods during the illness and death of Meles Zenawi. The period chosen for analysis is 16 July 2012, when ETV first reported Meles’ illness, to 2 September 2012, the day when the state funeral was held in Addis Ababa.
The research finds that during the illness of the Prime Minister, ETV covered the issue only scarcely and partly. This period induces a conflict frame whereby the broadcaster defended the government from rumours and denounced unofficial reports about Meles’ illness. The broadcaster attributed the Prime Minister’s health condition to his hard-working spirit, but after all he was now recovering. However, when the news of the death finally came, the portrayal shifted to a human interest frame, where the former Prime Minister was praised for his personal commitment and national leadership. The study reveals that ETV was highly dependent on government news sources to cover the issue. Ultimatley, the research is a portrayal of a government-controlled media society where the national broadcaster is a conduit for official interests.
Publisert i Paper presented at the 4th conference of the East African Communication Association (EACA), Mukono, Uganda, 2014
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