The Ethiopian journalist: Loyalist and change agent
Little has been known about the Ethiopian journalist population as a whole regarding its demographic profile, ideology and personal attitudes. This report, which is part of the global Worlds of Journalism Study, provides a comprehensive picture of a professional group often referred to in the news, but less investigated. The report is based on interviews with 350 journalists from all parts of the Ethiopian media.
The study detects some important changes which have occurred in the Ethiopian journalist fraternity recently. In just a few years, the local journalist population has become one of the most educated in the world, with 97% having at least a bachelor’s degree. The female proportion is also on the increase, and soon every third journalist in the country is expected to be a woman. At the same time, Ethiopian journalists are among the youngest and least experienced in all countries, with an average age of 30 years. Illustratively, around 90% of today’s Ethiopian journalists were not in the profession during the 2005 elections.
The study detects significant differences between journalists in the state media and journalists in the private media, but also some similarities. Journalists in the private media experience high degree of professional autonomy with 71% perceiving ‘a great deal of freedom’ in selecting news stories, compared with 41% in the state media. Both groups have high trust in the government – indeed one of the highest trust levels of the 66 countries investigated in the Worlds of Journalism Study – but nonetheless low trust in political parties and politicians in general.
When asked about their political view, most journalists in the study identified themselves halfway between the government and the opposition. There is a slightly higher proportion of reporters supporting the government in the state media than in the private media.
In terms of professional role, Ethiopian journalists have some features which set them apart from their counterparts in the north. Ethiopian journalists reveal strong commitment to national development and support for government policy. They also regard advocacy for social change as an important part of their work. Thus, the typical Ethopian journalist can be described as both a loyalist and a change agent.
The study detects some important changes which have occurred in the Ethiopian journalist fraternity recently. In just a few years, the local journalist population has become one of the most educated in the world, with 97% having at least a bachelor’s degree. The female proportion is also on the increase, and soon every third journalist in the country is expected to be a woman. At the same time, Ethiopian journalists are among the youngest and least experienced in all countries, with an average age of 30 years. Illustratively, around 90% of today’s Ethiopian journalists were not in the profession during the 2005 elections.
The study detects significant differences between journalists in the state media and journalists in the private media, but also some similarities. Journalists in the private media experience high degree of professional autonomy with 71% perceiving ‘a great deal of freedom’ in selecting news stories, compared with 41% in the state media. Both groups have high trust in the government – indeed one of the highest trust levels of the 66 countries investigated in the Worlds of Journalism Study – but nonetheless low trust in political parties and politicians in general.
When asked about their political view, most journalists in the study identified themselves halfway between the government and the opposition. There is a slightly higher proportion of reporters supporting the government in the state media than in the private media.
In terms of professional role, Ethiopian journalists have some features which set them apart from their counterparts in the north. Ethiopian journalists reveal strong commitment to national development and support for government policy. They also regard advocacy for social change as an important part of their work. Thus, the typical Ethopian journalist can be described as both a loyalist and a change agent.
Publisert i 2017
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