Senior government officials denounce the role of the private press as politically driven and partisan. However, the challenge is the low professionalism displayed in most private print media. The time before the 2005 elections was important in the short history of private newspapers (ibid.).
The Conceptual Framework and Research Methodology
Such action was imitated by the government's English daily The Ethiopian Herald, which placed 100% of the blame on the opposition (Hailemarkos, 2006, pp. 23-24). Seeing them as supporters of the opposition, the Ethiopian government responded to the actions of the private press in a variety of ways, from denying access to government-owned information to imprisoning journalists and owners (Skjerdal, & Hailelujah, 2009, p. 52). This study focuses primarily on the societal level as it examines what roles, if any, private print media in Ethiopia played in the transformation of post-socialist Ethiopia and the transition to democracy.
Accordingly, the viability of the socio-political context and the connection between the government and the press will be examined. To this end, the study limited itself to the societal level and considered private print media as a whole, as perceived by government officials, opposition party leaders, academics and researchers in the field of journalism, and private print media editors themselves. . McQuail specifically analyzed the "principle of liberty," the "principle of equality," and the principle of "social order," of which the first two are the main issues.
According to Glasser (1984), the principle of equality addresses issues such as whether the media has open and proportional access to every segment of the public. Because the study is an attempt to document the role of the private print media over the past twenty years, this theory is seen as useful.
Discussion
34; Diversity in media offerings is also clearly a direct benefit to audiences and may reflect a wide range of access to publication channels” (McQuail, 2006, p. 197). This normative theory of media performance evaluation is concerned with the study of the media's contribution over a period of time and regardless of a specific event (McQuail, 1991).
Views on the Private Print Media in Ethiopia and their Role since Inception
A representative of one of the opposition parties thinks that the private print media in Ethiopia is young and has limited experience. There were no training opportunities for journalists in the private print media and this limited their professional capacities. Considering all these limitations, the private print media are serving the society according to their potential.
It is a shared belief among the academics, the opposition politicians and the editors that the private print media has encouraged public discourse by challenging and questioning the government. One of the academics added his claim that some of the private print media were found. The private print media in Ethiopia undoubtedly contributed a lot, but there happened to be some poorly motivated papers.
When we argue about the roles played by the private print media, we need to consider the context in which they operate. Professionally, the record of journalism by the private print media is not what the system requires.
The Private Media and Relations with the Government
At the time, the private print media did not need a license to operate. The third phase could be called the 'friction phase'. Due to the criticism of the private print media, of office holders and of the policies of the government, right or wrong, friction arose between the government and the private print media, which formed their views of each of them in terms of. This is a great loss to the private media and society as a whole, including the government.
The informants representing the official line (government representatives) are of the opinion that the private print media need the government to keep its hands off any of their affairs. They condemn most private newspapers for being "biased towards opposition parties". This has made the relationship between the government and the private newspapers hostile. The private print media tend to work in "blind opposition" to the government that leveled the conditions for their existence.
Thus, at the risk of simplification, the private media can be classified into three groups in terms of their relationship with the government. Seen in general terms, the relationship between the private media and the government is found to be unhealthy.
Factors Shaping the Private Print Media-Government Nexus
The newspapers in this group have a "hostile" relationship that is reflected in extreme criticism of the government and the imprisonment of journalists who leave aside the argument of its legitimacy or otherwise. Contrary to the previous position, the opposition believes, the cause is a lack of genuine interest on the part of the government in the private press. The government usually sees the private newspapers as "enemies to be destroyed" claiming that they support opposition parties.
There are also “pro-government newspapers that presume to be independent.” The gist of the story is that “the government didn't have the guts to admit criticism and questioning”. The two private print media editors argue that the negative perception on both sides, or the friction between the government and private print media, is due to a lack of experience. This may be because “government officials do not open their doors to them”. The antipathy between the government and the private print media is a result of several factors, among others: "the partisan culture of Ethiopian politics" and "the lack of sincerity" of the private print media.
This is projected onto the relationship between the government and the private print media. The problem arose from the beginning, with the understanding of the "conceptual framework." Whether journalists are employed by the government or work for the private media, the journalism must be the same following its professional canons.
Challenges for the Private Print Media and Possible Remedy
From an academic perspective, there seems to be a lack of government information in the content of the private print media. If both government-employed journalists and journalists working for the private media work for the respect of their professional practices apart from their personal tastes, the "hostility" will probably come to an end. The private print media are not given the legal and political atmosphere they deserve to function well in practice, even though the constitution gave them this.
Another challenge is the lack of professional training to improve the work of private print media. One of the editors notes that the fight for an independent institution is still the task of private print media. They believe that "advertising revenue due to limited circulation" affects private newspapers because, in the Ethiopian context, "radio is more accessible than television, and television is more accessible than newspapers" (personal communication, September 5, 2008).
As for the solutions to the aforementioned challenges, all politicians and academics agree to advise private media to become institutionalized. Government offices and public figures should open their doors to journalists from private print media, and private print media must also strive to fairly report all viewpoints.
The Private Print Media and the Legal Framework
Exploiting weaknesses and faultfinding helps no one, the government, the press itself, or society as a whole. However, legitimate criticism should be encouraged so that the press helps with the transition to democracy. However, this does not mean that there is no problem in practice, argues one of the editors, since there is the press law, which sometimes conflicts with the ideals of the constitution.
34; There is confusion between the revised penal code and the press law There is a disparity between the laws and the practice,” added another editor and an opposition politician (personal communication, September 5, 2008). In search of explanations for the disparities in In the legal context, academics and editors are of a similar opinion when they say that the problem is the lack of proper experience by the private written media and the government. The editors believe that the understanding of the judiciary should go the distance . takes to protect journalists is also one of the factors.
Moreover, notes one academic, the laws already operational at the beginning of the "new era" are not sufficient and must be progressive. The private press must also do proper journalism with respect for professional ethics and the law (personal communication, September 5, 2008).
The Private Print Media and Journalistic Responsibility
Merera Gudina, Member of Parliament and opposition politician, when he observes that the private media "work under pressure." He went on to argue, "The watchful eyes of the government are on them to make them accountable." There is agreement among politicians, academics and editors that there are problems with bias and biased treatment among some of the private print media. It is a common point of view between academics and editors that journalism in the private print media has some limitations.
Some standards of journalism, objectivity for example, are difficult to achieve in their real sense. It is a shared view among all informants that the role of the private print media in a democratic process is crucial and should be encouraged. The experiences of other countries and conventional wisdom teach us that the media is the fourth branch of government; one of the institutions that denounces wrong practices such as corruption and favoritism.
The point of departure for editors, opposition and academics, however, is that private print media in Ethiopia have played a role in this regard with various limitations. One academic further believed that brainstorming and working together for a more developed journalism is one of the prerequisites for moving to a democratic platform.
Conclusion
Journalists in the private press must also understand that "a newspaper is history in the making." Therefore, it must be handled with accuracy, avoiding biased and emotionally charged reporting. The government should also welcome constructive critics rather than portray newspapers in a negative light. The latter view is promoted by one editor, Neby Mekonen, when he asserts, "the government should give them [the private print media] a crutch when they experience rupture, rather than seeing them paralyzed" (personal communication, September 5, 2008 ). .
The academics, editors and opposition have categorically stated that it is critically important to see that journalism is a The issue of access to information and the media's autonomous practice, argues Colby (2005), decisive for the media as they want to show honesty. By paving the way for the private media to have equal access to government-owned information, the media can refrain from quoting so-called 'well-informed sources', which is common practice in Ethiopian private print media journalism .
Retrieved January 2, 2008, from http://www.article19.org/pdfs/publications/ethiopia-legal-framework-for-foe.pdf Birhanu, O. Professional orientation of journalists: Survey of their self-perception. Retrieved January 5, 2008, from http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/trust/pdf/AMDI/ethiopia/amdi-ethiopia-full-.
