Debunking the Media Lies Fueling War in Ethiopia, w/ Journalist Hermela Aregawi

November 4 is the one year anniversary of the TPLF attacks on the Ethiopian government’s Northern Command base, kicking off a brutal war. The TPLF is now advancing towards Addis Ababa, prompting the government to declare a state of emergency. The U.S. government has continued to condemn Ethiopia for fighting back against the TPLF insurgency, leading many Ethiopians to believe that Washington is supporting a violent coup in their country.

Hermela Aregawi is an Ethiopian-American journalist of Tigrayan descent who has been relentlessly attacked and smeared for calling out biased media reporting on the conflict. She joined Rania Khalek to discuss this and more.

TIME CODES:

0:00 Intro
1:58 What’s happening in Ethiopia?
6:14 Why is the media so biased?
10:33 TPLF influence over media coverage
13:41 How Hermela’s views on the war evolved
20:01 Parallels to other countries, like Syria and Haiti
21:25 The government is NOT blocking humanitarian aid
24:06 Do Ethiopian-Americans feel betrayed?
26:05 What is the #NoMore campaign?
27:42 The vicious backlash against Hermela
33:40 How the TPLF behaves like a cult
38:06 Addressing Tigrayan sympathizers of the TPLF
42:46 The weaponization of humanitarian aid
48:03 Why are the Americans so biased?
51:32 Problems at the UN
56:50 What do you Americans need to understand about Ethiopia?
59:45 Where to follow Hermela’s work