Coincidence? Me think not. Fortune is no different from Reporter.

The real estate market in Addis is inexplicably high, and it's no surprise some people find ways to get around it. They should also not be surprised, or cry foul, when they get caught. Rather than a lone Bulgarian diplomat (as reported) profiting from renting out such sizable prime real estate, let the city administration (whenever one materializes) take over and earn revenue from the property.

Fortune reported there were "currently eight residents and two companies as tenants in the compound...UNICEF is one of them." It would be interesting to know if the Ministry of Foreign Affairs also ordered this non-profit organization to vacate the premises, or if the order only applied to companies operating for-profit, such as The Sub-Saharan Informer.

perhaps not a noble step by Fortune...

But hey, such cutthroat business is ugly... a free market economy most often translates to a dog-eat-dog world... if you can't rise above the competition, bring 'em down! hack 'em down to size...

but it's good that you made this post. I'm sure atleast some of Fortune's reporters track your blog... This might just spark some guilty conscience...

Andrew

What exactly is unfortunate?
a)If it is the fact that SSI is evicted as a result of the reporting, finding a new place is a minor inconvinience. Since this government is known for its Intellgince apparatus, it is difficult for me to believe Ministru of Foreign Affairs gets a lead from a competetor to evict SSI. The government has kicked out many foreign journalists, has arrested and banned many local journalists. This seems a bit lame,soft and unlike them.
b) If the fact that everyone knew that the Bulgarian Embassy was illigally being rented (whether to SSI or UN)and you claim the Addis tribune report was unfortunate, then I beg to differ. It is valid news to me. Yes there are many things to report about - you report on what you wish and so do others, - right?. All we readers ask is hard truth and objectivity. If Addis Tribune had just this story only and no other stories about Ethiopia then you may have a point. But that is not the case here and thus yours is not a fair report on the reporting.

Andrew, what's your take on the lack of critical, in depth reporting on the tense political situation in Ethiopia? I can see why the Ethiopian reporters would keep quiet...but what about expats? In their hierarchy of needs, have they placed the need to live a privileged, pleasant life in our fair city higher than to do actual analytical, investigative reporting on the elephant in the room (political situation)...granted, I'm a "leading the witness" and casting a too-wide net with this question but I thought I'd still give it a shot

The funniest thing I have read, although not surprised a bit. Maybe a little too much kitfo in the brains does lead to such reporting, if you get my drift.

While I do not condone reporting for one's own good, I am totally against diplomatic missions stepping over their mandates. I wonder, did the Bulgarian government know about the rentals at their embassy, or was it a side job for their attaché?

Andrew,

What is your point? Are you implying Addis Fortune should report things you like but not legitimate news that irritates you and is inconvinient to your freinds at SSI? If addis Fortune's report was incorrect, then I would have said you have a point. Addis Fortune's report is accurate and important.

Furthermore, why should they accomodate their competitors by offering them space in their office? Are you for real? Would the Times newspaper offer the Guardian Newspaper a space in its building if Guardian's office was gutted by fire? I DON'T THINK SO.

Stop your patronizing attitude, brother.

Andrew wrote:

"It was hard to get that excited about a technical breach in the "norms of diplomatic engagement" with all the other things that were going on in Ethiopia."

Shall I assume you mean news about terrorist bombings is more important than news about breach of diplomatic norms? Who decides which story is worthy to report? You Mr. Heaven?

What's "patronising" about Andrew's reporting Mesfin?

The points he makes are completely valid: Why is an open secret (Bulgarian Embassy with lots of space renting out vacant offices) being reported only now?

And why does the newspaper that's reporting it omit a key fact: that one of its competitors will be harmed when the Ethiopian Foreign Ministry is forced to take action when the facts become publicised in the press?

Hi Andrew:
This is an oxymoron. Not only are you commenting on the news you sited Fortune did report, but also you are reporting on a 'follow-up' and what has happened to SSI. And how do you happen to know the outcomes to this "it wasn't really a story" and decided to do a follow-up? Just curious.
My take from your report? The renting practice is shoddy business no one should be engaged, least of all any diplomatic entity. Both the practice and the lost income to the city are harmful to healthy economic growth. It must be stopped. Indeed this is newsworthy.

Dear friends,
This is probably one of funniest debates raised on a blog. I was so interested that I even went around the office looking for last week's issue of Fortune. I do not know much of what defines a story and what doesn't but I kept grinning when i read the story. I believe that the motives of the story might be questionable because I knew tenants that lived in the compound but we cannot really know the spirit of the story unless Fortune tells us so. Fortune Please !!! end the deadlock.

Andrew-
Long time listener first time caller. All Fortune had to do was insert a line stating something to the effect "in the interest of full disclosure one of the compound's tenants was The Sub-Saharan Informer, one of AF's competitors." Having said that I'm not sure to what extent the SSI is Fortune's competitor--if Capital were a tenant the link would've been less speculative. Fortune should nevertheless share the love and provide the good folks at SSI a couple of rooms in its spacious offices; after all Fortune and the compound share the same zip code. The story is newsworthy on both ends--Fortune's and Meskel's.

Andrew,
The reason I find it hard to wrap my mind around your post is your implication--this accusation by one journalist about another--that Fortune had no other purpose with its reporting than to run a competitor out of business. If that were the case, why didn't they do it sooner?

The other issue you raise is that the story did not mention SSI was a tenant. As Shakespeare's Brutus said about his co-conspirators' suspicious behavior: "Hide it in smiles and affability." And look what happened to Caesar. If the story had mentioned SSI were tenants, Fortune would have been accused of masking its evil schemes with seeming honesty.

Of course, my opinion comes a week late, and perhaps I'm just…

MissTaken

HI,

I would love to meet you in person, andrew you are an interesting character?

Are you a land lord too?

Typo or is fortune now Addis tribune Danny? I thought Addis Tribune chickened out over a yr and some months ago. And another Q: Do other ex-communist conuntries' gov'ts still rent houses which were confisicated from individuals? Or better yet, do ex-communist rebels, regional or national, own political party monopoly companies anywhere else in the world?

Good job Andrew,

If doing any kind of business by the Embassy is illegal, then every tenant should be forced out.

And the way to do it is for the Ministry to deal with the Embassy regarding its breach of diplomatic code, then for the Embassy, which has a contractual agreement (however quasi-illegal) with the tenants, to apologize and get them out.

To single-out SSI, and order them out the next day? and directly by the Ministry? Something fishy here!