An investigation of the role of media in public diplomacy practice During the conflict in northern part of Ethiopia

Abstract

The main purpose of this research was to investigate the role of the media in public diplomacy practices during the conflict in the northern part of Ethiopia. The study employed a descriptive survey design to collect and analyze data. The participants of the study were Ethiopian public diplomacy actors from MFA. Data gathering tools used in the study were interviews and media document analysis. purposefully selecting the Ministry of Foreign Affairs media posts that were published with cooperation with the Ministry on the issue of conflicts. The collected data were analyzed using qualitative data analysis and thematic methods. Finally, the study showed that there is a need for improvement in the dialogic communication strategy in the practice of media during conflict time. During the conflict, Ethiopian public diplomacy used media rather than traditional media, rather than utilizing the potential for creating dialogue. Thus, the strategies of the Communication Grid were not fully applicable in media communication. Media is used mainly for information and persuasion strategies rather than two-way communication. This showed that effective public diplomacy was influenced by some groups in the context of conflictrelated issues. Thus, the role of the media in public diplomacy played its basic role during the conflict. Furthermore, hate speech and propaganda were the central challenges, and non-PD professionals were politically assigned to do PD-related practices. Lastly, recommendations were given for the major findings. Lastly, the role of media in public diplomacy practices is effective if the Ethiopian communication strategies involve two-way communication. Especially, the MFA is better if they avoid the one-sided practices of politicians and the media. The Ethiopian national dialogue is the key to solving the conflict between the people of Ethiopia