Tewodros Workneh

Téwodros (Teddy) Workneh, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor of Global Communication at Kent State University. Before joining Kent State, he worked as a Postdoctoral Fellow at the School of Journalism and Communication at the University of Oregon. He graduated with a Bachelor of Education in English from Dilla College of Teacher Education and Health Sciences in 2004 and earned a Master of Arts in Journalism and Communication from Addis Ababa University in 2007, both in his native Ethiopia. In 2014, Téwodros completed his doctoral degree in Communication & Society with a concentration in global communication from the University of Oregon.

Téwodros’s research agenda broadly looks at global media flows and the role of transnational media industries in the production, distribution and consumption of communication resources through critical political economy and postcolonial approaches. Specifically, his research has examined historical and contemporary tenets of state-media relations in Ethiopia and amongst the Ethiopian diaspora from policymaking, legislative, and regulatory standpoints. Some of his recent studies have interrogated culinary adventure reality television shows and the portrayal of African destinations and foodways. His articles have appeared on reputable peer-reviewed journals with interdisciplinary foci including The International Journal of Communication, Communication, Culture & Critique, Journalism Studies, and Review of African Political Economy, Information, Communication & Society, Media, Culture, & Society. Téwodros published several book chapters and co-edited a book under the title Counter-Terrorism Laws and Freedom of Expression: Global Perspectives (Rowman & Littlefield). The book examines how global counter-terrorism laws have conditioned communication patterns, especially as it pertains to individual and institutional political speech. Amidst an alarming retreat of the democratic order, the book offers a critical insight into how counter-terrorism laws have curtailed freedom of expression in various facets of mediated communication involving journalism practice, digital citizenship, privacy, surveillance as well as online activism.

Since joining Kent State, Téwodros taught courses such as International Communication, Communication Research Methods, Communication Theories, Intercultural Communication, Travel & Transmedia Storytelling, and Media, Food, and Foodways. He also led several graduate seminars in different occasions, including Theories of Communication, Intercultural and International Communication, Communication in a Global Society, and Foundations of Communication & Information Inquiry.

Recent Publications

Workneh, T. W. (2025). Political transition and the evolution of media capture in Ethiopia: Revisiting the viability of the polarised pluralist model. In H. M. Mabweazara & B. Pearson (Eds.), Media capture in Africa and Latin America: Power and resistance (pp. 59–80). Springer Nature Switzerland. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-68962-8_3

Workneh, T. W. (2024). Ethiopia: media landscape, emerging trends, and future prospects. In A.K. Schapals and C. Pentzold. Media compass: A companion to international media landscapes (pp. 411-421). Wiley Blackwell.

Workneh, T. W. (2024). From state repression to fear of non-state actors: Examining emerging threats of journalism practice in Ethiopia. In O. Westlund, R. Krøvel, & K. S. Orgeret (Eds.), Journalism and safety: An introduction to the field (pp. 321–330). Routledge.

LeJeune, H. J., & Workneh, T. W. (2024). The construction of human rights narratives in the 2022 World Cup: A critical examination of US and Qatari news coverage. Communication & Sport. https://doi.org/10.1177/21674795241230849

Workneh, T. W. (2023). The promises and limitations of journalism education in Ethiopia. In B. Mutsvairo, S. Bebawi, and E. Borges-Rey. The Routledge companion to journalism in the global south (pp. 146-155). Routledge.

Workneh, T. W. (2022). Telecommunications and broadcasting deregulation in Ethiopia: A dialectical discussion of policy and politics. In W. Mano and L. El Mkaouar (Eds.), Media ownership in Africa in the digital age: Challenges, continuity & change (pp. 99–118). Routledge.

Workneh, T. W. (2022). Pandemic politics and Africa: Examining discourses of Afrophobia in the news media. Journal of African Media Studies, 14(1), 159-176. https://doi.org/10.1386/jams_00071_1 

Workneh, T. W., & Steeves, H. L. (2020). State monopoly of telecommunications in Ethiopia: Revisiting natural monopoly in the era of deregulation. In R. Nichols & G. Martinez (Eds.), Political economy of media industries: Global transformations and challenges (pp. 127–147). New York & London: Routledge.

Workneh, T. W. (2019). Exotica Africana: Interrogating African otherness in Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern. Popular Communication: The International Journal of Media and Culture, 1–17. https://doi.org/10.1080/1461670X.2019.1634484

Workneh, T. W. (2019). Journalistic autonomy in Voice of America’s Amharic service: Actors, deterrents, and safeguards. Journalism Studies, 1–19. https://doi.org/10.1080/1461670X.2019.1634484

Workneh, T. W., & Steeves, H. L. (2019). Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown in Africa: Cultural brokerage, “going native,” and colonial nostalgia. International Journal of Communication, 13, 5525–5547. https://ijoc.org/index.php/ijoc/article/view/11895

Workneh, T. W. (2019). Counter-terrorism in Ethiopia: Manufacturing insecurity, monopolizing speech. Internet Policy Review, 8(1). https://doi.org/10.14763/2019.1.1394