Abstract:
This study has been conducted to investigate the political news reporting of Adiss Zemen (government
owned) and reporter (the privately owned newspaper), before and after the reform. Quantitative content
analysis was used to count frame, themes, sources, tones, the representation of opposition parties by the
newspapers and newspapers reporting on the relationship between ethnic based and unionist politics. The
coded data were analyzed and interpreted with relevant theoretical frameworks such as the political
economy of the mass media, media ownership theory and framing theory. The result of the finding assured
that Adiss Zemen political news reporting was significantly changed following the new reform. Prior to the
reform its major frame was law and order but after the reform solution frame dominated much of its
framing. Government and party issue was by far the principal theme of the newspaper; however, after the
reform its theme automatically converted to democracy. Before the reform Adiss Zemen represented
opposition parties as enemies, but after the reform it made them partners. Previously, Adiss Zemen set
ethnic politics and unionist against each other but after the reform its observation on the relationship
between ethnic based politics and the unionist was not against. In two of the most critical coding categories,
tone and source of the news, Adiss Zemen was the same before and after the reform. This certifies the fact
that the newspaper has not get out of being the propaganda machine of the government. After the reform
reporters political news reporting has basically continued in the same pace as it had been before. Both
before and after, it dominantly employed solution framing, made democracy as its principal theme, showed
neutral tone for the incumbent government and its representation of the opposition parties was as a partner.
Though there was change in source usage, it was not significant. In general, it can be said that though there
seen some change in Adiss Zemen following the reform, the changes are only government officials driven