The contemporary media landscape is witnessed compromising or breaking the golden principles and objectives of journalism though they have increasingly becoming pillars of the discipline.
Obviously, media have become tools to secure political and economic interests of nations. That is why nations establish multinational broadcasting and news agencies to promote their assets forge relation and maintain their political interests. Unfortunately, in this process broadcasters and the media in general have engaged in building up facts, exaggerating and sensationalizing of stories.
Even the prestigious BBC, CNN and others have fallen in this trap. There is also a deliberate propaganda warfare done by some media companies to obtain political and economic gains to their respective countries.
To counterattack the propaganda warfare, different countries and regions have opted in establishing their own international media companies. To mention but a few, RT News, TRT, Aljazeera, Press TV and CGTN. The launch of strong and international media helped the respective countries tell their own stories, balance other media outlets report about them and show their emergence on socio economic and political spheres.
But developing countries like Ethiopia and Africa in general are left behind in the propaganda warfare. In fact, it is the victim. Many of the media outlets especially the western media is still bad mouthing Africa. There is still no one or no entity to stop the Western media inking Africa black.
These days, conflict, war, coup d’état, migration, accidents, famine or drought are the focus of Africa’s report in these media houses. One can’t deny the occurrence of these scenarios, but they are being over exaggerated, dramatized or sensationalized for the effect of tarnishing Africa’s image. In addition, they do reports that could undermine the peace, stability and security of countries in the continent.
Recent reports of CNN, BBC and Aljazeera on Ethiopia are clear manifestations of some external forces motives on Africa. These media companies build up facts on the one hand and add fuel to fire on the other dramatizing their stories. Not only do they leave some details or positive changes happening in the country unreported but they also deliberately set the impartiality, balance and truthfulness of journalism code of conduct aside. Their report of war on TPLF is deliberate dodging to the genesis of the war.
TPLF’s warmongering and Ethiopian government’s previous attempts to prevent the war haven’t yet been reported. Instead crimes of the terrorist group been reported. TPLF’s decades of human right abuse and indiscriminate killings during the war aren’t told to the international community. This is clearly an act abetting of a terrorist group. Though these media outlets such as CNN and BBC have recurrently been criticized on not complying with journalism principles, they turned a blind eye and deaf ear to the issue.
Girum Chala, who has worked as an international correspondent for fifteen years at CGTN, is purely witnessing this fact. As to him, conflict, bloodshed and migration are the common subject of Western media’s report on Africa.
In a video he posted on his Facebook page Girum said, “There is one problem. That is as you know Africa as a whole and Ethiopia in particular doesn’t have a strong and far reaching media entity. For instance, the African Union doesn’t have organized media to tell the international community about economic, political, and security conditions of the continent.
So, it has to rely on other media companies that tell a twisted version of the story. Africa has a lot to be told to the international community other than bloodshed, conflicts, refugee crisis, or famine. Its history, culture, resources, and its rise in the economy are worth reporting.”
As the English idiomatic expression “straight from the horse mouth” Girum believes Africans should have ownership to their stories. Africans themselves should tell their truth to the international community. It is that way Africans can build a good image on the minds of international community.
Through media, Africa can show its stance on different pertinent issues and convince the world. Media is a means to sell out our ideas, create influence and establish strong cooperation. Hence, he urges Africans and Ethiopians in particular to think about building strong and international media. He challenges people by asking questions like; “Do we have to wait CNN, BBC and Aljazeera to tell our stories? We have to discharge our respective responsibility.
Believing that it is high time for Africa to have its own mouthpiece,Girum with his partners is preparing to set up Global Television Network of Africa in Addis Ababa. The establishment of multinational media company will have different benefits.
This move is of paramount importance in building one’s image by promoting different assets and improvements of the continent on the one hand and in defending Africa from media attack of some western media on the other. Hence, the international community will have a fair view of Africa when this is made a reality.
Taking this individual initiative as an opportunity, African leaders have to create fertile ground to enjoy impartial and trustful reporting. Yes, strong media can play a great role in redeeming Africa’s image, promoting its resources and establishing formidable political and relation. In view of this Africans need to analyze the damage they incurred due to distort some Western media reporting.
In doing so, Africa can be relived from unfair foreign media reports or documentaries. It is remembered that Ethiopia took decades to recover from bad image of being portrayed for famine by the BBC. It has time and again been dented by famine, humanitarian crisis and conflict. This has to be swiftly and effectively dealt with.
Though there are ways to counterattack falsehood fabrications and distorted reporting, establishing a strong and multinational media is the best way out. Leaders have to focus on the issue. Qatar has defended itself by the media work of Aljazeera, China has CGTN, Turkey has TRT, Britain has the BBC, America has CNN, why Ethiopia or Africa has failed to do so having a vibrant media?
THE ETHIOPIAN HERALD JULY 2 /2021
