In principle, journalists are supposed to write in the newspaper about what has truly happened without bias. They should objectively handle their professional duties. They are not partisans, they are journalists with ethics. They should enhance their duties with ethic or science of morals. Some of the western media such as CNN are prejudiced against Ethiopia, in favor of the terrorist TPLF. Humans unlike animals are endowed the conscience that enables them to differentiate the right from wrong.
The meaning of the word partisan, if wrongly appropriated, is nothing other than wonton profession. It should be disapproved by learned people, particularly scholars of literature. Partisans, irrationally, without considering the consequences of their work, strongly support a party, cause, or a person in defiance of the objective reality of the situation. Blind adherence amounts to nothing other than intensifying the problem. Some of the current western media are often observed being devotees concerning Ethiopia. Their one-sided newspapers have become increasingly partisans shamelessly. Instead of bringing the truth on the ground to light, they report inequitable and unbalance news only to influence the international community to take unjust and unfair measures against Ethiopia unduly. They are, believes the writer, professional racists. What they are doing is improper and far below the standard of scientific journalism. In doing so, they are exposing their inability to apply the knowledge they have acquired through training if at all they have really gone through it. Their fictional, factional and preferential writing denies them the credibility they ought to earn.
Obviously, a partisan is a committed member of a political party or army. The western media like Aljazeera, BBC and the CNN do not belong to and or it is none of their business to exhibit adherence to any political party in Ethiopia. Therefore, there is no reason why they wrongly picture what is happening in the country.
Their stubbornness is so much that they blindly support the TPLF and are reluctant to show the atrocities this ruthless rebel group is doing to innocent people in Amhara and Afar regions.
A partisan like CNN reporter is someone who supports one part or party. Sometimes, the support takes the form of military action, as when guerrilla fighters take on government forces. Actually, partisan is most often used as an adherent or supporter of a person, group, party, or cause, especially a person who shows a biased, emotional allegiance.
Apparently, the war in north Ethiopia is war of existence of the nation. Thus, Ethiopians are doing all they can to make the situation in north Ethiopia known to the world. Recently, Voice for Ethiopia in Ireland, organized by W/ro Metasebia, Ethiopians living in Ireland, although they are not many in number, under the motto Ireland, hands off Ethiopia, gathered in Dublin around the parliament to voice their opposition to what Ireland is doing to Ethiopia in support of the terrorist TPLF. A two-page narrative that shows the general picture of the problem and asking Ireland to stop interfering in the internal affairs of Ethiopia’s, particularly that affects the sovereignty of the country. Instead, Ireland should pay heed to the right information about what is happening than echoing the hearsay of the partisans.
Ireland has taken the leadership of the UN Security Council from France. Soon she brought the issue of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam to the Security Council. Fortunately, it was directed to African Union for negotiation. Ethiopians residing in Ireland often raise the question, why a long-time friend, Ireland, turns her back on Ethiopia particularly at this trying time.
Eleven countries have jointly demanded western countries and the United Stated to stop interfering in the internal affairs of countries through the instrumentality of their unjust policies and the fake news of partisan journalists. Van guarded by China’s delegate they stressed the need for the protection of human rights in accordance with the international principle. Pressure exerted on countries by western countries is not absolutely acceptable and should be done away with. In addition, they have also stressed the respect of sovereignty to every nation. They have also called on other countries to join them in the struggle to ascertain national sovereignty of all member states. In this manner, they can avoid being bullied by any super power.
As a matter of fact, the military operation in north Ethiopia for maintaining peace and order is based on protecting the sovereignty of the country at all cost. The world should know that Ethiopians never flinch from achieving this objective no matter how the situation appears indomitable. This heroic spirit cannot be subdued or conquered as it has been for centuries in the history of Ethiopia. There is no joke with motherland and a wife goes Ethiopian saying.
The latest atrocities committed by the terrorist junta in Wolo Kobo brutally killing tens of hundreds, to be specific over six hundred including children should have been a shocking news to the international community. Moreover, looting properties, destroying education and health facilities and displacing thousands has not been reported by many western media. Neither are they interested to give it coverage. Surprisingly, as of late a couple of media such as Agence France Presse, one of the world’s great wire news services, and France 24 have given favorable coverage of some incidents in north Ethiopia. Other than these ones, the rest have turned blind eye and deaf ear to the massacre of hundreds of innocent civilians by the terrorist TPLF in north Wollo. The partisans denying the fact on the ground accuse the Federal Government of Ethiopia for the fake famine which is in fact created by the rebels themselves in Tigray. The international community deliberately being led by the disinformation provided by the terrorist rebels via the partisan journalists vociferously call for serious measures to be taken against Ethiopia.
In collaboration with the partisans, many aid organizations have seriously been engaged in accusing the Federal Government of blocking the delivery of food aid to Tigray. They feed the international community with fake news whereas the reality on the ground is entirely different. Out of over four hundred trucks sent by the UN to deliver food to Tigray, only about 38 of them returned while the rest remain there under the pretext of fuel shortage according to Dr. Debretsion, the chairman of TPLF. To some extent of is at this point that the fake news is exposed and was disclosed by the office of United Nations Food Program in Ethiopia.
It is in the face of the stark truth, the supporters of Tigray People’s Liberation Front, the partisans, do all they can to dissuade peace-loving countries from understanding the reality and stand beside Ethiopia to fight off the injustice. All of them are blindly geared to waging a proxy war against Ethiopia to fulfill the centuries-long desire of their masters (the destruction of Ethiopia) who orchestrate the whole thing behind the screen. They do not have their own agenda and rather abandon their professional ethics and act subservient or give too much respect to their masters, the duty far below their professional stature.
These days, from the way the partisan journalists conduct themselves, the tinge pecuniary interest seem to surface with respect to their reporting style. They are often heard to shamelessly deny the truth and tenacious hold on to lies. The writer doubts that such approach to fake reporting was there from the origin. The professional pride of some journalists, seem to have evaporated into thin air. Honesty, to a major degree, it is gone with the wind, never to come back unless drastic measures are immediately taken by the lovers of the profession. Here it should be known that all are partisans. There are a few who disk their life to expose the truth. Heroes like the journalist Khashoggi of Turkey have recorded history with their blood. Let us beware of the partisans!!
BY JOSEPH SOBOKA
THE ETHIOPIAN HERALD NOVEMBER 11/2021
