Oromia Media Network Status Review Report: Released by Board of Trustees

December 07, 2014 | Oromia Media Network (OMN)

Introduction

On November 22, 2014, the Oromia Media Network (OMN) Board of Trustees unanimously approved the creation of a Status Review ad hoc Committee (SRC) composed of three Trustees to:

• Assess existing organizational problems,
• Identify the root causes of these problems,
• Propose a road map to help the organization overcome any challenges, and
• Build a more robust media organization with lessons from its recent experience.

The purpose of the OMN SRC is thus to prepare a draft report to be submitted to the Board in a timely manner for its approval.  The SRC set to interview all concerned members of the OMN by phone, Skype, in person, or any other means to understand the challenges OMN faced since its inception.  Particular attention was to be given to addressing the recent discontents among some OMN ranks.  Although this report is released to meet the urgency of the matter, we anticipate interviews will continue for weeks to come.

 Summary of the Challenges

The Board is aware that there are some allegations by some ex-OMN members and non-members (not supporters of OMN) regarding financial misappropriations, circumstance of resignation of few OMN ranks from office, and commitment of the Board to its roles.  This report is not intended to answer to these wanton charges.  Some of these allegations unfortunately level to illegal defamation and the Board has instructed the executive committee to act swiftly and take a legal action where such illegal smear campaign against OMN occurred.  The Board hereby reaffirms to all OMN ranks and supporters that it serves as the ultimate decision-making body of OMN, and it will protect OMN as a public investment.  The Board selects and oversees management who are responsible for the operations of the organization without interfering in the day-to-day executive details.  We admit that as a young organization, OMN faces transitional issues in adjudicating power and responsibilities.  However, the Board, operating within the bounds of the law, has never compromised its ultimate authority nor failed to discharge its responsibilities when called for.  This report is a case in point.
This report is a condensed summary of the final report approved by OMN Board of Trustees at its meeting held on December 6, 2014.  The document presents the main challenges OMN faces as an organization and their likely solutions.  The report is based on conversations conducted with employees and non-employees.  The SRC tried in good faith to understand the underlying challenges OMN faces, taking a more realistic and probable scenario on issues that are often entangled with personal judgments of people who at times feel they have been wronged.

As a result of this review, we are led to believe that there is no cardinal problem that threatens the operation of OMN as of now, and to the best of our knowledge all the major issues have been identified below, and that the solution to these challenges are well within the OMN’s organizational capacity to be resolved.  This review process brought the Reviewers much closer to OMN.  We are impressed by the media soldiers of this historic institution, and we see in its current employees nothing less than highly determined men and women who stood for the service of their people against all odds.  They deserve recognition and honor, and we salute them for their fervent service.  We present below the main challenges not in any particular order.

1. Intervention and influence

Some employees complained that OMN has become dominated by few.  There is no evidence that one person influenced personnel related decisions.  However, there are evidences and testimonies that OMN’s fundraising and day-to-day operations are influenced by one or few men.  Even those who claim that OMN has become a show of very few admire and appreciate the role of such individual or individuals.  It is healthier for OMN to be a face of more than one person.  Nonetheless, there is a settled assumption and belief by some that even executive influence in OMN is too centralized.  It is difficult to fight perception; it is easier to solve it if it exists.  For this simple reason, despite the lack of proof of intervention in the executive decisions of personnel matter, we propose extra measures to address the perception.

2. Inherited issues of pre-OMN

It is widely known, and it has been echoed again by some during the interviews, that the OMN had a somewhat turbulent beginning full of enthusiasms and unmapped expectations, far from calculated work of careful planning.   The beginning of air transmission was marked by haphazardly assembled and inexperienced but passionate volunteers.  Relocation of a key member of the OMN starters to Minneapolis was viewed as a move to manipulate and dominate OMN by some and as a selfless dedication to the project by others.  There was an apparent talk of boot-camping to design a master plan for OMN, but this was undermined by an opposing majority side that eventually took over all the planning and starting of OMN.  Some in the minority expected more shared governance and consensus during and preceding the time of the launch, but yet didn’t have the opportunity to shape the outcome and exert their wishes.  Those who supported the launching of OMN swiftly argue that it was essential to satisfy the demand and expectation of donors, to establish financial accountability promptly, and also make use of the political climax.  At the time, this disagreement between those who want to move slower and those who favored an expeditious action was not resolved by consensus.  The impetus favored those who owned the political momentum as the majority.  Some individuals who left the OMN at that time remained outside of the OMN with a subdued confidence, but still wished all the best for OMN.  Very few however adopted a harsh stance of negating all about OMN which is carried to this day, several months after the issue seems to have been overpowered by fait accompli, i.e., the key personnel whose move to MN was objected has since moved back to the east coast and the starting of OMN cannot be undone now.  There is no reason why this initial dispute should culminate to total negation today if one has the good of OMN and Oromo in mind.

3. On embracing nationalism

This issue was raised directly or indirectly by some OMN staff.  They shared a concern, that Oromo nationalism is suppressed through editorship.  On the other hand, concerns were aired that OMN should not be a partisan forum, and that OMN should be a fact-based media, not catering to unchecked emotions that fuel anarchy and chaos eventually drawing disrepute.  This line of thought promoted a belief that OMN’s commitment to serious media will support maturity of Oromo nationalism that will stand better on a firm ground.  Board members would like to stress that OMN was established for promoting Oromo interests.

4. Avoiding controversies, – religion and politics

Many are unaware that guideline for covering religious events have been developed.  Several misunderstandings and criticisms were aired, that OMN failed to cover religious events simply because it wanted to avoid controversies.  While avoiding such controversies where religion and politics overlap is temporarily a prudent measure, the avoidance, if it exists, however makes OMN less relevant among its target audience by failing to transmit these important international events shared by our people.  A controversy provoked by including some radical fora may be more useful than a deafening silence in correctness.

5. Leadership, discipline, and transparency

The issue of leadership is a subject extending far beyond OMN.  Patience and tolerance are the hallmark of leadership.  But the other side of the coin is that insubordination cannot be tolerated and discipline cannot be unheeded.  OMN had some samples of both leadership weaknesses and employee insubordination that are probably consequences of simple passion or naiveté, not resulting from mean intents.  Furthermore, patience is desirable, but an unruly employee cannot be tolerated until he/she has planted a seed of anarchy and poor discipline that affects the performance and behavior of others – lack of discipline is contagious.

A more troubling issue in the organizational performance of OMN is that at times obligations and duties are viewed and taken loosely.  There may be a clash of discipline and commotion, the first as a result of misunderstanding the bounds of employees, and the later as a consequence of easiness resulting from a mindset of volunteerism.  This cultural inertia must be disconnected from OMN for it to perform normally with raised expectations.  The concept of efficiency needs to be redefined in the context of the mature nationalism that didn’t embrace high expectations.

6. Training, responsibilities, expertise, and manpower

Most OMN employees need tutoring in several areas including the process of editing, roles and responsibilities, and role of the editor in chief, preferably by an expert who knows the business.

7. Resources, space, and outsourcing

OMN started with humble resources, computers with poor capacity that cannot manage large video data, poor quality – amateurish cameras, uninsulated walls, inferior lighting, etc.  Funds are needed to transform the Center to a high quality studio.  OMN leadership seems eager to alleviate some of these problems by outsourcing the entire production line of some of the programs to other OMN studio branches outside Minneapolis.  This may indeed be a good idea to ease some of the local pressure, but new challenges of outsourcing and its impact on central chief editor must be studied in advance.  The resources critically needed to run or maintain quality must be prioritized, and capital should not be invested on less critical acquisitions without thorough research.  This priority of purchasing costly equipment must be established in consultation with employees, the media soldiers.

8. Codes, guidelines, and ethics

The Board must interact with the Ex. C. more closely than in the past.  The Board’s guidance in developing codes for dress, employment and interview procedures are needed.  Inputs are also needed on embracing Oromo nationalism that nurtures the ideal for which our people are struggling.

9. Personality clashes and remote supervision

OMN must have an interim strategy to consolidate its leadership in one location.  Personality clashes, hiring, and firing are often packaged with political, religious, and regional issues, and this eventual repackaging is issues must be recognized in the processes.  It is important to understand that one manifestation of positive Oromo nationalism is guarding OMN from individual weaknesses and 
personal agendas.

10. Communication

The distance among leadership of OMN is not helping communication which has been weak both between Ex. C. and the Board, as well as among Ex. C. members.  The Board did not know about some problems faced within Ex. C., and the role and task of some staff was not communicated to other staff members clearly.  At least one employee believed he was a manager, but staff members were not informed about his role clearly.  The SRC committee found out about important events that took place in OMN during this review process, and these are developments that SRC members should have known as Board members.

Conclusion (suggestion)

• OMN Board and its leadership must design a strategy to make OMN independent of one or few individuals.
• Communicate with original members of OMN who may have disagreements with individuals within OMN, with a message that OMN has become a national resource that should be protected – far bigger than any individual. OMN must be viewed as a cherished child of the Oromo movement that must be nurtured and protected.
• OMN must strike a balance between embracing some level of unexpurgated views of Oromo nationalism and maintaining solid media integrity that is not dominated by emotions. A session may be designed to accommodate partisan feelings however emotive they may seem for media integrity, at least once in few weeks, with a pronounced recognition that the net value of such program may be limited.  Oromo nationalism is too strong to completely ignore activism at this stage of our society.  However, it is better not to entertain activism at all than see it dominating OMN.
• The guideline on covering religious events should be implemented, and people who complain about not covering these events should be told that OMN is moving towards covering all major religious events in a balanced manner. Religious elders should be asked to provide some joint parameters and feedback for the future.
• OMN leadership should take swift decisions to demonstrate its seriousness when it comes to maintaining discipline, even if the short term consequences of the decision may seem negative.
• Training of OMN staff is critically needed. This should cover technical expertise and optimum organizational structures.  Roles and responsibilities, editing software, management skills, etc. are all areas that need training.
• The current hardware shortages can be eased by creating dedicated and technically capable branch offices. However, new challenges may emerge and the impact of outsourcing on the editor in chief’s time must be researched in advance.
• The resources of OMN are modest, and capital should not be invested on less critical acquisitions without thorough research. The priority of purchasing costly equipment must be established in consultation with employees.
• The Board’s guidance in developing codes and guidelines is needed urgently. Dress codes, employment and interview procedures, inputs on embracing Oromo nationalism without promoting anarchy are needed.  Interview and employment should be done at least at the screening level by a personnel committee.
• More ways of handling and managing communications among leaders located in different cities and countries must be sought. Ideally OMN leadership should be consolidated to one focal place, say MN.
• OMN should assign or hire a permanent PR person to combat negative propaganda waged against OMN in various public fora including Facebook. Where appropriate legal action must be taken to contain illegal activities that defame OMN.
• There should be a planned gradual transition from voluntary activism of the leadership to paid employees, especially for key and more relevant offices.
• OMN programs must be more creative to diversify programs. This requires resource mobilization, outreach to several cities with large Oromo population.
• Personality clashes should be rejected when camouflaged and presented as OMN problems, especially when they look for allies in regional, religious, and political groups.
• The Board should create a “ways and means” committee to prioritize these suggested solutions, strategize their implementation, and help execute with a preset timetable. To this end, during its December 6, 2014 meeting the Board unanimously elected Dr. Ahmed Gelchu as its President and Obbo Kitaba Megersa as Board’s Secretary.

This report is available in Oromo language.
Oromia Media Network, Board of Trustees,
December 6, 2014