ABSTRACT

Non-state media journalists in Ethiopia traditionally faced safety threats emanating from state-sponsored attacks and punitive legal frameworks. Recently, however, state hostility is being replaced by non-state actors’ aggression against journalists. By framing emerging threats of reporters’ safety in Ethiopia within normative vis-à-vis alternative debates of journalism practice in the context of transitional, unstable, pluralistic-partizan societies, this study examines the prevalence of non-state actors in remapping threats of journalistic impunity in Ethiopia. Key findings from interviews conducted with editors, reporters, and other practitioners indicate, while the government cannot be ruled out as a safety threat for journalists, there is an emerging consensus that identifies non-state actors such as vigilante groups, influential social media political personalities, and weaponized media as the most perceptible safety risks to journalism practice. Although threat levels vary depending on journalists’ regional affiliation or perceived ethnic identity/political worldview, domestic journalists face increased native othering that amounts to mobility restrictions and physical aggression compared to foreign correspondents.

摘要

埃塞俄比亚的非国家媒体记者历来面临来自国家支持的袭击和惩罚性法律框架的安全威胁。然而，最近，国家敌意正在被非国家行为者对记者的侵略所取代。通过在过渡、不稳定、多元化的党派社会背景下，在规范性与新闻实践的替代辩论中，将埃塞俄比亚记者安全的新威胁框定起来，本研究考察了非国家行为者在重新映射新闻威胁方面的普遍性埃塞俄比亚有罪不罚。对编辑、记者和其他从业人员进行采访的主要结果表明，虽然不能排除政府对记者的安全威胁，但正在形成一种共识，即识别非国家行为者，如治安团体，有影响力的社交媒体政治人物，并将媒体武器化为新闻实践中最明显的安全风险。尽管威胁程度因记者的地区归属或感知的种族身份/政治世界观而异，但与外国记者相比，国内记者面临更多的本土其他人，这相当于行动限制和身体攻击。