Media under the siege of ethnocentric narratives: News framing in the post-2018 Ethiopia’s political transition

The study aimed to investigate emerging trends in the Ethiopian media system right after the new political reform of 2018 by focusing on six purposively selected regional states and commercially labelled private media outlets: Amhara Media Corporation (AMC), Tigray Mass Media Agency (TMMA), Oromia Broadcasting Network (OBN), Amhara Satellite Radio and Television (ASRAT), Oromia Media Network (OMN) and Dimtsi Weyane Tigray (DWTV). The study sought to assess how journalism has been practised in these selected Ethiopian media in reporting on some major sociopolitical issues in the country. A total of 89 news stories were collected from the selected television outlets and subjected to qualitative framing analysis guided by social identity and framing theories. Subsequently, in-depth interviews with experts were conducted to provide further meaning and context to the findings. The results indicated that the ethnocentric frame was the most prevalent one, serving as a point of reference for setting agendas, selecting stories, identifying sources and determining angles. Exclusive victimization, self-glorification, in-group favouritism and debunking claims were ingrained in their reports aimed at protecting their ethnic groups’ interests.