US Embassy in Addis Ababa
October 12, 2021, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia: The U.S. Embassy in Ethiopia has trained 650+ Ethiopian broadcast and print journalists and editors on a variety of topics, including fair and balanced reporting on the electoral process and the COVID-19 pandemic. As part of the U.S. government’s commitment to supporting democratic reforms including excellence in journalism, trainings focused on transparency and accountability.
A series of 25 week-long workshops designed to empower and educate journalists, the sessions were implemented by the Johns Hopkins Center for Communications Programs (CCP) with support from the U.S. Embassy in Ethiopia and in partnership with the National Electoral Board of Ethiopia and Addis Ababa University’s School of Journalism and Communications.
The workshops, facilitated by renowned Ethiopian journalists and professors, are part of a $450,000 (14,730,000 million birr) investment by the U.S. Embassy to improve civic journalism and coverage of elections and COVID-19.
From February 2020 to August 2021, journalists from 66 media houses in 10 regions and city administrations gathered in person to cover topics that included learning how to identify misinformation and adapt reporting techniques with COVID-19 precautions. Staff from five regional and zonal communication affairs offices also participated in the trainings.
“The U.S. Mission to Ethiopia has been actively supporting all aspects of the historic 2021 elections and Ethiopian media, from technical support to the National Electoral Board of Ethiopia and political parties, to sponsoring nationwide debates in the run-up to the election, to training journalists on how to report fairly and accurately on elections with the far reaching goal of supporting independent media and freedom of expression,” said Ambassador Geeta Pasi. “We are proud to have been partners throughout this process, and we look forward to continuing to work with civil society and media as the newly-elected government takes office in October 2021.”
“We were delighted to facilitate such a significant learning and reflection process during this pivotal time for the country and people of Ethiopia,” said Simon Heliso, Country Representative of CCP-Ethiopia. “Our facilitators unreservedly shared their expertise but also honored the lived experiences of Ethiopian journalists committed to fair, equitable, and unbiased election reporting,” Simon added.
In addition to the 25 workshops, two U.S. media specialists provided tailored virtual training on investigative journalism techniques to Ethiopian newsrooms from March to May 2021. A series of COVID-19 online webinars also took place in Fall 2020 as part of this program.
The trainings are one component of a nearly $35 million (1,625,400,000 Birr) U.S. assistance package helping to build the capacity of the National Electoral Board of Ethiopia, political parties, civil society, and independent media to contribute to a free, fair and peaceful electoral process, ensuring greater transparency and promoting meaningful participation among its citizens. The initiative focuses on inclusion of women, youth, and other traditionally marginalized groups. The United States also supported a limited international election observation effort.
For more information, please contact Dr. Simon Heliso Kuka, Country Representative, Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs at simonh@jhuccpeth.org or +251 912 506 981, or Ali Suleiman, Democracy and Economy Specialist at the U.S. Embassy, at suleimanaa@state.gov or +251 911 509510.
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What is the point, the US does not want us to conduct a real democratic election. They used to keep quite when the TPLF dictators where claiming 100% win, but now they realized we are doing real elections and they are saying no to this!
Ask those two despots in Moscow and Beijing to top that. Putin would prefer to train you how to dart the opposition with poison tipped needle. Xi would like to train you how to corral millions of you in ‘re-education’ concentration camps and even that will on credit. This is Good Ole USA at its best training young and aspiring journalists in how to be fair, independent and balanced in reporting news which that country in want of. We may not see the payoff right away but it will come as time goes by. This is just like a starter yeast.
ha! ha! It is a ploy to bring Ethiopian journalism under the global misinformation system along with Reuters, New York Times, CNN, etc.
Reporters / journalists has been a cover for political activists that undermine their countries and governments in developing countries.
Recent actions of the US Embassy in AA has been of utmost animosity – spitting venom, out of its way to undermine the country and the govt of Ethiopia. Training journalists is just one among the many US strategies to promote internal discord in coordination with its global misinformation network…
I don’t know about anyone else, but I am seriously getting tired reading about the hypocrisy, and deception being committed against Ethiopia by the Western governments and their allies.
Let’s focus on moving our great sovereign nation forwards for all Ethiopians.
These people know that their time is up, but are trying to hold on and control what is not theirs.
They should wipe their own a***s, instead of leaching off others like parasites!
Furthermore, their embassy should train CNN, Fox News, CBS, etc., on fair and balanced reporting!
The madness of these people!!!!!!
TRYING TO RECRUIT SPYES OR TRAINING REPORTERS??? SINCE WHEN IS IT THE MISSION OR RESPONSIBILITY OF AN AMERICAN EMBASSY TO TRAIN REPORTERS OF OTHER COUNTRY’S NATIONALS.
Awash Lemma:-
Perfectly said and excellent point made