BY ADDISALEM MULAT
Though provided with unhindered access to the region, some international media outlets have continued to disseminating overblown in some cases cooked-up stories regarding human rights violations and humanitarian situation in Tigray state. Partly, the lopsided stories have to do with using TPLF’s sources singlehandedly and attributing sources from social media platforms.
The Ethiopian government has in fact pledged an independent investigation into claims of human right violations in the state. It is also providing humanitarian assistances covering significant portion of the relief. But, some media outlets are jumping the gun by making unverified and incomplete reporting.
While Ethiopia respects press freedom and speech, it also express its concern over biased and unverified reporting with some laden with smear conspiracies to besmirch Ethiopia’s reputation.
Notwithstanding the fact that international media know the TPLF junta clique carried out an attack on the Northern command of the Ethiopian National Defense Forces in the early morning of 4 November 2020, they have been turning a blind eye to the aforesaid reality on the ground and partaking .
In a similar vein, the TPLF junta leaders were persistently bankrolling and coaching their clique residing in all regions of the country in furtherance of wrecking the ongoing democratic transition and coming to office. On top of that, they were time and again stoking unrest and sowing the seeds of division in the midst of the various Nations, Nationalities and Peoples of Ethiopia.
Despite the fact that the government of Ethiopia made an effort to get to the bottom of the problem peacefully, they kept on turning their back over and over again.
In a similar fashion, international media know like the palm of their hands the fact that the TPLF junta officials alleged to have accustomed a new government on the basis of unlawful election in addition to decreeing that they would not go along with legislations, guidelines, and things of that sort.
However, when the Ethiopian National Defense Forces embarked on carrying out law enforcement operation in the Tigray region targeting at disarming the TPLF junta, restoring legitimate administration, bringing fugitives to justice, and ended up accomplishing the operation with flying colors, international media set in motion distorting facts and coming up with cooked up stories.
Aside from turning on the charm, international media have been broadcasting a wide variety of groundless stories that bewilder the international community and upping the ante. Instead of making an effort to placate predicaments hovering around the Tigray region and turning on the tide, they once in a great while fan the flames irresponsibly.
In spite of the fact that the government of Ethiopia in black and white makes an effort to familiarize the international community with facts on the ground, the latter kept on turning a deaf ear. Shockingly, they have made perplexing the entire world via fake stories the order of the day.
Pertaining to the issue, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia issued a press release on the media and alleged human rights violations and other crimes committed in Tigray.
According to the Press Release, the government of Ethiopia urges the international community to not be easily swayed by the propaganda campaign of the TPLF clique and its sympathizers, including the international media that tend to whitewash the crimes of the clique that has a track record of committing ineffable atrocities on Ethiopians for more than three decades.
It should not also be forgotten that the government of Ethiopia has been dealing with a criminal enterprise that had been armed to its teeth and it would be naive to rule out the possibilities of civilian causalities during the rule of law operations in the region. As we have repeatedly said undesirable things might occur when dealing with a group that does not hesitate to use civilians as human shields and their household as hideouts.
The international community will understand the matter at hand objectively by applying a rudimentary level of logical reasoning heeding to the fact that the concerted disinformation campaign by International media on Ethiopia cannot be a basis for the reality on the ground. This understanding entails that Investigations on the credibility and scope of allegations in the region should be substantiated by independent bodies and not by simply relying on the mere accusatory reports of news agencies.
The problem with TPLF is not just in initiating the crime, but its resolve to twist the truth and concoct stories through doctored footage in a bid to continue misinforming the world. And the sad thing is that the international media has been readily picking such products of the clique without giving second thoughts while pretending to fail to notice the clique’s wrongs. To make matters worse, TPLF has staunch and bankrolled accomplices who are self-acclaimed gurus on matters of Ethiopia and the Horn of Africa.
The recent agreement between the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission and the UN to run a joint investigation on alleged human rights violations in the region is a manifestation of the Ethiopian federal government’s devotion to taking the matter seriously.
Unfortunately, the international community has continued to be bombarded by biased reports that do not corroborate with the facts on the ground. Selective perceptions of news reports and journalists who have continued to observe things through colored glasses taint news outputs that often tend to find the federal government of Ethiopia as the usual suspect for all the allegedly committed human rights violations in the Tigray region.
The Ethiopian Herald approached various pundits to have their take in relation to the international media that has been disseminating disinformation and cooked up stories all around the world.
Alebel Guangul is a lecturer at Dilla University in the Department of Journalism and communication said, “International media are turning out to be biased and taking sides with the clique’s sympathizers. Sad as it may sound, prior to disseminating news stories journalists do not crosscheck facts and act in accordance with media ethics. On several occasions, international media get off track and bewilder the international community. As a one-sided story cannot help international media win credibility, they should distance themselves from this kind of evil act within a very short time. Other than that, unless they follow the right procedures and stick to journalistic ethics and standards achieving the sought after goal will not be as easy as falling off a log,”
“In addition to this, as much as they could, international media should balance their story on the basis of facts and give their all to disseminating real information. By all possible means, they do not even pull out all the stops to verify their stories,” he added.
According to my way of thinking, disinformation and cooked-up stories have the capacity of winning the hearts and minds of the international community. Apart from rupturing the relation Ethiopia has with various nations worldwide, their news story can change the image of the country.
“The most important thing that we need to understand is the fact that as the international community does not know the existing reality on the ground, they will lend their ears to international media without batting an eye,” he continued.
From my point of view, the government of Ethiopia should give significance to diplomacy works with the object of familiarizing the existing reality of the country with the international community more than ever before. Moreover, our media should be accessible to the internal community in a wide spectrum of international languages.
“In the same way, our diplomats should do the whole thing they could to acquaint the international community with the existing reality on the ground. In the light of the foregoing, there are gaps to be bridged.” he wrapped up.
In a previously published newspaper of The Ethiopian Herald Dr. Tesfaye Bezabih, Journalism and Communication lecturer and International Relations Head at Wollo University said, “Most print and electronic media outlets of the country have been failing to use real information from reliable sources. Aside from getting themselves off the track and distancing themselves from utilizing reliable resources, international media outlets have been missing the target by perplexing the international community,”
Most internal media do not have room for the concepts of the media for the community, media for the nation, media for nation-building, media for development, media for peace building, and other related aspects.
“International media should crosscheck facts before broadcasting a lopsided story and baffling the international community with disinformation and cooked up stories.” he wrapped up.
The Ethiopian Herald 11 April 2021
