(For part I, refer to Going Home, Part I)

by: Samson Mulugeta

How do you teach the principles of objective journalism in times of war? That was one of the challenges involved in teaching a basic media writing class at a time when Ethiopia was engaged in pitched battles with neighboring Eritrea in the spring of 2000.

Asked to write about one incident in which Ethiopia moved into an area controlled by Eritrea for two years, half of the students in the Basic Media Writing course began their news stories this way: "The heroic Ethiopian defense forces announced last week they were in control of the border town of Zalambessa".

The students’ take on the war was not unexpected because the line about the "heroic defensive forces" was an oft-repeated mantra by the state-controlled media here. (The government controls all electronic media as well as most the widely distributed newspapers.) Once it was pointed out to the students that their role was to be impartial observers, most of them grasped the principle fairly quickly.

Last May, when I walked into a classroom at Unity College’s Gerji campus, I had a distinct feeling of being a pioneer. The program was the first college-level journalism course in Ethiopia’s history, and I knew as I dug into the definition of news and the five Ws, that I was breaking new ground. (Addis Ababa has never had a journalism program.)

Most of the 25 students in the class were recent high school graduates and they had little to no understanding of journalism, which could be considered an advantage since teaching them might not involve a lot of unlearning of bad habits. (There are about 14 students in the evening program but they are not taking the basic media writing course this semester.)

There has been plenty of material in the Ethiopian media we have used in class. When we were discussing the definition of news, I brought along a newsmagazine whose back cover carried the image of Ethiopia’s president and his German-born wife. The caption said, "Did you know President Negasso’s wife is a foreigner?"

Is the first lady’s background a legitimate news story? The class was divided and it led to a spirited discussion.

During the second week of class, students were assigned on their first field trip: a visit to an exhibition at the Addis Ababa Museum featuring the works of the city’s master plan review committee. Some students returned with stories about Addis they had unearthed by attending panel discussions and presentations. Issues such as the city’s traffic problems, housing, and crime were explored in the stories.

But most came back with stories that led with the fact that the project was funded by the German government, that the city’s administration coordinated the exhibition and other background lifted right off the program’s brochure and placed atop their stories. Long discussions ensued on identifying good story ideas in a situation such as this.

Although the working language in Addis Ababa is Amharic, Unity College requires that English be used for instruction. However, whenever students get stuck trying to explain a concept in English, I allow them to speak in Amharic because it is important that they be able to express themselves fully.

Some of the most enjoyable classes for the students have been when guest speakers, usually working journalists, have visited the class to talk to the students about their work. Mimi Sebhatu, a VOA Amharic reporter, who is something of a celebrity here, was a big hit when she visited my class. Another speaker was John Ogulnik, a producer of live events at NPR, who covered the Ethio-Eritrean war as a reporter while on a yearlong sabbatical here. John spoke to the students about the challenges of covering such events as President Clinton’s inauguration and impeachment, which he produced.

Until recently, every Thursday evening core group members of Unity College’s Journalism and Communication (JAC) Department meet to discuss issues ranging from what courses to add or delete from the curriculum to hiring new instructors. The group is composed of media professionals in various fields and acts as the JAC Department’s informal board of directors.

Unity College has been conducting workshops for Ethiopian media professionals since March on subjects such as covering elections, surveying public opinion, and covering government. About 15 journalists from the government and private media spend their mornings for five days in sessions led by media trainers who have so far come from South Africa, Uganda and Ghana.

Unity College is expanding. Public support of the institution is one of the reasons that the AddisAbaba Region 14 Administration (as city hall is called here) recently authorized a long-term land lease so that its facilities (in Piassa, Gerji and Bole) can be consolidated. Coming soon, Unity University.

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