Owner of Weekly Amharic Newspaper Flees Following Government Threats
According to Addis, the communication office frequently interfered in the workings of his newspaper, publishing stories on select government issues against his will. “On the eve of the national election held in May 2010, to mention one incident, government interference in our work was beyond our control,” he explained.
This post is available in: Amharic
Addis Tesfa, Executive Editor and Owner of the weekly Amharic newspaper Google, has been forced to flee his home after receiving threats from the Ethiopian government.
The editor told Addis Neger Online that he fled the country after he was beaten by government security agents and received threatening calls from the Office of Government Communication Affairs.
According to Addis, the communication office frequently interfered in the workings of his newspaper, publishing stories on select government issues against his will. “On the eve of the national election held in May 2010, to mention one incident, government interference in our work was beyond our control,” he explained.
“A week before the election, we were forced to publish 50 000 copies which were fully occupied by the government’s agenda,” Addis told Addis Neger Online in a telephone conversation.
Addis also accused both his managing editor, Birhanu Belachew, and Editor-in-Chief Ermias Woubishet of working hand in hand with government agents. However, the editor-in-chief rejected this claim. He told Addis Neger Online that the accusation is false. “There is not any space for mischief without his control. Neither Birhanu nor I were forced to change the newspaper’s issues because of outside threats,” he added.
Yet Addis insists that the newspaper was effectively government-run. Before he left his country, he learned that his bank account had been blocked, despite having invested more than Birr 500 000 in the publishing house. “Because of this reason, my family has faced problems,” he revealed.
Ermias, however, opposes all claims of his executive editor. “Journalism should not be the reason to flee. Addis has fled his home because he embezzled funds. The Bank accounts are under his control; our rules also state that clearly. Hence, nothing happened of his control.”
It is a strategic move by EPRDF
A week before the election, we know that the magazine published 50000 copies with the assistance of the election board. And that day the magazine has been sold with 50 cent. With this, the magazine has been hatred by people in Ethiopia. I think that is the reason which forced him to leave the country.
Good to see that the idiotic so called journalists decimate one by one.
Really Addis did good.We know his humble approach.But his friends and co-workers are members of the ruling party.His money is given to those who are greedy people. We should help him.Dear Addis neger online staffs please tel us his address.
Fish
What did you say fish? just who are you? Addis is the owner and manager of this weekly news paper . If he is not Threatened by security agents why should he flee.He is a person with sufficent money and build a family. i think you must be creazy. We should fight woyanee by unity. A strategic propaganda by woyanees is published by fish name.To make hatered him will have some advantages to Eprdf. I appreciate his decision.
Who embezzled the money? whose money is it Mr Ermias?How do you prove the GOGLE ,publisher and editors are free from being manipulated by woyane?
We can notice that the hod-ader journalists would follow the foot-steps of the former Minister of State who fled to the US and requested for asylem after blowing his trumpets in defending woyane for a long while. Similarly the pseudo- journalist/ woyane cadre Addis Tesfa was shouting out too much to please the woyanes. A few weeks ago, I heard him lashing out on Tesfaye Gebre-ab’s new book when he was a guest of Mimi Sibhatu (another woyane underling) on her FM radio, Zami FM. He was deploring the book as defamatory simply because it exposed the tuggish cleptocrats that are ruling Ethiopia at this moment. It seems this guy’s use for the cleprocrats has run out, that’s probably why he is pushed out. He will simply be replaced by some other fake journalist who can blow his trumpet in the same style. And there are plenty of them out there.
I disagree with you desta 1.Because this guy tried to be balanced whenever he is inviting in panal discussions. If you remember his compliant on tesfae Gebreabs’s new book he had tangibe evidences. he said Tesfaye tried to promote Esayas’s Agenda. So what is wrong with it? If Addis accept gifts from Bereket or shimeles he will be milioner.This is simple for him than flying to other country.I understood that the owner of this newspaper,Addis Tesfa,met different psychological and physical threats
Tamiru, I understand that you would like to give the benefit of the doubt to Addis. But I clearly remember that he was just bashing the new book of Tesfaye Gebreab simply because the boss was exposing his woyane bosses sleath, tug mentality, incompetence, corruption and decadence. He was just saying everything that he though would please teh woyane gang. And he has not cited any evidence to back his claims. Secondly, why would a publisher who claims to be an independent newspaper print 50,000 copys and give it out for 50 cents just to promote the woyane? Unless he is a fake journalist employed to run a fake woyane newspaper.I do not think the woyanes would give that much money to pseudo journalists like Addis, that’s because the woyanes know that they can get so many wanna be journalists who can sell their services for cheap. Just see how many of them they have employed in the various TV, radio and newspapers in Addis. So once the woyanes are done with the psychophants they just kick them out like broken chairs or whatever.
Desta 1, let me tell you the truth.before i flee to toronto i was in addis for 3 months. I have got the opportunity to meet different media owners.I met addis. He showed me the receipt security forces paid to birhanna selam 150,ooo birr for the copies of 50,ooo newspaper published at that day. But he didnot tell me the exact person who ordered him. woyanees tried to hundele his newspaper because they think it as fair and balanced after addis neger forced to close. What i agree with you is that all journalists work for google are members of woyanee.i have checked it . if you want otherevidences I can give you the profile of Addis. the only mistake he made is not knowing his staff. the mesery Woyanes used him for their propaganda and throw him away is true.i have seen your convinsing method. But the facts are quit different. i dont like to favour him unfairly. but if I have opportunities to present papers on Ethiopian Media and the Interference of woyanees I will show tangible evidences.thank you Desta1.this is all for me.
To: The Editor of Addisnegeronline.com
I am writing to complain about a news posted on your website entitled <>.
I have picked some misleading points that shall be corrected just for the record.
1.Our newspaper’s Name is Goggle not Google.
2. Ato Addis Tesfa is not the executive Editor of Goggle newspaper instead he is the General manager of google publishers and advertisers plc.
3. Ato Addis is not the owner of the newspaper.Instead The publishing company is a PLC which has ten share holders all with equal amount of shares and Addis is just one of them. That does mean he is just a shareholder.
4. The Editor-in-Chief of the Newspaper is not Ermias Woubishet.Ermias has been working as a consultant since march 2010.
5. It seems that the last sentence of the story misplaced of instead of off that leaded to a totally reverse meaning to the intended.
Considering all the above mistakes done by your reporter/editors which actually is not expected from such a media like addis neger , I request you to correct the mistaken facts and appologize for erring.
For the details that Ato addis claimed and falsely accused I will be sending you a copy of our official response soon.
Thank You,
Birhanu Belachew
Managing editor of Goggle Newspaper.