For those of us who may have naively believed that the western media are always objective and respect all the principles of professional ethics of journalism, we must be very much disappointed by what we have been observing on their reporting of the Ethiopian conflict in the north. What we know about the western media is that they are full of highly trained professionals, armed with the most sophisticated technological appliances, and well financed missions full of correspondents who report stories in real time, whatever happens in any country, even under extremely dangerous circumstances such as conflicts, catastrophic natural and manmade situations etc.
We hear them continuously advertise and promote their excellence, their expertise, their independence, their objectivity and their readiness to report right away from any corner of the world. Some have the motto ‘we do not just report news, we live it!’ This means they do not miss the real picture of the situation and do not disregard certain vital details that determine the stories. They say, ‘follow the story’, ‘go there! etc. But they never tell us that they may have their own hidden political agenda or mission and their own ideology and philosophy that could determine the way they report the news, views and analysis, especially when it comes to countries and governments which may be involved in some sort of disagreements or controversies with their countries of origin. Some observers even go to the extent of asserting that these media outfits are in fact the executors or facilitators of their governments’ policies.
We have observed that whenever they perceive that the interests of their countries are at stake, they do not refrain from immediately taking sides albeit in a subtle way, regardless of certain ethical considerations or issues. They do not seem to worry a lot nor have scruples about what sort of consequences may ensue on the countries and peoples against whom they may have decided to report in a negative light. They do not seem to bother to highlight what serves their interests most and suppress what may create nuisances to their long term interests.
Besides we have also observed that these media outlets have long arms in every country where they engage their correspondents, more or less permanently. Given that they have already acquired huge popularity and reputation in many of these countries, for example in Ethiopia, their reporting may have serious repercussions. What is more, we have seen them sending their ‘experts’ to teach our journalists how to report news, views and analysis with short term and long term training. For instance, the BBC, Al Jazeera and France 24 have administered various kinds of training in Ethiopia to our members of the media at various times. For many of us they have been considered as the models of excellent journalism.
They have taught us how to be neutral, objective and independent and well mentored while preparing and reporting news and presenting reportages in a balanced way. They have told us how to conduct investigative journalism, how to expose and fight corruption, and how to challenge governments which do not execute their duties with integrity, accountability and transparency etc. alleging that the media is the watchdog of society. They constantly talk about freedom of thought and expression and are the first to denounce and condemn all those whom they accuse of violating these fundamental rights.
However, what we have observed during the past year or so in connection with the law enforcement campaign of Ethiopia (which later became the defense of the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the country, getting to be a survival issue), it has shown us clearly that they did not live by their words or their principles. Their reporting has been consistently one sided and biased which in the beginning created in all of us a certain surprise. But later on, as the conflict expanded and more and more reports of violence transpired, we found out that there was in fact a persistent ‘one sided policy’ of these media outlets carrying out their duty of promoters of the interests of their country of origin while undermining every move of the legitimate government of Ethiopia! It appeared that they said: To hell with any principle of journalism; to hell with neutrality and non partisanship; to hell with every principle of ethical journalism; to hell with balancing stories and being inclusive of all stakeholders in any contention!
We saw how systematically these media outlets served as mouthpiece of the forces that were working to undermine the legitimately elected government of Ethiopia. We saw them highlight the announcements, propaganda and invented narratives of the terrorist forces that Ethiopia was fighting against. And they never bothered to double check if the claims made by the TPLF and their allies were genuine and true!
Furthermore, we saw them give consistent coverage of the interviews the terrorist leaders gave and if they said anything about the Ethiopian government, their reporting was full of negative stories rather soliciting their governments to impose sanctions on Ethiopia to force the government to ‘sit down and negotiate’ with the forces which had already invaded us and incurred all sorts devastation and destruction. These media outlets showed us how it is accepted to go against every principle of journalism by siding emphatically with our invaders when it had something to do with their hidden agenda. We never heard anything about the well known atrocities these forces were committing and how things were actually progressing. They never bothered to report on a quantity of crimes against humanity and war crimes persistently committed against innocent Ethiopian citizens who had nothing to do with the hostilities!
In the end, they even dared give the victory to these forces and reported that it was a question of days before the Ethiopian government was to be unseated and that was when almost everyone in Ethiopia began to believe that these media were working in collaboration and coordination with their ‘masters’ that is the governments of their countries and the TPLF terrorists who had close contacts including allegedly financial dealings with some of the journalists and so called experts who filled the air and papers in several occasions. The real face and identity of these so called independent and highly professional media outfits were exposed to the entire world!
Today, when we observe the entire picture of the situation we find out how scandalous and shameless these media outlets such as CNN, the BBC, France 24, AFP, Reuters etc. were all acting in unison in support of TPLF which they counted on to unseat the Abiy government in Addis Ababa. We have come to find out that they have been campaigning for this eventuality which however did not materialize. They failed miserably and they had to face deep embarrassment. They had reported that the TPLF and their allies had surrounded Addis Ababa and that it was a matter of a few days before the city would fall to ‘the rebels’!
Hence, they continued to mount a persistent campaign using all their media agents for all foreigners to leave Ethiopia while they could; that their embassies or missions would not assume any responsibilities of any eventual dangers they might face! The pressure on Ethiopia was deliberate and studied and had in the past produced fruits. Some people recalled how the Derg military government was deposed also because of these media campaigns with the collaboration of the US State Department who ‘facilitated’ the departure of Colonel Mengistu who was president of the country in 1991!
Even then the TPLF was well assisted by a coordinated effort of these western media and western diplomats. The objective was later to be understood by those who initially believed otherwise. We now know unequivocally that TPLF was to serve as a tool to advance western interests even at the expense of Ethiopia! History was about to repeat itself in 2021 but the current Ethiopian government seemed to have taken the lesson from the way the Derg had failed, and just in time ‘woke up’ to stifle the aspirations and conspiracy of some western countries believed to be reliable allies, but were caught red handed in the wrong alignment!
The widespread campaign carried out by these media outfits in collaboration with some western embassies to leave Ethiopia to its own devices failed. Even the NGOs which were engaged in humanitarian activities were advised to leave Ethiopia because it may not be safe until there would be a change of regime! But it did not actually materialize!
Later on, as more and more voices opposing their biased reports came out with loud protests across the world, these media outfits began to defend themselves stating that what they did was just honest reporting! They never admitted their errors and they never asked for excuse. In fact, they were advancing the interests of their governments and asking for pardon would be as good as committing suicide.
It was in the end we who were naïve to trust them to count on them and continue to rely on their reports and analysis! They were our reference for years! We believed their words, but we now realize we were betrayed and stabbed in the back! While they continued to carry out their propaganda, they turned a blind eye to all the atrocities their ‘horses’ were carrying out against innocent Ethiopian citizens on the basis of identity. They turned a deaf ear to all the cries and sufferings of Ethiopians massacred by the brutal terrorist forces, the extensive devastation they carried out in all the places where the invading forces got into and remained for some time including health institutions and universities!
It is naïve to dismiss the assertion that the western media are the instruments by which their governments extend their control on other countries which resist to subscription and subservience to the west. That is the end result; that is the objective of many of the media of the west. We now know because we have ample evidence on this point. We now know what sorts of reporting was carried out in the wars in Libya, Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, Yemen etc by these media. All these countries were made to get ruined because they had issues with certain policies of the western powers who think they are entitled to control all these countries and people, keeping them under their direction and guidance.
In fact, we now have ample evidence to demonstrate that the western media have virtually always been used to advance the political objectives of these powers. But if we had doubts we now know what it is all about. We have come to believe reports about Ethiopia from journalists who are seated in Nairobi while we have a firsthand knowledge of what actually is going on! That was the extent of their honesty and that was the extent of their objective analysis and explanation to the entire world misleading them with their disinformation and repeated campaign of fake news. I think it is now fair for all those who actually are concerned about the lives and freedoms of the poor people of the world mostly in the third world to say No More! To say enough is enough and the days of colonialism are long gone!!! #NoMore Fake News!!!#NoMore interference in internal affairs of independent countries such as Ethiopia!!!
BY FITSUM GETACHEW
THE ETHIOPIAN HERALD DECEMBER 22/2021
