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One of my
joys as Ethiopia’s Ambassador to the United States is to
tell the story of the glories and encumbrances of our
remarkable history, as well as of the lofty aspirations that
inform the bold political experiment underway since the fall
of tyranny less than two decades ago. Not infrequently, it
is also a lesson in humility.
The
telling of our story to audiences, most notably, to
journalists, with no patience for rich narratives and little
understanding of Ethiopia, is as unavoidable as it is
precarious.
My latest
effort at narration is instructive. An article published in
The Hill, a Washington-based newspaper, quoted me
saying, “I was naïve; I really thought that we were going to
be a mainstream democracy overnight.” Addis Fortune,
thinking no doubt that this was a strange thing for an
Ambassador to say, ran the quote prominently along with my
picture on its page - entirely absent of context.
Now, I
made the statement to The Hill while discussing the
2005 elections. I was explaining my government’s sense of
disappointment at the opposition’s squandering of a historic
invitation to participate in building a democracy. Despite
their huge electoral gains some, opposition leaders
boycotted parliament and sought to overturn the decisions of
the National Election Board through violence, mob action,
and demagoguery that appealed to reprehensible instincts,
rather than submitting their grievances to constitutionally
mandated institutions, such as the courts. The results were
tragic.
Those who
rejected democratic participation in Ethiopia are still
recklessly seeking to upend the government through cynical
manipulation of the international media and placing all
their bets on the possibility of punitive legislation by the
U.S. Congress, which was the subject of the article in
The Hill.
My point
in discussing this is not to criticize the reporter or
newspapers that published the quote. I believe,
unequivocally, that a free press is a cornerstone of
democratic institutions. It is a check on power, demands
accountability and keeps politicians on their toes. That the
press itself is difficult to hold accountable is a secondary
problem.
The
reporter for The Hill was an earnest young woman, and
no doubt well intentioned. She reminded me of the truism
offered by British newspaper pioneer Lord Northcliffe, who
once described journalism as, “a profession whose business
it is to explain to others what it personally does not
understand.”
The
misinterpretation of what I said offers some lessons about
the perils and promise of Ethiopia’s ever more important
efforts to tell its story to the world. The 16-word quote
that the journalist chose to use for her story was one
sentence uttered during the course of an hour-long
interview. During that conversation, I provided her with
extensive background about the history and current issues
facing Ethiopia, recognizing that she would likely be
writing for an audience with even less grasp of these
complex issues than she had.
Like most
Western journalists, The Hill reporter is not
expected to be an expert on Africa or Ethiopia. Her job is
to develop instant expertise on a variety of topics.
Moreover, as media compete ever harder for our shrinking
attention, journalists face pressure to produce stories that
are shorter, easier to understand and more “readable.” Far
too often, that translates into the simple or the
sensational.
Communication is strengthened by narrative, but impatient
U.S. journalists often find it easier to accept the brief,
simple tales of those with the most outlandish or critical
views.
We
Ethiopians are proud and tend to see ourselves as the center
of the world. We regard bragging as a mark of bad
upbringing, and believe that our deeds will speak for
themselves, that eventually the truth will come out.
Americans
do not share these views. It is vexing that those in the
United States who shape public opinion know little about
Ethiopia. Journalists are quick to report the worst
allegations against Ethiopia, in part, because that is what
makes “news” and partly because some Ethiopians have chosen
to loudly criticize from abroad, rather than participate in
the democratic process available to them at home.
This
leads to an easy, and often truthful, conclusion: The press
is not fair.
It also
would be easy, but entirely misguided, to recoil from that
which we perceive as unfair. Yes, the press is unfair. One
has to fight for fairness.
Silence
will lead to the worst outcomes for Ethiopia, for if we do
not tell our story, someone else will, our unscrupulous
critics, who are working very hard to tell their distorted
stories about Ethiopia will go unchallenged.
There are
numerous instances where energetic engagement with the media
has resulted in articles on Ethiopia’s successes. Reuters,
the global news agency, has written on Ethiopia’s successful
campaign to eradicate malaria, which has been touted as a
model for the developing world. Our remarkable partnerships
with America’s leading coffee companies have been widely
publicized, educating consumers all over the world about
Ethiopia’s legendary coffees. America’s top business
newspaper, The Wall Street Journal, recently ran a
front-page article on the launch of our commodities
exchange.
The
global marketplace and instant communications have made it
not just desirable, but essential for Ethiopia to tell its
story around the world. We should take every chance to
explain what we are doing and why. We should be prepared to
responds to issues as they arise quickly, professionally and
effectively.
So I say,
dare to be misunderstood!
Sometimes, our words will be orphaned and our quotes
botched. Sometimes we will be embarrassed and misunderstood.
Sometimes our efforts will appear thankless. But, there is
joy in this fight because it is a good fight. In the long
run, our persistence will produce results.
Paradoxically, the only solution to bad press is more press.
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