“Media Freedom Requires Responsibility; Significant Work Still Remains” – PM Abiy Ahmed (PhD)

May 1, 2018

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed reminded public and private media professionals that Ethiopia’s post-reform media landscape remains imperfect. While acknowledging radical reforms achieved notable progress, he emphasized that the sector has not fully recovered and requires extensive work.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed stressed that despite significant achievements, the current environment is far from flawless, requiring continued efforts to overcome existing challenges and ensure professional maturity.

Following the transformational, the government took decisive steps by amending restrictive anti-terrorism laws, releasing imprisoned journalists, and inviting exiled media outlets to operate freely within the country.

However, the Prime Minister noted that gaps in utilizing this newfound freedom effectively and binding to professional ethics have become increasingly concerning.

The Prime Minister illustrated these challenges using the metaphor of a “tethered calf.”  A calf that has been tied up for a long time exhibits two behaviors upon release, first, it may struggle to move or feel rigid due to prolonged captivity; second, it may lose control, jumping accidentally and causing damage because it cannot manage its sudden liberty.

The Prime Minister observed these patterns among media professionals, noting that some have struggled to manage their freedom within the bounds of ethical conduct. To ensure the media contributes meaningfully to nation-building and advised professionals to balance freedom with national responsibility.

Prime Minister Abiy concluded by reaffirming the government’s commitment to supporting media institutions in building capacity and overcoming resource constraints.