ABSTRACT
Ethiopia is perhaps predominantly known to the world by the striking reports of prominent BBC journalists such as Jonathan Dimbelby and Mohammed Amin. These journalists and others visited the country during its times of crises. Pictures of emaciated cattle and children dying of famine due to persistent drought and conflicts caused uproar all over the world and provoked a number of nongovernmental organisations such as Band Aid, Save-the-Children, Oxfam, and World Food Programme to start providing relief and rehabilitation. A number of journalists and nongovernmental organisations have saved many lives during the times of recurrent drought and famine since the 1970s. Unfortunately, the negative image of Ethiopia drawn by the international media seems to persist, although many Ethiopians are now in a better position to cope with similar catastrophes, and the local picture is not as gloomy as originally portrayed. Recent unofficial reports by the Disaster Preparedness and Prevention Commission indicate that the number of people dependent on food aid has dramatically decreased. Nonetheless, the older framing of the country by the international media seems to persist as evidenced in their reports on the May 2005 elections in Ethiopia, and Ethiopia’s recent dealings with Eritrea and Somalia. Some sceptics may resist credulity and may want to know whether the picture of poverty is all there is to be known about Ethiopia. Others may take the label ‘poverty’ as a baseline when they select news and commentaries about Ethiopia. International media seem not to take heed of this diversity of perspectives on the country.
