Abstract:
Newspapers publicize political, cultural and social debates on their editorial pages in addition to providing the facts and analysis of information and allow informed citizens to make effective decisions. Editorials are platforms in which newspaper editors portray their standpoints towards issues using specific framing strategies to incite public discussion and influence officials or other concerned bodies to take appropriate action. This study was intended to examine and compare and contrast the framing strategies of Addis Zemen and Addis Admass newspapers to cover the unrest/conflict of 2018 in Ethiopia. Both qualitative and quantitative methods were used. For this end, 26 editorials of each newspaper (a total of 52 editorials) published in six months‟ time and responses of 4 interviewees /editor in chiefs were analyzed using a content analysis method. As the finding show, Addis Zemen described the crisis of the unrest/conflicts openly listing out the loss of human lives, destructions of properties and blockage of investments. But, Addis Admass presented the problem integrating the crisis in a wider political sphere. Addis Zemen can be put into conflict oriented as it openly backs the government legitimizing the actions against the opposing groups, downgrades the questions of the opposing groups relating them with just lack of „good governance‟ and portrays opposing groups using demonizing language such as „anti-peace‟, „anti-development‟, extremists‟ and chauvinists‟. Conversely, Addis Admass can be placed into the „peace oriented‟ category as it presented the unrest neutrally call for consensus among all citizens. The study concluded that the two newspapers covered and framed the Ethiopian political unrest differently. Based on the findings of the study, it is recommended that media need to frame and present the conflict issues using standardized and consistent strategies. Moreover, media outlets need to establish standards which can guide the journalists how to select and frame conflict issues.
Key Words: editorial, unrest/conflict, peace, change, framing, editorial stance