(PART II)
I thought that only the big writers were entitled to get their articles published in The Herald—veterans like Yacob Woldemariam, Bealu Girma, Kifle Djote, Mekonnen Haile, Melese Tilahun, Hailu Tsegaye, and others who were considered a kind of “drinking genius on the loose.” I, on the other hand, was a kind of accidental writer who fell in love with journalism and writing at first sight and started my long career at The Herald.
Before my arrival, the newspaper was managed and led by senior, well-educated journalists, seasoned editorialists, and feature writers. After graduation, I abandoned my potential career as a diplomat or public relations officer and stayed at The Herald because I had fallen seriously, honestly, and deeply in love with journalism and writing.
The Herald not only opened my eyes and helped me fall in love with writing; it also shaped my career and my life in a lasting way. It was something like, “Once a writer, always a writer.” Most of all, The Herald gave me enough time for reading that later fed the fire of my creativity. From being a journalist, I made the quantum leap to becoming a novelist and short story writer.
It is natural for a child to pay tribute to the father who raised him and saw him evolve, grow, and reach his maximum capacity in any field of engagement. It would not be an exaggeration for me to state that The Herald was my place of learning, my coach, my inspiration, the source of my professional growth, my deep satisfaction, and my opportunity for growth and versatility. Without exaggeration, this newspaper has created me intellectually.
The Herald was also the best version of on-the-job training. One may have a Ph.D. in print journalism and yet may not be as productive as the person who spent five years working on a newspaper. Writing for a newspaper is a skill you largely learn by doing, not by talking. Writing for a newspaper requires qualities beyond mere language mastery. It requires passion, honesty, integrity, and devotion to the work—qualities that we don’t learn in journalism school.
For that matter, a native English speaker may not be able to write a good love letter, let alone a serious newspaper article. Practice can indeed make someone perfect. Without my training at The Herald, I could not have done a lot of work for many newspapers and magazines during the short-lived era of the private press. Looking back at my time with The Herald, I can say that this newspaper has shaped and molded me through hard work, discipline, and perseverance.
Journalism is also about working hard to meet deadlines and enduring the pressures of a very stressful work environment. It requires mental resilience as well as discipline. That is why people, who indulge a great deal in the pleasures of life, mainly drinking too much, often have their health easily affected and their lives shortened. Many promising journalists have lost their lives to drinking and smoking, unfortunately condemning themselves to premature death.
As a rule of thumb, journalism is not a well-paying job, and the material or financial condition of media workers in general is far from enviable. Journalists are often poorly paid for doing one of the most demanding jobs in the world. They don’t enjoy benefits such as free or subsidized health care. This is not a job that can be done for its financial advantages unless one has the calling and passion for the profession.
The Ethiopian Herald is not an old newspaper. It has enjoyed the average lifespan of a single generation. Many newspapers around the world are far older than The Herald. The Washington Post was founded on December 6, 1877. The Times of London was founded on January 1, 1785. The Ethiopian Herald was founded on July 3, 1943. The oldest newspaper in the world was called Gazetta di Mantova and was first published in 1664.
As a state-owned English-language newspaper, The Ethiopian Herald is published by the Ethiopian Press Agency. It began as a weekly on July 3, 1943. The first editor-in-chief was an Englishman named Jan Hoy Simpson. Later on, editors from the United States worked for the paper. The Herald became a daily newspaper in 1958. The editorial policy of The Ethiopian Herald was and is based on government policies and objectives.
The debate over whether The Ethiopian Herald has grown or not in the last 82 years is largely an academic question. The Ethiopian Herald was conceived as a paper that would introduce Ethiopia and Ethiopians, promote government policy, and foster cooperation with the outside world. If we measure the role of the paper by these yardsticks, we can say that The Herald has indeed lived up to policy expectations.
If we look at technical aspects such as layout, picture quality, and similar parameters, The Herald has indeed made notable progress in line with the requirements of modern newspaper production technology. It started as a broadsheet and transitioned to tabloid format. The quality of a newspaper is not determined by its appearance or format but by its content.
The Herald still has the potential for improvement within the prevailing editorial policy. The quality of manpower has obvious impacts on the quality of the newspaper. There is still room for improvement and potential for learning from the experiences of other newspapers within the African context.
We can learn from our neighbors like Uganda and Kenya, where newspaper quality is relatively more advanced. Comparison can sometimes be used as a factor for improvement. There is no harm in learning from The Nation of Kenya or The Monitor of Uganda—not from the point of view of ownership but from that of quality. If we go further north in Africa, we realize that Egypt has created an iconic and highly influential newspaper called Al Ahram, which is semi-official but vibrant.
Journalism requires a great deal of flexibility and ongoing experimentation with content. Both form and content should evolve according to the requirements of journalism and not remain static and unchanging. Progress requires risk-taking, inventiveness, and creativity. We should be able to look at the paper openly and critically, with a view to making the necessary changes. A newspaper should not be seen as an immovable statue but as something that changes with time and changing realities.
The Ethiopian Herald is turning 82 this year. I can say that I have spent almost half of my life with this newspaper, excluding the brief interruptions in between. I have vivid memories of my time, my excellent colleagues with whom I spent many unforgettable moments, the fun we had, the sad times we shared and endured, and the hopes we enjoyed. Doing the job you love is indeed a blessing.
Looking back at the past, I now realize that leaving political science at the gate of the university and choosing journalism was one of the best decisions I have made in my life. People often choose or change careers for wealth or prestige. Journalism does not make you wealthy, but at least it makes you happy and gives you a sense of fulfillment. If you ask me to change my career at this stage, I would still choose journalism as my first preference. You can call it ‘love unto death’ or something like that. Anyway, happy birthday to The Herald, which has so far passed the test of endurance and resilience with flying colors.
BY MULUGETA GUDETA
THE ETHIOPIAN HERALD FRIDAY 4 JULY 2025