Mediated democracy in Action

Abstract Using media democracy as its case, this article reports results of a study on the state of Ethiopian newspapers with op-ed commentaries. There is good reason to focus on newspaper op-ed column, because it is considered as a forum for democratic practice in a mediated setting. Thus, the study takes the perspective of op-ed forum as a public sphere where citizens articulate issues of public matters. Guided by two major research questions, the study empirically examines the salient features of media democracy focusing on op-ed articles published during the 2018 Ethiopian political reform period, which range in date from April 2, 2018 to April 1, 2019. The study employs a content analysis research method. Applying quantitative approach, the study employed a constructed week sampling method to select quantitative data from sample newspapers. The study focuses on op-ed content and source features, which have been taken as key characteristics of op-ed page to measure ‘what writers said’ and ‘whose voices were heard’ regarding the 2018 Ethiopian political reform. In terms of diversity, the study disclosed a limited diversity in terms of source and content. The study reported in this article shows that media democracy in the op-ed pages of Ethiopian newspapers, particularly in state-owned newspapers, were constructed to advance the newspapers’ editorial stance on the issues. Looking at the features of op-ed columns vis-à-vis editorial lines, the study finds that most op-ed commentaries bear similarity to editorials in state-controlled newspapers (coincide), and in private newspapers op-eds neither coincide nor collide with editorial lines the papers pursue.