State intervention and the erosion of press freedom: The case of Asham Television

Mekonnen Hailemariam  Zikargae; Yohannes Ayalew

Authors

Mekonnen Hailemariam Zikargae Bahir Dar University https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9374-082X
Yohannes Ayalew Haromaya University

Keywords:

warning letter, media freedom, government interference, Asham TV

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to state intervention and the erosion of press freedom: the case of Asham television. The study used a qualitative case study design that examined the case. Purposefully selected two distinct letters were employed. Besides, the study's theoretical approach was based on the four normative theories of press. The findings of the study highlight the problematic nature of the Ethiopian Media Authority's warning letter to Asham Television, which illustrates fundamental tensions between constitutional guarantees for press freedom and the basis for the warning. The study's findings also show that the government's intervention on media freedom during the Prosperity regime is eroding press freedom in Ethiopia. The results draw attention to the moral and legal conundrums raised by government meddling in media affairs. According to this study, government actions go against the democratic rights protected by the Constitution and the Proclamation, which eroded public trust in legal frameworks and jeopardized press freedom and the integrity of media professionals. Therefore, the study suggests that other researchers perform more research and incorporate other media companies in addition to Asham TV; still, we believe that including public comments will make the work more compelling and impactful.

References

Addis, A. (n.d.). Analysis of Ethiopian mass media development : – Ethiopian radio & TV news service (ERTNS).

Africanewschannel.org. https://am.africanewschannel.org/

African Media Barometer. (2010).The first homegrown analysis of the media landscape in Africa.

Atkinson, P., & Coffey, A. (1997). Analyzing documentary realities. In D. Silverman (Ed.), Qualitative research: Theory, method, and practice (pp. 45–62). SAGE Publications.

Bekele, D. (2019). Restrictions on press freedom in Ethiopia: An historical analysis of Ethiopian laws and compliance with international law (Doctoral dissertation, University of Oxford). University of Oxford Research Archive.

Bhandari, P. (2020). Qualitative research: Definition, types, methods, and examples. Scribbr. https://www.scribbr.com/methodology/qualitative-research/

Bowen, G. (2009). Document analysis as a qualitative research method. Qualitative Research Journal, 9(2), 27–40. https://doi.org/10.3316/QRJ0902027

Corbin, J., & Strauss, A. (2008). Basics of qualitative research: Techniques and procedures for developing grounded theory (3rd ed.). SAGE Publications.

Creswell, J. W. (2014). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches (4th ed.). SAGE Publications.

Doha Centre for Media Freedom. (2013). No home from home: the plight of East African exiled journalists Somalia, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Sudan and South Sudan. Doha Centre for Media Freedom.

Ellene, M., Mesfin, M., & Alemayehu G., (2003).Survey of culture and media Ethiopia. Sida. Ethiopian media proclamation 1238/202.

Freedom House. (2019). Freedom in the world 2019: democracy in retreat. Freedom House.

Getachew, M. (2003). “Ethiopia, Status of Media in” (P561-569) Encyclopedia of International Media and Communications, Vol 1. Elsevier Science. Friedrich-Ebert Stiftung (FES). https://library.fes.de/

Freedom House. (2024). Ethiopia. Freedom House. https://doi.org/10.7176/NMMC/100-01

Human Rights League of the Horn of Africa (2009). Report on Press Freedom Violations in Ethiopia to be submitted to the process of Universal Periodic Review of Ethiopia’s Human Rights Record.

Human Rights Watch. (2015). Journalism is not a crime. https://www.hrw.org/report/2015/01/21/

Juma, J. (2024). Understanding qualitative research: Methods and applications.

Lincoln, Y. & Denzin, N. (2005). The SAGE handbook of qualitative research (3rd ed.). SAGE Publications.

Merriam, S. & Tisdell, E. (2016). Qualitative research: A guide to design and implementation (4th ed.). Jossey-Bass.

Moges, A. M. (2017b). Why Silence? Reporting internal conflict in Ethiopian. Doctoral Thesis. Univerity of Oslo.

Moges, A. M. (2024). Freedom of the Press, and Journalism Practices in Times of Uncertainty in the Case of Ethiopia. Journalism Practice, 1–19. https://doi.org/10.1080/17512786.2024.2410932

NegaritGazzet. (1995). Constitution of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia. Berhanena Selam Printing Enterprise.

Nerone, J. (2018). Four Theories of the press. In Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Communication. Oxford University Press.

Nigussie, M. (2014). Media and Politics in Ethiopia: A Critical Analysis.

Nikolopoulou, K. (2023). Purposive sampling in qualitative research: Principles and applications. https://www.scribbr.com/methodology/purposive-sampling/

O’Leary, Z. (2004). The essential guide to doing research. SAGE Publications.

Ohchr.org. (2024).https://www.ohchr.org

Peterson, T. (2018). The social responsibility theory of the press. In Four Theories of the Press (pp. 73–104). University of Illinois Press.

Polit, D. & Beck C. (2023). Nursing research: Generating and assessing evidence for nursing practice (12th ed.). Wolters Kluwer

Rapley, T. (2007). Doing conversation, discourse and document analysis. SAGE Publications.

Reporters without Borders. (2025). https://capitalethiopia.com/

Schramm, W. (2018). The soviet communist theory of the press. In Four Theories of the Press (pp. 105–146). University of Illinois Press.

Siebert, F. S. (2018a). The authoritarian theory of the press. In Four Theories of the Press (pp. 9–38). University of Illinois Press.

Siebert, F. S. (2018b). The libertarian theory of the press. In Four Theories of the Press (pp. 39–72). University of Illinois Press.

Stremlau N. (2011). The press and political change in Ethiopia: From the Derg to the EPRDF. Africa Spectrum, 46(3), 45–66. https://doi.org/10.1177/000203971104600303

Tracy, J. & Ross, A., (2010). Test of Democracy: Ethiopia's Mass Media and Freedom of Information Proclamation, 114 Dick. L. Rev. 1047. https://ideas.dickinsonlaw.psu.edu/

Tufa, T., & Dejene, M. (2022). Reflections on media freedom in pre and post political reforms in Ethiopia: Practitioners’ perspective. New Media and Mass Communication, 100, 21–31.

United States Department of State.(n.d.)Human rights reports. https://www.state.gov/report/custom/568b09e650-5/

Vaismoradi, M., Turunen, H., & Bondas, T. (2013). Content analysis and thematic analysis: Implications for conducting a qualitative descriptive study. Nursing & Health Sciences, 15(3), 398–405. https://doi.org/10.1111/nhs.12048

Wordpress.com. (2024). https://syedmuhammadsaqib.wordpress.com/

Yibeyin, H., (2014). A Brief Look into Ethiopian Mass Media. http://www.tigraionline.com

Yin, R. (2018). Case study research and applications: Design and methods (6th ed.). SAGE Publications.