This report looks into the issue of media and ethnicity in contemporary Ethiopia. As any- one can witness, there have been immense changes in the local media situation sin- ce Dr. Abiy Ahmed assumed leadership in April 2018. In just two years, the country has improved its ranking on Reporter Without Borders’ Press Freedom Index by 51 places, which is the greatest leap of any country anytime – by far. There is a lot to celebrate. At the same time, the press situation in the country is deeply disconcerting. The reason for this is that the media landscape is as po- larized as never before, and that parts of the media are being blamed for playing a pivotal role in the turbulence which have erupted in various parts of the country since 2019. The suspicion of many people is that the media are being exploited to propagate an ethnic agenda.

Towards this backdrop, the intention of the study is to examine the role of the media in ethnic tensions in contemporary Ethio- pia. The methodology is twofold, combining in-depth interviews with framing analysis. For the interview part, we have met appro- ximately 25 persons with key positions in all major parts of the media in the country. For the framing analysis, we have scrutinized the media coverage of eight crucial incidents of 2019 in ten different media outlets.

We argue that the tendencies we’re ob- serving in the media can be described as an intensified ethnification process. By this we mean that ethnic belonging and identity politics are gaining significance as central frames of reference in the current Ethiopi-an media discourse. Ethnicity is being em- ployed as a key to interpret media messages, and it outlines a frame for classifying media channels and personalities. We identify two major frames, annihilation and othering, which are indicative of the tendency of jour- nalists to align with their ethnic background. We also find that many media practitioners are deeply concerned about the develop- ments. Research data point towards a more pluralistic media society in Ethiopia (albeit segmented pluralism), but also significantly more polarization. The polarization is fuel- led by ethno-nationalistic media of different origin and ownership, vis-à-vis pan-Ethio- pianist channels.

The previous stronghold of the federal state media (EPRDF-supportive) has been overtaken by a fragmented state media structure with growing significance of regional mass media agencies. Journalists are beginning to form alliances along regi- onal and ethnic fault lines, as illustrated by the launch of Amhara Journalists Associati- on, Oromia Journalists Association, Tigray Journalists Association, and so forth. Jour- nalists are highly inclined to use sources which support their own ideological inte- rest, and avoid quoting sources from other ethnicities which could balance the story.

When it comes to professional ideals, vario- us channels practice a hybrid reporting style which blends acknowledged standards with an interventionist or activist agenda. We ar- gue that ethnic and political agendas are at risk of being at odds with media professio-nalism.