Some international media outlets have been busy in spreading fake and baseless information since the launching of the law enforcement operation in Tigray State. They have been deliberately distorting and manipulating facts to paint a wrong picture about the country. Lately, the terrorist TPLF group has killed over 30 civilians at Chifra and Wuchale areas in Afar and Amhara states. The western media outlets have preferred silence on these inhuman and irresponsible acts. However, these western media houses were swift to report the Ethiopian Air force’s strikes against the group’s communication network and facility in Mekelle town. Thus, clearly indicated that how some of those media are biased and unprofessional in reporting Ethiopia’s current stories.
Though the terrorist TPLF continues killing and displacing people in Afar and Amhara states in broad daylight, the international media are giving deaf ears to these atrocities. Yet, they cried foul when Ethiopian National Defense Forces (ENDF) launched airstrike against TPLF’s communication network and facilities.
In the contrary, the media keep accusing the Ethiopian government on baseless claims and continue distorting facts to shift blames. Some of them were even caught red-handed while using distorted information about the current situation of the country.
To mention few, this week, Aljazeera English reported fake stories about Ethiopia using fake image, which has been used by the AFP for another news story in 28th June, 2021 and it exposed the clear stance of the media houses, he says.
Similarly, The Telegraph newspaper also misreported events in the country this week and continues misinforming the global community. In its latest article entitled “Ethiopian PM threatens to stop food aid entering the country,” author Will Brown blatantly misquoted Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed (PhD) of Ethiopia to bolster a preordained narrative in which Ethiopia must be vilified. At the same time, insurgents of the TPLF are spared criticism, if not outright praised, said Current Fact Checks.
According to the Telegraph, the Prime Minister stated, “If we make sure that this thing called food aid does not enter Ethiopia, 70 percent of Ethiopia’s problems will be solved”. This translated quotation from Amharic is, of course, a gross manipulation of the Prime Minister’s words, which were initially delivered in Amharic. In actuality, the Prime Minister stated his desire to see “Ethiopia become food self-sufficient and less dependent on food aid coming from abroad,” a noble goal widely shared among the Ethiopian public.
Perhaps the Telegraph would like to reassess its assumptions of what the Prime Minister said or did not say. If translating Amharic into English is particularly challenging, they should seek help before becoming a disservice to their readers, who deserve to know that facts, it added.
What the Telegraph has done in this article goes beyond taking things out of context or misinterpreting the Prime Minister’s words. This is an unscrupulous disregard for what was said and a complete twisting of the facts for agenda-based reporting. For the sake of journalism and factual reporting, the Telegraph should reevaluate this report for its merit and ask if it meets journalistic standards.
Reporting the balanced, neutral, verified stories and checking the verification is the minimum principles of any media houses whether they have different views. Neutrality and fact checking is the minimum basis of any media organizations. The recent report of some international media on Ethiopia clearly justified that they are breaching media law and campaigning against Ethiopia, said Muluken Asegidom (PhD) Media and Communications Lecturer at Bahir Dar University.
He told The Ethiopian Herald that some of the western media have kept reporting distorted information about the current situation of the country lacking reality on the ground. The media campaign against the country is mainly emanated from their hidden agenda of dismantling the country under the guise of humanitarianism.
According to him, the continued distorted information about the current situation in the country by some of the international media is against the principles of journalism. At the same time those international media have been deliberately skipping the reality and the inhumane acts of the TPLF terrorist group. This is a clear indication of their biasness.
International Law expert, Zelalem Moges (PhD) for his part said that strengthening diplomacy and informing the current situation of the country to international community is among the crucial tool to avert the undue pressure being exerted from the external world. There is lack of continually providing the information about the fact in the country to the international community.
If there is no consistent report it would degrade the trust of the country. The recent reform process in different institutions like ministry of foreign affairs will expect to ease such kinds of problems. In order to show the criminal act of the TPLF, there is need to invite international observers so as to clearly clarify the fact on the ground to the international community.
Against this background, Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia Ambassador Dina Mufti said that the recent ENDF air strikes have specifically targeted TPLF the production and armament repair sites of the TPLF terrorist groups not targeted civilians. Some of the western international media keep accusing the government for the airstrike the operations are aimed at destroying illegal caches of heavy weaponry and armaments at selected sites that the terrorist organization. The surprising thing is that those international media and individuals has turned silent and never reacted on the situation while the terrorist group is attacking civilians using heavy artilleries in neighboring regions of Afar and Amhara, he said.
BY HAILE DEMEKE
THE ETHIOPIAN HERALD OCTOBER 22/2021
