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“The international media largely shape the narrative by employing disinformation and misleading content, and dehumanization. If you ask for example, how the international media report African affairs, you simply find the continent is broadly depicted negatively.”
*Seife Derebe, the CEO of the Ethiopian News Agency
PEGASUS REPORTERS, LAGOS | DECEMBER 6, 2023
Ethiopia under the leadership of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has been working hard to create a transcontinental media that promote Pan-Africanism, said the Chief Executive Officer of Ethiopian News Agency (ENA).
The World News Agency Forum is underway in China under the theme “Boosting Global Confidence, Promoting Media Development.”
In his remarks at the forum today, Seife Derebe, the CEO of Ethiopian News Agency said that Ethiopia has been taking practical measures for the creation of an African-oriented media that would fit with the modern era citing the huge investment being underway in the media and communication infrastructures.
He mentioned that this year with the direction of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, the two national media outlets the Ethiopian Broadcasting Corporation (EBC) and Ethiopian News Agency (ENA) have got modern media complexes that would enable them to change their contents an African perspective.
Giving perspective on the current media ecosystem, Seife said “Our globe is in a rapid state of technological change through digital transformation and the sweeping tides of globalization which are shaping the very fabric of the people’s existence.”
*Some participants at the World News Media Forum in India
In this case, the media environment is profoundly changing as a result of technological advancement with the rise of digital media, he underlined.
“…the digital transformation is also bringing about a great impact on accelerating the economy and changing the way businesses can operate. At the same time, digital transformation is also creating new opportunities for social and political changes even if it varies from country to country.”
However, the CEO argued that the negative trends of social media have been widely observed in many parts of the world mainly in Africa to fuel internal conflicts and have become a battleground to create polarization among society.
“As we speak now, my country Ethiopia has been experiencing these challenges with the very negative impacts of media warfare,” he underlined.
In this case, Seife called on the forum to suggest solutions on how the media mainly, mainstream media houses could overcome challenges posed by evolving challenges emanating from new technologies in the AI generation for the betterment of humankind.
Moreover, the CEO stressed the need to create an alternative media narrative in this world like with likewise the BRICS, an emerging bloc largely led by China and other major economies.
Beyond that we are in a critical juncture to create a grand shared narrative that would promote common prosperity that is imperative to thwart the current ill-intended media narrative, Seife added.
“The international media largely shape the narrative by employing disinformation misleading content, and dehumanization. If you ask for example, how the international media report African affairs, you simply find the continent is broadly depicted negatively.”
Therefore, Seife called upon those concerned bodies particularly those emerging technological powers like China to play an important role in creating a shared media narrative.
In our modern history, Ethiopia is implementing the Green Legacy Initiative, a crucial and pragmatic response to mitigate the global climate catastrophe, the CEO of ENA said adding this initiative is a flagship program launched by His Excellency Ethiopian Prime Minister, Abiy Ahmed, in June 2019 with a target of planting 20 billion seedlings within four years. In this framework, the country planted over 32.5 billion tree seedlings and has broken its record by seedlings and exceeded the planned target, he stated.
*World Media Summit.
Unfortunately, “The so-called international media narratives overshadow this type of African success,” Seife noted.
For him, most digital media have the effect of bolstering conflict-based stories of aggravating negativity and have an adversary role.
Mentioning the roles of the Ethiopian News Agency in the country’s media landscape, the CEO pointed out that the agency is undergoing far-reaching reform.
“As ENA, we are cognizant of the media convergence and practicing to modernizing, automating, and digitalization of our services to ensure quality content delivery, commissioned a modern media complex which encompasses 3 TV studios, 4 radio studios equipped with ultramodern editing and recording instruments and facilities.”
As far as Ethiopia is concerned, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has given serious attention to having a Pan African and transcontinental media in Ethiopia and ENA will play a leading role in working for African interests in this regard, he said.
© Provided by Ethiopian News Agency (ENA)
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