Roles and Responsibilities of Media in a Democracy: Professional Training Program for Ethiopian Journalists

Ethiopian journalists who want to sharpen their skills in investigative journalism, newsgathering, media entrepreneurship, mobile journalism, and more have the opportunity to learn from leading experts through a new program from the International Center for Journalists (ICFJ) and supported by the U.S. Department of State and U.S. Embassy in Addis Ababa.

The Roles and Responsibilities of Media in a Democracy Program offers Ethiopian journalists working in state or private media needs-based and focused trainings to help improve the quality of information available to the Ethiopian public. Participants will be encouraged to explore interactive, creative approaches to gain hands-on practice in writing and producing non-biased content across media platforms.  

Participants in this program will have the chance to learn from expert trainers in four key thematic areas:  

• Ethical newsgathering and reporting practices
• Investigative journalism
• Media entrepreneurship and the business of journalism
• Mobile journalism

About the Training Program

Any Ethiopian journalist, working inside or outside the country, was eligible to participate. The program accepted 320 media professionals, and consists of two primary phases:

1. An eight-week online training series: Training sessions lasted two hours per session and occured two times per week. Each participant attended one training session aligning with their interests and had the opportunity to be selected for the in-person training event in Addis Ababa. 
2. An in-person training event in Addis Ababa for 50 of the best performing participants from the virtual training series will consist of four training sessions over three days.

Meet the Trainers!

Elsabet Tadesse is a former ICFJ Knight International Journalism Fellow and current program officer with International Media Support in Ethiopia. During her ICFJ Fellowship, Tadesse led the creation of Ethiopia’s first health journalists’ association, the Addis Ababa Health Journalists’ Initiative. Tadesse additionally organized the first-ever mental health workshop for journalists in Ethiopia. The minister of health, Dr. Tewodros Adhanom, credited Tadesse with raising the quality of health coverage so dramatically that the Ethiopian Radio and Television Agency moved the show into prime time to reach larger audiences. As a program officer with IMS, Tadesse works closely with Ethiopian media organizations to respond to their needs and manages capacity-building activities for journalists. Her media and leadership expertise, deep knowledge of the local media environment, and her connections with professionals in the field would make her an ideal trainer and potential implementing partner on the program.

Mulatu Alemayehu Moges is an assistant professor of journalism and communication at Addis Ababa University, and founder and former executive director of Ethiopian National Media Support (ENMS). He is a prolific scholar with a PhD in media and communication from the University of Oslo, and has published countless articles analyzing the state of the Ethiopian media environment. In addition, he has extensive experience facilitating training sessions for media professionals - especially when it comes to the role media plays in the political landscape. His academic and practical knowledge, experience in analyzing the diverse dimensions of Ethiopian media, and focus on the role of media in rights and democracy promotion makes this training program indispensable to those seeking to further their career in journalism. 
 

Apply to the Fellowship

Applications are now closed.

Key dates:

May 27, 2022: Application deadline

June 1, 2022: Participant selection completed

June 6, 2022: Training sessions begin online

August 12, 2022: In-person participant selection completed

October 5-7: Three-day in-person training in Addis Ababa