BY ADDISALEM MULAT
Media can play both constructive and destructive roles. Journalism by profession is seeking truth and serving the public. But as observed in many instances, journalism has also been used to tear countries apart, destabilize nations and sow discord among peoples. The mediums have also been used as a propaganda machine by countries and individuals to shape opinions and attack opponents.
This is what has been happening to Ethiopia this time. Some international media outlets have been disseminating misinformation and cooked up stories in connection with the law enforcement operation in the northern part of Ethiopia.
Pessimistically, as the so-called international media outlets have been revealing their real identity and hidden agenda of their paymasters. Some media outlets have been airing and publishing fabricated stories in stark contrast to the reality on the ground.
The media outlets take sides with the terrorist TPLF Junta and partake in a smear campaign with a view to bringing them to power and promoting the political and economic interest of their own.
Most prominent international media outlets have been predominantly echoing the agenda of some western countries contrary to principles of impartiality and objectivity of journalism.
More often than not, some of the media outlets are known for deliberately picking out shreds of evidence that advances their respective vested interests while leaving out or ignoring the ‘unsuitable’ facts so that the attention of the whole world will be sidetracked to the few designated actualities they would like to see.
The very organizations that are expected to give accurate information and credible reports are turning out to be the source of misinformation and disinformation.
In the present climate, Ethiopia has become victim of misinformation and disinformation on the grounds that some international media outlets have been mystifying the international community. This being the case, some people are failing to understand the whole picture of what has been going in the Tigray region.
Despite the fact that the media outlets know what the incumbent has been doing with regard to humanitarian aid delivery in Tigray state, they have been turning a blind eye to the efforts of the government.
According to Pacifica Radio’s COVID, Race and Democracy Show website, throughout the conflict, Western press and officials have characterized the Tigraian people as victims of genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity and rallied support for humanitarian intervention, even though their former proxy, the TPLF, started the war.
The dominant Western press, notably the New York Times, Washington Post, BBC, Guardian, and Al Jazeera, all engage in what has become a readily recognizable genre of unsubstantiated atrocity reporting deployed to manufacture consent for censure, sanctions, international criminal indictments, and perhaps even war against Ethiopia, as they have against Libya, Syria, Venezuela and other antagonists of empire.
In addition to the lopsided media reports with regard to humanitarian assistance, some media outlets even carried reports that claim Ethiopia would fail or disintegrate.
Of late, Politico published a story headed “In Ethiopia echoes of Yugoslavia”. It narrates that Ethiopia will face the same destiny as Yugoslavia. In response to the story, Ethiopian Ambassador to the European Union, Hirut Zemene said that drawing a comparison between the two countries is both incorrect and dangerous.
The opinion piece “(August 2) by Baroness Arminka Helič is based on a misconstrued parallel that is both factually and conceptually incorrect.
In an attempt to draw a parallel with Yugoslavia, the author has failed to understand the sociopolitical, historical, and cultural contexts of the country and its people, she added.
“Ethiopia and its people are known for their cultural and religious tolerance and have lived in harmony for many centuries. There exists no enmity among the people of Ethiopia. Therefore, comparing the country’s current situation with the Balkans is a complete malposition.”
Additionally, without properly understanding the nuances of the official Ethiopian language or statements made by our leaders concerning the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), the author has misinterpreted a label aimed at the TPLF as describing our compatriots in Tigray. It appears that the author attempts
to call for unwarranted interventions from the international community based on misinformed ideas. However, it must be made clear that no Ethiopian official has incited ill intentions against their own people as the piece portrayed.
The TPLF, which provoked conflict in November 2020 by attacking the national defense bases in the Tigray region, is now labeled a terrorist group by the Ethiopian Parliament. TPLF leaders who caused and led the conflict in Ethiopia must be brought to justice for their acts of war. No country would sit idly by while such an attack is committed.
As for the situation in the Tigray region, the Ethiopian Government, with the aim of resolving the conflict, has enacted a unilateral humanitarian ceasefire. The TPLF clique, rejecting this peaceful gesture, has instead opted to aggravate the situation by prolonging the fighting. The author’s view of the TPLF’s destabilizing character, expanding the conflict to neighboring provinces, demonstrates only an attempt to justify the acts of the TPLF as legitimate and, even more so, unjustifiably impose sanctions on Ethiopia.
“The Embassy of Ethiopia not only rejects this erroneous opinion but would also request that as a respected official of a reputed country, the author refrains from comparing incomparable situations and calling for unwarranted action.” she wrapped up.
While criticizing the government on the basis of fake stories, some media outlets have been turning a blind eye to the misdeeds of the terrorist TPLF group.
For instance despite Ethiopia’s Current Issues Fact Check warned that TPLF would pose the bodies killed fighters as civilians and a possible plan by TPLF to propagate hoax story about in Humera town; the media outlets ignored the warning. However, when the terrorist group got itself ready for their mission, dozens of international media outlets reported the hoax story without verifying facts and balancing the story.
A case in point, Aljazeera reported that Surgeon says he buried 10 bodies over the past six days in Sudan and was told by local fishermen, refugees another 28 were recovered. At least 30 corpses have washed up on the Sudanese banks of a river that abuts Ethiopia’s northern region of Tigray, according to two Ethiopian refugees and four Sudanese witnesses who told Reuters news agency on Monday they had retrieved the bodies.
The news does not entirely reflect what is going on across the country. They are one-sided. They did not make an effort to crosscheck facts except giving prominence to their hidden agenda.
The Ethiopian Herald August 6/2021
