Reproducing fear in the newsroom: A study of news culture in the Ethiopian state media
Journalists in government-controlled media societies habitually experience a conflict between ideal-type reporting and actual practice. They feel that the type of reporting they would like to perform is disturbed by formal and informal pressure justified by government interests. The result is self-censorship in the newsroom, whereby journalists develop practices which are meant to circumvent direct government interference. This has an adverse effect on journalistic production insofar as professional autonomy becomes severely limited and the media content turns out to be predetermined and uninteresting, especially in official media outlets. The felt pressure could be identified as discourses of fear and anxiety among media professionals.
A common rationale for these ‘discourses of fear’ is that they are a direct result of government pressure imposed on journalistic production. The current research, however, argues that the discourses of fear is as much a result of the journalists’ own interpretation and rearticulation of government policy and sanctions in the newsroom. One might say that the controlling discourses begin to lead a life on their own in the media organization. Stories, true or not, about journalists being sacked and receiving other types of retribution grow among the journalists and be¬come a source of anxiety. For example, the fear of being fired is thought to be a common type of retribution in state-owned media organizations, although actual cases of such penalties are much fewer than the impression induced by the rumours. Thus, it is not the firing, but the fear of being fired, which becomes the real con¬trolling influence in the media organization.
The research is based on in-depth analysis of journalism culture in three media state-owned media organizations in Ethiopia, which comprises a transitional media society characterized by strong government influence in media policy and governance. 67 reporters and editors were interviewed for the study, complemented by some use of observation in the newsrooms as well as content analysis of media products.
A common rationale for these ‘discourses of fear’ is that they are a direct result of government pressure imposed on journalistic production. The current research, however, argues that the discourses of fear is as much a result of the journalists’ own interpretation and rearticulation of government policy and sanctions in the newsroom. One might say that the controlling discourses begin to lead a life on their own in the media organization. Stories, true or not, about journalists being sacked and receiving other types of retribution grow among the journalists and be¬come a source of anxiety. For example, the fear of being fired is thought to be a common type of retribution in state-owned media organizations, although actual cases of such penalties are much fewer than the impression induced by the rumours. Thus, it is not the firing, but the fear of being fired, which becomes the real con¬trolling influence in the media organization.
The research is based on in-depth analysis of journalism culture in three media state-owned media organizations in Ethiopia, which comprises a transitional media society characterized by strong government influence in media policy and governance. 67 reporters and editors were interviewed for the study, complemented by some use of observation in the newsrooms as well as content analysis of media products.
Publisert i Paper presented at the annual IAMCR congress, Dublin, Ireland, 2013
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