The issue of the GERD has reached its climax when Ethiopia was ready to impound the reservoir leading the three riparian countries /Ethiopia, Sudan and Egypt/ to a new round of intense debate disagreement and controversy. Taking this crucial historical moment as an interesting and significant topic of research, this thesis is set out with a key purpose of examining how the media outlets in the three countries reported and framed issues related to the first round filling of the GERD. The Ethiopian Herald, Sudan Tribune and Ahram online with their news stories written from June 1st to July 31st have been examined. Ten news stories from each media outlet have been studied in conjunction with in-depth interviews and close examination of related literatures to provide the thesis with additional substance. Theoretical framework utilized for the study is framing and agenda setting theories.
Key word: GERD, Nile River, Impoundment of the GERD Reservoir, Controversy over the GERD, Blue Nile/Abbay
Table of Contents
CHAPTER ONE
1. INTRODUCTION
1.1. Chapter Preview
1.2. Background of the Study
1.3. Statement of the Problem
1. 4. Objective of the Study
1.5. Significance of the Study
1.6. Delimitation/Scope of the study
1.7. Organization of the Research Report
CHAPTER TWO
2. REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
2.1. CHAPTER REVIEW
2.2. Overview of the Nile (Abbay)
2.3. Overview of the GERD
2.4. Disagreement over the GERD
2.5. Overview of colonial Era Agreements
2.5.1. The 1891 Anglo-Italian Protocol
2.5.2. The 1906 Tripartite agreement between Great Britain, France and Italy
2.5.3. The Anglo-Egyptian Agreement of 1929
2.5.4. The Egyptian-Sudanese Agreement of 1959
2.6. New Agreements and Pending Negotiations
2.7. The Filling of GERD
2.8. Theoretical Framework
2.8.1. Framing Theory
2.8.2. Equivalency frames and emphasis frame
2.9. Typology of news framing
2.9.1. Issue specific and generic frames
2.9.2. Types of Generic News Framings
2.9.3. Inductive and Deductive approaches of news framing
2.10. Identifying frames in the news
2.11. Criteria a Frame Must Meet
2.12. News framing effects
2.13. Agenda setting theory and its relationship with framing
2.14. Brief history of The Ethiopian Herald
2.15. Brief History of Sudan Tribune
2.16. Brief History of Ahram Online
CHAPTER THREE
3. METHODOLOGY
3.1. CHAPTER REVIEW
3.2. Research Design
3.3. Research Approach
3.4. Subjects of the study
3.5. Sampling Period and Sampling Size
3.6. Sampling Method
3.7. Data Collection tool and procedure
3.7.1. In-depth interview
3.7.2. Textual Analysis.
3.8. Primary and Secondary data Sources
3.9. Ethical Consideration
CHAPTER FOUR
4. DATA PRESENTATION AND ANALYSIS
4.1. CHAPTER REVIEW
4.2. Research Findings
4.2.1. Research Findings on the Ethiopian Herald
4.2.1.1. Natural Rights Frame
4.2.1.2. Exclusion frame
4.2.1.3. Mutual Benefit
4.2.2. Research findings on Ahram online
4.2.2.1. Historic Rights Frame
4.2.2.2. Conflict Frame
4.2.3. Research findings on Sudan Tribune
4.2.3.1. Economic Consequence Frame
4.2.3.2. Conflict Frame
4.3. Comparative Analysis
4.3.1. Defining the problem
4.3.1.1. The Ethiopian Herald
4.3.1.2. Ahram Online
4.3.1.3. Sudan Tribune
4.3.2. Exploring/interpreting the cause
4.3.2.1. The Ethiopian Herald
4.3.2.2. Ahram online
4.3.2.3. Sudan Tribune.
4.3.3. Making moral judgments
4.3.3.1. The Ethiopian Herald
4.3.3.2. Ahram Online
4.3.3.3. Sudan Tribune
4.3.4. Projecting Solution/remedy
4.3.4.1. The Ethiopian Herald
4.3.4.2. Ahram Online
4.3.4.3. Sudan Tribune
4.4. Tonal Comparison
4.4.1. The Ethiopian Herald
4.4.2. Ahram online
4.4.3. Sudan Tribune
4.5. Clarity versus vagueness
4.6. Similarities versus Differences
CHAPTER FIVE
5. CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS
5.2. Conclusion
5.3. Recommendations
Objectives & Research Themes
The primary objective of this thesis is to examine how three prominent media outlets—The Ethiopian Herald, Sudan Tribune, and Ahram Online—reported and framed the first round of the filling of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) reservoir between June and July 2020. The study seeks to understand how these organizations, which represent different national and political perspectives, utilized framing techniques to shape public discourse regarding the dam, while identifying the underlying similarities and differences in their coverage.
- Comparative analysis of media framing techniques regarding the GERD impoundment.
- The application of framing and agenda-setting theories in news reportage.
- The influence of editorial policies and national interests on geopolitical reporting.
- The role of media in shaping public opinion during sensitive transnational water disputes.
- An exploration of framing devices, including blame, conflict, and economic consequence.
Auszug aus dem Buch
4.2.1.1. Natural Rights Frame
The burning issue of the geopolitics during the study period was the planned commencement of the first round impoundment of the reservoir at GERD. In reporting about this important specific issue The Ethiopian herald has given tremendous amount of salience to Ethiopia’s natural and legitimate right to use the natural resource with in its own boundary and to impound the reservoir without any restrictions from any party. “It’s My Resource! It’s my dam! It’s my Natural Right! And nobody has legitimate power to stop me from filling the reservoir!” Was the main discourse and message relayed repetitively and aggressively to accentuate on the frame of natural rights.
On its June 9th 2020 edition, The Ethiopian Herald published a story with a headline “no one stops Ethiopia from filling the dam: city residents” The headline itself Asserted to the lower riparian countries in particular and the international community in general that Ethiopia’s right over progressing with its plan of filling the dam is unquestionable. The news story further states Ethiopia’s strong stance regarding filling the dam to quote “Ethiopians will never compromise dam filling. As the Nile water is our asset, no one stop us from filling the dam.” (The Ethiopian Herald, June 9, 2020)
Providing greater emphasis on Ethiopia’s sovereign right as non-negotiable the same newspaper presents another strong statement about the filling of the GERD reservoir. “GERD as a sovereign project of Ethiopia shouldn’t have been a subject of negotiation in the first place […] adding that negotiation is only possible on the utilization and governance of the Nile River”. (Ibid)
Ethiopia’s natural right over the Blue Nile is further emphasized as follows by a news story written on June 19, 2020
“Ethiopia’s Nile water natural right cannot by any means be compromised and set aside. If situations are treated otherwise, it would mean that Ethiopia would not have sovereignty over water rights”
Summary of Chapters
CHAPTER ONE: This chapter provides an introduction to the research, outlining the background of the study, the problem statement, objectives, significance, scope, and the organization of the research report.
CHAPTER TWO: This chapter serves as a review of related literature, covering the overview of the Nile, the GERD project, colonial-era agreements, and the theoretical framework involving framing and agenda-setting theories.
CHAPTER THREE: This chapter details the research methodology, explaining the case study design, the qualitative approach, data collection tools (in-depth interviews and textual analysis), and the ethical considerations of the study.
CHAPTER FOUR: This chapter presents the data and findings of the research, providing a thematic analysis of the framing strategies utilized by The Ethiopian Herald, Ahram Online, and Sudan Tribune, followed by a comparative analysis.
CHAPTER FIVE: This chapter concludes the study by summarizing the findings regarding media framing tendencies and offers recommendations for future research in the fields of media studies and international water politics.
Keywords
GERD, Nile River, Framing Theory, Agenda Setting, News Framing, Impoundment, Water Politics, Media Analysis, Ethiopia, Egypt, Sudan, Qualitative Research, Colonial Agreements, Hydro-politics, Geopolitics.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core focus of this research?
The research primarily investigates how three specific media outlets—The Ethiopian Herald, Sudan Tribune, and Ahram Online—framed the news and reporting regarding the first round of the filling of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) in 2020.
What are the central thematic fields covered?
The central themes include the geopolitics of the Nile River, the historical and legal disputes surrounding water usage, the national interests of riparian countries, and how these factors influence journalistic framing and media agendas.
What is the primary objective of this thesis?
The main objective is to identify and analyze the primary news frames used by these media organizations and to determine the similarities and differences in their coverage, as well as the underlying factors influencing these narratives.
Which scientific methods are utilized for this study?
The researcher employs a qualitative approach, utilizing case studies, in-depth interviews, and textual content analysis to examine and categorize the framing techniques observed in the news stories.
What topics are discussed in the main body of the work?
The main body (Chapter Four) presents a detailed thematic analysis of the news frames (such as Natural Rights, Conflict, and Economic Consequences) across the three selected media outlets, followed by a comparative analysis of their definitions of the problem, interpretations of causes, and proposed solutions.
Which keywords characterize this work?
Key terms include GERD, Nile River, Framing Theory, Agenda Setting, Impoundment, Geopolitics, and comparative media analysis.
How did the Ethiopian Herald differentiate its framing from the other media outlets?
The Ethiopian Herald focused extensively on a 'Natural Rights' and 'Exclusion' frame, presenting the dam as an exercise of sovereign rights and critiquing the exclusion of Ethiopia from colonial-era agreements.
What role did Sudan Tribune play compared to the state-owned media?
Sudan Tribune is portrayed as a more independent and balanced outlet that maintained a relatively neutral tone, despite expressing concerns about the dam's potential impacts on Sudanese infrastructure.
How does this study contribute to the field of media research?
It provides significant insight into the interplay between media, government foreign policy, and regional conflicts, specifically in the context of trans-boundary water resources in Africa.
- Citar trabajo
- Alemayehu Alemayehu (Autor), 2021, News Framing Analysis of First Round Filling of GERD. Comparative Study on The Ethiopian Herald, Sudan Tribune and Ahram Online Media outlets., Múnich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/1150891
