 |
 |
 |
Dear Sirs and Madams,
With the firm belief in the vital importance of journalism in bringing the truth to the world, we, the undersigned, want to alert you to the breach of journalist ethics by your freelance reporter in Ethiopia, Mr. Tsegaye Tadesse. We deeply believe that his material misstatements aim to support the corrupt and criminal regime of the current Prime Minister Meles Zenawi and disguise the true state of affairs in the nation suppressed by dictatorship. We urge Reuters, a highly respected news agency, to reconsider its staffing policies and stop Mr. Tadesse from abusing the company’s media apparatus for the sake of Woyane, Ethiopia’s tyrannical regime.
People who have taken care to compare reports from different sources noticed that Mr. Tadesse regularly twists facts and statistics and limits his reporting to conveying only the government’s and police’s statements. In his articles, there is no place for the opposition’s statements, but when the government accuses the oppositional party, the CUDP, of organizing the bombings, Mr. Tadesse is quick to oblige the dictator by rendering these statements. His reports now look copy-pasted from the regime’s official news agency like the Walta, Aiga and Ethiopian Herald and differ dramatically from accounts of other Western journalists.
A brief comparison of Jan. 20, 2006, reports of fighting in Addis Ababa by Associated Press’s Anthony Mitchell and Mr. Tadesse (available respectively at http://www.cbsnews.com/stories... and http://www.stoprenvoi.ch/archi... show that Mr. Mitchell listens to both parties, while Mr. Tadesse acts as the government’s mouthpiece. His report on blasts in western Ethiopia on April 18, 2006 (available at
http://www.alertnet.org/thenew... alleges that the CUD orchestrated them, without any mention of the opposition’s position on the issue.
People of Ethiopia are now being left without any objective news coverage and without hope that their pleas for help will be heard by the international community. The government repeatedly expels foreign correspondents who document blatant human rights abuses and jails Ethiopians daring to defy the regime with truthful coverage. This year, Woyane sent out Inigo Gilmore of The Observer and Anthony Mitchell of Associated Press and imprisoned on antistate charges Wosonseged Gebrekidan and Abraham Reta. There is no more free press in Ethiopia, and donor countries who can act to withdraw financial support from the murderous regime have no access to information about rampant human rights abuses.
We want to remind you how important your role as journalists is. In nations like Ethiopia, suffering from shameless dictators, objective reporting can be the key to saving hundreds of innocent people starving in prisons, waiting for release in conditions that United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour called "rudimentary" and "harsh". The world has a right to know about what is going on in Ethiopia, an integral part of the global community. Political oppression and human suffering are making history today in Ethiopia, but with Mr. Tadesse’s reporting the world sees only a polished picture woven out of statements by the dictatorial regime. We urge Reuters to reinforce its excellent reputation as a news source once again and investigate the outrageous disinformation campaign performed by Meles Zenawi in its name. The people of Ethiopia are waiting for your input and depend on your urgent actions.
May God give us all the wisdom not to condone and support brutal dictatorship anywhere!! May God give us the wisdom and the grace to defend the truth!! May God bless all mankind!!
Respectfully & truly,
Frustrated citizens of Ethiopia and friends of Ethiopians around the World! |
 |
|
(fields marked with * are required)
|
|
|
|
The views expressed in this petition are solely those of the petition's
sponsor and do not in any way reflect the views of iPetitions.
iPetitions is solely a provider of technical services to the petition
sponsor and cannot be held liable for any damages or injury or other
harm arising from this petition. In the event no adequate sponsor is
named, iPetitions will consider the individual account holder with which
the petition was created as the lawful sponsor.
|
|
|
