The Quest for Press Freedom

One Hundred Years of History of the Media in Ethiopia

Meseret Chekol Reta

• Publisher: University Press of America
• Year: 2013
• Edition: 1
• eBook ISBN:
  9780761860020
• Topic: History
• Subtopic: African History
• Index: History

The Quest for Press Freedom is a book about press development and freedom in Ethiopia, with a focus on the state media. It examines the building of a modern media institution over the last one hundred years of its existence, and the restrictions against its freedoms. The significance of this work lies in its originality and that it addresses these two issues across three distinct epochs: the monarchy era, the Marxist military regime, and the current ethnic federalist regime. The book examines the political and social situations in each of these periods, and analyzes the effects they had on the media. The book also provides examples of how journalists working for the government-run media have a strong desire to exercise their constitutional right to press freedom. In the final chapter, Reta offers recommendations for a more viable media system in Ethiopia.

Table of contents

• Contents
• Preface
• Acknowledgments
• Abbreviations
• General Introduction
• Part I: The Media in the Pre-Occupation and Occupation Periods (1901–1941)
• Chapter 1: The Transition from Traditional to Modern Forms of Mass Communication
• Chapter 2: The Media during the Reign of Emperor Menelik II
• Chapter 3: The Media during the Pre-Occupation Period (1913–1936)
• Chapter 4: The Media during the Occupation Period (1936–1941)
• Part II: The Post-Occupation Period: Institutionalization of the Media (1941–1974)
• Introduction
• Chapter 5: The Print Media
• Chapter 6: Hurdles against Professionalism
• Chapter 7: Broadcast Media
• Chapter 8: The Ethiopian News Agency
• Chapter 9: Legal and Administrative Controls over the Press
• Chapter 10: The Media in the Last Days of the Monarchy
• Part III: The Media in the Era of Revolution (1974–1991)
• Introduction
• Chapter 11: Print Media
• Chapter 12: Broadcast Media
• Chapter 13: Ethiopian News Agency
• Chapter 14: The Law, the Press, and Professional Association
• Part IV: The Media in the Age of Ethnic Federalism (1991– )
• Introduction
• Chapter 15: Print Media
• Chapter 16: Broadcast Media
• Chapter 17: News Agencies
• Chapter 18: Laws and Editorial Policies
• Chapter 19: Restructuring and Manpower Development
• Chapter 20: Professional Organizations
• Chapter 21: Concluding Remarks and Recommendations
• Appendix A: A Chronology of Events during the Pre-Occupation Period
• Appendix B: List of Newspapers and Magazines Published in Pre-Occupation Period
• Appendix C: A Chronology of Events during the Occupation Period
• Appendix D: List of Newspapers and Magazines Published in Post-Occupation Period
• Appendix E: A Chronology of Events during the Post-Occupation Period
• Appendix F: A Chronology of Events during the Military Regime
• Appendix G: A Chronology of Events during the EPRDF Regime
• Glossary
• Bibliography