Addis Ababa, 13 November 2014 (WIC) – Media Institutions and practitioners in Ethiopia should use the press freedom and rights appropriately while informing the public, Government Communication Affairs Office said.
Minister of GCAO Redwan Hussien recently told journalists that the enacted press law aimed to ensure media institutions and practitioners to inform the public freely with social responsibility; thereby, to play their roles in building the democratic system of the country.
According to the Minister, the law enabled media people to accommodate various public opinions freely.
The right to free expression should, by no means, transgress the law, the Minister reiterated.
He said, “The primarily duty of the government and a government is to enforce and maintain rules of law of the country and any writer or journalist should be accountable for what he/she has done irresponsibly”.
Some individuals have been abusing the rights of the media that they usually misbehave and violate the law expecting getting attention and cheap popularity from the international community under the pretext of press freedom, the minister emphasized.
According to the minister, some bloggers and Newspaper editors in contradictory to their professional ethics and social responsibility are paid to write and publish anti-peace and illegal issues.
The government has the duty to protect the society from mischief and formulated ant-peace propaganda so that it should take action on those who violated the rules of the country, he added.
Despite this fact, some individuals have been attempting to intertwine this duty with the election, Redwan reiterated, adding that the election is the affair of the Ethiopian people.
The Minister advised to the media personalities to write, analyze and forward reports in a wise manner so that the people can differentiate the weak and strong sides of political parties.