Podcast: Untangling a toxifying and liberating web

A man makes the symbol of the Oromo resistance at the 2016, Irreecha festival, William Davison

In this second instalment of Ethiopia Insight’s podcast, William Davison talks with Addis Standard‘s Editor-in-Chief Tsedale Lemma about Ethiopia’s media landscape and the impact of social media.

The podcast was recorded exactly a month ago on Sep. 26. That was not long after the confusing and deadly events that occurred around the time of the OLF and G7 rallies in Addis Ababa, which generated plenty of heated exchanges.

We go over the negative and positive aspects of the online conversation on Ethiopia current affairs and consider how the issue of a weak private press contributes to the more problematic elements.

Looking ahead, we discuss what the Government can do to improve its communications and the environment for the media, and talk about the prospects for such positive change occurring in time to affect the 2020 elections.

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Main photo: A man makes the symbol of the Oromo resistance at the Irreecha festival, Bishoftu; Oct. 2, 2016, William Davison

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William Davison

William is the owner and editor of Ethiopia Insight. He has been reporting on Ethiopia for almost a decade and was Bloomberg's correspondent in Addis Ababa from 2010 to 2017.