Exploring Journalists’ Organizational Working Perceptions in the Ethiopian Local Media: A Focus on Amhara Media Corporation

Abstract

ABSTRACTThis study is aimed at analyzing journalists’ organizational working perceptions in the Ethiopian local media. The study covered six branches of Amhara Media Corporation (AMC). It applied explanatory sequential mixed research in the course of a survey, in-depth interview, document analysis and observation instruments. To gauge the levels of organizational trust (OT), organizational commitment (OC), job satisfaction (JS), social exchange (SE) and economic exchange (EE), a questionnaire survey was distributed to 220 randomly chosen respondents. Besides, in-depth interviews were conducted with eight purposefully selected media practitioners. The study’s theoretical framework integrates the organizational theories of OT, OC, JS, SE and EE with the hierarchy of influences model. The findings revealed the levels of journalists’ OT, OC and SE were moderate and their levels of JS and EE were high and low, respectively. Except for the working stream, journalists’ OT level is unaffected by demographic and biographic variables. This study concludes journalists perceive AMC’s organizational working atmosphere as partially positive, but the professional practice of journalism faced significant challenges and influences from the ownership it bases and establishes. The media managers are intentionally and directly assigned in AMC to maintain the political hegemony and status quo of the ruling party.