A Test of Democracy: Ethiopia’s Mass Media and Freedom of Information Proclamation

By Tracy J. Ross. 114 Penn St. L. Rev. 1047

David Ben-Gurion once said, “The test of democracy is freedom of criticism.” Freedom of criticism has long been recognized as an essential, inalienable human right; a right that is thought to transcend political and geographical borders and applies regardless of culture, language, and national origin. In Ethiopia, as democracy begins to grow despite a history of corruption and totalitarianism, freedom of expression has proven to be an unsteady notion. In fact, while Ethiopia gains respect in other aspects of the international political scene, the government struggles to justify its draconian control over the media. [keep reading]