While many caring and responsible journalists talk, write and advertise a language of peace, stability, prosperity, global cooperation and development via- their newspapers, web-sites and any available media, few others press on confusion, provocation and destruction. They work very hard on fabricating biased news and confusing the public at large with propagandas and unfounded innuendoes. Generally, they become a champion of deception, a source of bias and un-ethical propaganda. They even go as low as campaigning to stop international assistance necessary to the development endeavor of the public at large. One of their main instruments in advancing their sinister activities is the news paper.  Recent articles  written by the “Economist” on 24 March,2006 entitled “Ethiopia:injustice will be done” and “Business Day”, Tuesday, 28 March 2006 written by International affairs Editor, Jonathan Katzenllenbogen entitled “Perilous road for Ethiopian journalists” and posted to the web business day on 27th march 2006 regarding the Ethiopian Government’s economic performance and its handling of accused journalists is totally biased in an unimaginable scale. The comments do not at all reflect the objective reality of the country in question. The authors may understand that Ethiopians have passed through unimaginable scale of conflicts, wars and other man-made and environmental cataclysms during the former brutal military dictatorship. They may also know that Ethiopians have had enough of difficulties and hardships during the former military regime. Ethiopians are experiencing peace, stability and democratic process for the first time since this government came to power. Further, they want to improve their lives by getting rid of poverty and underdevelopment and most importantly, they want peace because without peace, there is no development. The Ethiopian government has made poverty eradication, democratization, good governance and sustainable development as its number one priority because the government understands that these fundamental issues are matters of survival and not matters of choice for the people of Ethiopia. Therefore, the government is determined to bring economic development and prosperity to its people. On the other hand however, few un-informed and irresponsible journalists are quick to point their fingers on developing nations like Ethiopia. They are quick on the one hand to poison innocent Ethiopians from within and abroad with their fabricated innuendos and unfounded propaganda in order to create confusion, division and violence amongst people of the same nation and on the other hand to advance the agenda of the opposition party. Instead of adhering to the fundamental principles of journalism which is to spread unbiased and balanced news, these irresponsible so-called journalists often concentrate upon a one sided propaganda. Therefore, it is time that these so-called journalists first learn the basic rules of journalism. They must learn to verify their news before they rash to judgment and before posting biased comments. Further, they must learn to balance their news and not simply act as agents of some remnants of the defeated Dergue or its associates mainly concentrated in the Diaspora. They must stop becoming an architect and advocate of hate and violence and start becoming a source of unity, and an advocate of peace, stability and prosperity. They must contribute their share in advancing proper, balanced and knowledge based information. It is not too late to focus on something constructive that can do well to the public at large. To start with, they must stop confusing the public at large with unrealistic and biased journalism that are not consistent with the international standards of impartiality, neutrality and fairness. Instead, they can embark on information that may help the public at large. This can also enhance their own reputation and attract more customers. More often than not, the information has relied on a single source – the opposition, and with no attempt to independently confirm the stories of the opposition or to entertain the version and views of the other side.  Hence, the articles have been clearly biased and simply in the opposition’s favor. Accuracy is essential for any article to be credible, reliable and beneficial but the comments lacked accuracy, clarity, and consistency. Further, the comments seem to have ignored the principles of accuracy, objectivity, fairness, balance and impartiality expected from professional journalists. Therefore, the comments are a blend of uninformed opinion, speculations and biased account. They are full of generalizations and present no substantive or concrete evidences to corroborate the veracity of its written account or to support its provocative assertions and accusations against the Ethiopian government.  

In the past decade, it has become a common phenomenon in the developing world to raise concerns on whether multi-party elections can possibly be held in a free and fair atmosphere or whether any ruling party can genuinely foment an enabling environment for peaceful, orderly and transparent elections. Such had been common pre-election concerns of the opposition parties who are ceaselessly obsessed in finding faults with the government of the day and in aggressively portraying the ruling party as undemocratic and power-hungry. This assertion has often been reinforced by biased and unprofessional journalists alike. Concerns of this nature are often overblown by the opposition parties who are fully conscious of the fact that their chance of beating the ruling party is almost unfeasible. More often than not, the expressed pre-election concerns and criticism of the opposition parties are projected to serve as a convenient justification and credible line of reasoning for post-election allegations of irregularities or ensuing claims of vote-rigging. 

In the context of Ethiopia, the recently concluded third national election has been declared free and fair by independent international observation missions, such as the renowned Carter Center. Despite its flagrant breach of the agreed code of conduct set for the election observers and its obvious prejudiced views, the EU/EOM has also fully concurred with that assessment of the Carter Center soon after the May 15 elections. In appreciation of the enabling conducive environment created for the highly contested recent multiparty elections, the EU/EOM stated that “The decision by the Government of Ethiopia and EPRDF to launch this electoral process with international observation and unprecedented openness was a courageous and bold move”. 

Over the past one hundred years, Ethiopia has traded through stormy and turbulent conditions that can only be described in apocalyptic terms – droughts and famines, wars and conflicts, massive population displacements, appalling human rights violations and state orchestrated terror. Nascent efforts have only been made in the past decade to untangle this country from the shackles of backwardness and adversity and to put it on the right track to development. So, the least this country needs at this critical juncture is a relapse to its unpleasant past. Any unrestrained political wrangling has the potential to trigger widespread social turmoil, nation-wide insecurity and political uncertainties that could unravel the very fabric of the society. And that is exactly what worries many patriotic and concerned Ethiopians at present. At this critical time, political parties on both sides of the political divide are required to exercise considerable restraint, tolerance and willingness to compromise. The parties are legally and morally bound to refrain from any action or activity that may adversely influence the situation on the ground. They should cease activities that could further antagonize public sentiments or fuel the flames of discord. We believe that increased global integration creates a conducive and enabling environment for the international community to create a positive setting for poverty eradication and livelihood improvement for millions of less fortunate people in Africa in general and Ethiopia in particular. Further, this will help narrow economic disparities and increase global integration between the rich and the poor countries. Unbiased and professional journalists have an important role to play in that regard.  

In order to tackle these colossal development challenges facing the people of this country, the Ethiopian government has done a commendable job with regard to democratization, good governance and sustainable development in this country. The government has particularly been very active in espousing explicit pro-poor and pro-rural development policies during the past several years and it has been very successful. The most important manifestation of a pro-poor policy is the allocation of public expenditure to those populations in areas of poor predominance. Moreover, the government is engaged in the process of institutional reform that is leading to a reduction in the role of government, corresponding growth in the activities of civil societies and the private sector. This process includes decentralized administration improving public service efficiency and fighting corruption through the implementation of anti-corruption policy throughout the country. Much progress has been made in the economic sector. For current information regarding the economic performance of the country, please check www.waltainfo.com. Here are few of the articles on walta:

1. On Economic achievement:  Report by Deputy PM and Minister of Agriculture and Rural development Mr. Addisu Legesse (March17, 2006).

2. Briefing by Minster of Trade and Industry Mr. Girma Biru (March 19, 2006).

3. Achievements in Infrastructure sector: Report by minister of Urban Development Dr. Kassu Illala (March 19, 2006).

4. Report presented by the PM Melese Zenawi to the House of Peoples’ Representativeof the federal democratic republic of Ethiopia (March 28, 2006).

5. Hard facts on Ethiopian Development: The Health Sector, (March 30, 2006).

Despite the age-old human as well as environmental cataclysms that prevailed in this country, the process of democratization, pluralism, good governance and decentralization of authority is taking roots in Ethiopia. In the recently held national elections, the government of Ethiopia has created an unprecedented and conducive environment for free and fair elections, further enhancing the process of democratization in the country. Therefore, to strengthen and optimize the ongoing economic and political reforms in Ethiopia and ensure continuity of the prevailing enabling environment for development and growth and achieving the desired results of the major development ventures currently under implementation, it is critical that the media continue supporting the estimable initiatives of the Government of Ethiopia. The unbiased and knowledge based information and responsible journalism is thus very important in informing the public at large the socio-economic and political reality within the country. 

The government has made democratization and good governance not a choice but a fundamental citizen’s values and norms. It has established the human rights commission and the Ombudsman that function independently just like the justice system. There is the constitution of the land that guarantees the rights of equal rights to all citizens and gives the right up to and including the right to secede to all nations and nationalities within the country. On the other hand however, those who want to grasp power by any means including through violence are very busy in lobbying and in knocking at every governmental and non –governmental doors in order to mislead the international community on the current Ethiopian democratic process. They say among other things that democracy is going backwards in Ethiopia, the government is turning more and more to dictatorship and that there are no human rights that opposition parties are under arrest simply for political reasons etc. The reality however is that Ethiopia has continued to embark on what it firmly believes in i.e. on democratization, good governance, on poverty alleviation and on sustainable development because these are again a matter of survival and not a matter of choice to the public at large. Therefore, there is no turning back on those hard fought values and norms. No one should have any doubt on that and most importantly, no one must be misled by few opposition propagandists form within and the Diaspora. Therefore, it is important that governmental and non-governmental organizations alike and the media build confidence on the democratic process flourishing in Ethiopia and continue their cooperation and collaboration in order to further reinforce peace, stability and good governance in the country. 

A prominent concern in the development community is the rule of law and the related concepts from other legal systems. Economic growth, political modernization, the protection of human rights, and other worthy objectives are all believed to hinge, at least in part, on the rule of law. Policymakers in developing and transition nations are thus seeking ways to establish or strengthen the rule of law in their countries. Investment rating services, non-governmental organizations, and other students of development are producing indices that try to measure the degree to which a nation enjoys the rule of law. Not without many problems was America born. Not without mistakes. Not without errors of the most horrible kind because people do not know the Rules of Court or the principles of due process, and our previous governments have not seen the need to teach us in our public schools while we were still children. That's why jurisdiction was created to teach the world America's Rules of Court so people everywhere can be truly free enforcing the Rule of Law by using the Rules of Court to secure due process for one and all. By understanding the rules by which we are governed, we can avoid the horrible problems that plagued us during the recent election. By applying the principles of due process we can stop the seething discontent that continues to afflict us with so many social problems today. America was born with seeds of success in her dedication to the Rule of Law and principles of due process. In 1776 there appeared on the face of this war-worn planet a new hope. ‘’Hope for peace. Hope for justice. Hope for a day when right will always conquer might. Hope for a day when truth will always overcome deceit.  Hope for a day when love will truly be the highest law of our land. The Rule of Law lives in the hearts of free people everywhere’’. 

The Rule of Law decrees that Law shall govern us according to the will of the People. The Rule of Law is what our heroes died for in past wars against all sorts of oppression. The Rule of Law is worthy of our highest aspirations and dedicated efforts as a united people. Yet, without more widespread understanding of the Rules of Court by which alone we can enforce the Rule of Law, these high-sounding ideals are meaningless. The Rule of Law is threatened today by seemingly innocent schemes of ambitious individuals who seek to undermine the principles of due process for the sake of grasping power that will decree what law is and enforce its edicts with unbridled force. By learning the Rules of Court and using that knowledge to enforce the Rule of Law, one can make the world a safe place to live and a safe place for future generations. This principle that laws should govern instead of men, laws of our own making and not the cruel edicts of tyrant dictators or divine right decrees of kings is the bedrock of human justice, the philosophical cornerstone of hope for all mankind. 

The government of Ethiopia has been working on its legal construction for the past fourteen years in order to enact the rule of law. Also, the Ethiopian people have realized that the legal system is perhaps the most important institution for a modern nation. In the early 1990s, there was a nationwide debate among Ethiopia’s academics on whether to adopt the rule of man or the rule of law after the seventeen-year nightmare of military rule. Most intellectuals, particularly those in the resurgent legal community, advocated the rule of law as the one and only choice for Ethiopia, echoing the call of the current government policies. 

It is only during this current government that different parties some with policies and programs and others without began to challenge the ruling party for the Federal as well as Regional government sits. It is therefore obvious that the culture of different opposition parties in Ethiopia adhering to processes and procedures of the electoral law and the respect of the rule of the political game in a fair, free and democratic manner is still in its stage of infancy. As a result, they are likely to make mistakes and that is what the opposition did time and time again during the recent Ethiopian election.  Whereas tens of thousands showed up to vote for the candidates of their choice in a manner that is peaceful and civilized, few others behaved in a manner not civilized and not Ethiopian especially after the election day. Such type of behavior was simply unethical and did not follow the values and norms of a fair, free and democratic political competition. Few candidates from the opposition camp and some irresponsible journalists from within and abroad have astonished the public at large when they deliberately pointed their fingers to and targeted against a specific ethnic group provoking hatred and racism. It was sad to see some able bodied men and that included members of parliament from the opposition to use vulgar words of insult in public and get away with it. The unfounded lies and innuendos of some so called free press was something the public detested because it was simply contrary to the traditional Ethiopian gentility. There were few others from the opposition party echoing disastrous red or rose or orange revolution in order to create anarchy and violence in this country. They were also talking the language of the former military government: the Derg, the language of war and they are still active in that regard. The Ethiopian people do not need all those destructive confusions or provocations. The Ethiopian people are fed up with conflicts and wars and languages of violence. Ethiopians are busy focusing on poverty reduction and developmental endeavor and they have an uphill battle to conquer them. They are keeping their eyes on the price and the price is peace for without peace, nothing can be achieved. 

Political understanding teaches that political parties in countries with multiparty system and experience know way in advance that they have to thoroughly prepare themselves for the challenge from their political opponents, take time to do their homework in that regard and choose the best candidates in order to represent their parties quite well. Their candidates must acquire among others best quality not only on ethical or moral issues but also must have an exemplary professional leadership qualities. They must have the capacity to serve the public at large with dignity, honor and humility. They must understand the laws of the land and be able to respect and be governed by the constitution of the land. Further, they must be of a quality to represent their respective parties in a political debate and win votes for their respective parties. Further, a civilized society does not rush to violence and destruction. It opts for construction and development endeavors instead. The role of the media should follow the same way.