In Ethiopia, where democracy is in its infancy and where press freedom is clearlyrnstipulated but not freely implemented, journalists practice self-censorship. This, in fact,rnis a fairly typical experience for many journalists in many parts of the world.rnThis particular research focuses on how Ethiopian journalists in state-ownedrnprint media censor themselves and why they do so. The study also discusses how suchrnself-censorship impacts news articles and various stories and how this affects freedom ofrnspeech and of the press. This study employed questionnaires and individual in-depthrninterviews, using the snowball sampling method. Data were also thematically analyzedrnbased on related literature reviews and interview responses.rnJournalists, both editors and reporters working in Ethiopian government mediarnoutlets, practice self-censorship, directly or indirectly, intentionally or unintentionally.rnThey define self-censorship differently, depending on their experiences and perceptions.rnPracticing self-censorship, they said, can be useful or harmful and even both, dependingrnon issues reported, the situation, and the potential impact on the public.rnThis study also indicates that journalists censor themselves mainly for politicalrnreasons but also for religious, cultural, economic and ethnic reasons, and out of fear ofrnbosses, editors and government officials. They also practice self-censorship to be safernand to preserve jobs.