Claimed journalist is not legally registered with the Ethiopian Broadcast Authority (February 11, 2021)

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) issued a statement yesterday claiming that a freelance journalist named Lucy Kassa was physically attacked by unidentified men “with the clear aim of intimidating her in connection with her reporting”.

The statement also included that she “reports for several foreign media including the Los Angeles Times, Al Jazeera and the Norwegian monthly Bistandsaktuelt.”

The Ethiopian Broadcast Authority (EBA) requires all journalists to register and hold a press pass before reporting for foreign media. The Ethiopian Broadcast Authority does not have a Lucy Kassa on the list of legally operating correspondents. Thus, the statement issued by Reporters Without Borders is incorrect.

Their claims should have been cross checked with EBA, the public office with the mandate of handing journalist accreditation issues in Ethiopia.

While all individuals need to be free from any form of harm to their person, Reporters sans frontières / Reporters without Borders / RSF hurried conclusion without determining legal status has aided the spread of disinformation. The State of Emergency Media Task Force calls upon for the immediate correction of the claims made by the organization against the government.