An Examination Of Freedom Of The Mass Media And Information Proclamation (5902008) Vis-vis Its Practices

The purpose of the study was to examine the current mass media and information proclamationrn(590/2008) in light of the present media practice. The study assessed the current status ofrnfreedom of expression and the press based on the views of the practitioners working in bothrngovernment and privately owned media. In order to assess the implementation of the media law,rnthe study examined whether a gap between the law and the practice exists.rnData were collected using semi-structured questions with different journalists, editors, managersrnand government officials. The research used deliberative sampling technique to choose keyrninformants. The researcher purposively selected journalists, editors and managers from bothrngovernment and private media in order to get diverse and relevant data important to the study. Asrnto the conceptual framework, the Hallin and Mancini’s media systems model and other relevantrnliteratures were reviewed. In addition, the Ethiopian constitution and international standards onrnfreedom of expression and the press were reviewed.rnThe finding of the research revealed that a gap exists between the law and its implementation.rnThere is lack of political commitment on the part of the government in paying attention to thernimplementation of the press law. Despite the fact that the press law permits the media to expressrnopinions or criticisms on various issues, the government is very critical of those views and lessrntolerant to criticisms by the media. The absence of strong, credible and all inclusive press councilrnor union of journalists has significantly affected press freedom in the country. Regardless of veryrnlittle improvement, accessing information from public bodies has been the great challenge for thernmedia, and this in turn affects level of press freedom.rnBased on the findings, one can argue that the future of freedom of expression is dependent up onrnthe contribution of educational institutions, public, media and other relevant stakeholders. Thernpaper contended that the government could show commitment to the implementation of the pressrnlaw. In addition, the government and private media should narrow the polarity between them tornbetter serve the public and contribute their parts to the growth of the nation.

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