Parliament has enacted a law that compels media institutions to ensure the legality of the content of any and all programs during and before commencing live transmission.
The amended media bill has been the subject of controversy since the Council of Ministers forwarded it to Parliament for ratification. Over the past few months, it was the subject of discussions between MPs, officials from the Ethiopian Media Authority (EMA), rights groups, and members of the media.
Despite concerns over the restrictions proposed in the legislation, which critics say will only further stifle the Ethiopian media landscape, MPs approved the bill this week with just one vote against.
The new Media Proclamation places the responsibility of ensuring the legality of the content of live transmissions on the media, a departure from the previous law. Journalists who fail to live up to the new standards will be held responsible and a new directive will be introduced to implement this, according to the bill.
Speaking anonymously for fear of reprisals, a journalist at a state media outlet told The Reporter about the difficulties involved in managing the legality of content during live transmission,
“It’s more chaos. These people don’t think about how many live transmissions media institutions broadcast daily. I worry about how manageable this is,” said the Journalist.
The amended bill also introduces sweeping changes to media governance and regulation.
To date, the EMA management board was composed of nine members selected by Parliament upon recommendation by the Prime Minister. Two were drawn from civil society organizations, two from the media, two from other relevant institutions, and three from relevant government organs.
The new bill dictates that board members are to be selected from the public and institutions relevant to the media, while granting the Prime Minister the right to assign the board director directly.
Critics argue the move will leave the media more vulnerable to political manipulation. Others deem it unconstitutional. The Chair of Parliament’s Democratic Affairs Committee begs to differ. He told MPs the constitution grants Parliament the power to appoint the heads of democratic institutions, which does not include EMA.
Among those who raised questions about the new law was Dina Mufti (Amb.), who expressed his concern about the absence of laws that help the media strengthen its capacity.
“We shouldn’t act as if we have built strong media and threaten them. Otherwise, we fail,” he said.
Genene Gedbu (PhD), another MP, called on his peers to work to build a favorable environment for the media.
