Yeroo

For the sum (district) in Mongolia, see Yeröö.

Yeroo
TypeWeeklynewspaper
FormatBroadsheet
Owner(s)Jimma Times
HeadquartersAddis Ababa Jimma Ethiopia
WebsiteYeroo.Org

Yeroo was the first private Afaan Oromo newspaper published in Qubee (Oromo alphabet).[1][2] It distributed weekly newspapers mainly around the cities and towns of the Oromia region of Ethiopia. Alongside another independent newspaper URJII, Yeroo was the last private Oromo press closed down due to media restrictions in Ethiopia.[3] Due to being independent, the media faced difficulties from the Ethiopian government since its beginning during its registration and establishment.[4][5][6] A few weeks after its publications, security problems and financial restrictions imposed by the government caused the newspaper to be suspended.[1][7][8] Its website version is Jimma Times (JT), which has remained online after Yeroo newspaper was closed. JT has been the first media to break several news stories before other media outlets, including the story of former Ethiopian PM Tamrat Layne, who became "born again" and left politics, the acceptance of Ethiopian Airlines into the Star Alliance as well as on the decision of the top opposition party Medrek to seek a re-run of disputed Election 2010.[9][10][11] Various international media have used news content from Yeroo's Jimma Times, including United Press International (UPI), Epoch Times and Voice of America (VOA) radio.[12][13][14] The Jimma Times has also been quoted by and its content used by many Ethiopian newspapers and sites including Capital Ethiopia, Addis Neger, Gadaa.com, Opride.com, Ethio Channel, Awramba Times and African Monitor. Its website/online version has also been suspended for many years after it faced frequent blockage from the government that often censors online media.[15][16]

Recent

Post-2018 after Oromo protests led to the end of TPLF-led government and the rise of a new administration led by a regional Oromia party, Yeroo media relaunched operations, according to its website. [17]

However, a Yahoo! News article in September 2020 reported that the Yeroo newspaper continued to face operational challenges from both extremist groups and government security, including one of its journalist getting arrested. [18]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Ethiopia's Largest Ethnicity Group Deprived of Linguistic and Cultural Sensitive Media Outlets. Rap21.org. Retrieved 6 January 2012.
  2. ^ Yeroo media suspended
  3. ^ Yeroo and Urjii closed
  4. ^ Suspension of the Ethiopian Free Press Journalists' Association
  5. ^ Govt. continues rejecting license for Jimma Times Afaan Oromo newspaper. Ethioguardian.com (9 May 2008). Retrieved 6 January 2012.
  6. ^ Issues with Oromo media. Oromoliberationfront.org. Retrieved 6 January 2012.
  7. ^ Yeroo newspaper struggles to survive
  8. ^ Yeroo closed, government repression
  9. ^ Ethiopia's "Born Again" ex-PM Tamerat scorns politics. Jimmatimes.com. Retrieved 6 January 2012.
  10. ^ Major milestone for CEO Girma Wake as Ethiopia enters Star Alliance. Jimmatimes.com. Retrieved 6 January 2012.
  11. ^ Ethiopia's Opposition considers election re-run as one-party system returns to country. Jimmatimes.com. Retrieved 6 January 2012.
  12. ^ Activists convicted in Ethiopia. Upi.com. Retrieved 6 January 2012.
  13. ^ VOA report on media harassment in Ethiopia. None. Retrieved 6 January 2012.
  14. ^ Jimma times quote on VOA. .voanews.com (17 May 2010). Retrieved 6 January 2012.
  15. ^ Oromo media censorship in Ethiopia
  16. ^ Jimma times Poll United Nations mission article. (PDF) . Retrieved 6 January 2012.
  17. ^ Yeroo media website
  18. ^ Ethiopia has started clamping down on independent media again as tensions rise