# Ethiopia: Economist correspondent Tom Gardner expelled

Published 2026-09-23. Last reviewed 2026-09-22. 2 sources.

Status: in effect, as of 2026-09-22.

What we don't know: The sources reviewed do not specify which standards of conduct the authority said Gardner failed to meet.

Ethiopia's media regulator revoked The Economist correspondent Tom Gardner's press accreditation and gave him 48 hours to leave the country, citing unspecified conduct, almost a year after expelling a New York Times reporter.[1][2][3]

- Country: [Ethiopia](https://thewaronnews.com/countries/et) (RSF 2026 rank: 148th of 180)
- Where: ET
- Level of government: National
- Tactic: Expulsion and visa denial
- Stage: Punish (ladder: https://thewaronnews.com/ladders/expulsion_and_visa_denial#stage-punish)
- Ladder note: Ethiopia gave a foreign correspondent 48 hours to leave over unspecified conduct, the second such expulsion in a year; the White House ban restricted access to the briefing room, not to the country itself.
- Head of government at the time: [Abiy Ahmed](https://thewaronnews.com/leaders/abiy-ahmed)
- Issue of the day: Not stated in the sources reviewed.
- Outcome: Sustained, May 13, 2022. The expulsion was carried out and was not reported as reversed in the sources reviewed.
- Era: The 2020s

## What happened

On May 13, 2022, Ethiopia's Media Authority revoked the press accreditation of Tom Gardner, a correspondent for The Economist who had reported from the country for several years, and ordered him to leave within 48 hours. The authority said Gardner had failed to meet unspecified standards of conduct for journalists; weeks earlier, in March 2022, officials had accused him of posting information on social media that was not properly sourced or supported by government authorities. Gardner's expulsion came almost a year after Ethiopian authorities similarly expelled New York Times correspondent Simon Marks in May 2021, during the country's civil war with forces from the Tigray region. The Economist said Gardner's reporting on Ethiopia had been professional and unbiased.[1][2][3]

Closed; Gardner left the country within the 48-hour deadline.[1][2][3]

## What reason was given

"failed to live to [the] standards of conduct for journalists"[1]

## What changed for reporting

The expulsion removed one of the few remaining Western correspondents reporting on Ethiopia's civil war from inside the country, following a similar expulsion the year before.[2]

## Timeline

- 2022-05-13: Ethiopia: Economist correspondent Tom Gardner expelled

## Who acted

| Name | Role in this incident | Office at the time |
| --- | --- | --- |
| [Abiy Ahmed](https://thewaronnews.com/actors/abiy-ahmed) | other | Prime Minister of Ethiopia |
| [Ethiopian Media Authority](https://thewaronnews.com/actors/ethiopian-media-authority) | other | Broadcast and media regulator |

## Outlets and journalists

| Name | Kind | Relation |
| --- | --- | --- |
| [The Economist](https://thewaronnews.com/outlets/the-economist) | outlet | affected |
| [The New York Times](https://thewaronnews.com/outlets/new-york-times) | outlet | affected |
| [Simon Marks](https://thewaronnews.com/journalists/simon-marks) | journalist, The New York Times | affected |
| [Tom Gardner](https://thewaronnews.com/journalists/tom-gardner) | journalist, The Economist | affected |

## Sources

1. Ethiopia expels Economist correspondent Tom Gardner. https://cpj.org/2022/05/ethiopia-expels-economist-correspondent-tom-gardner/ (Committee to Protect Journalists, 2022-05-16).
2. Ethiopia expels The Economist correspondent - Africa - World. https://english.ahram.org.eg/UI/Front/Inner.aspx?NewsContentID=466313 (Ahram Online (AFP wire), 2022-05-16).

## Claims cited

[1] The regulator's stated reason for revoking accreditation. Quote: "failed to live to [the] standards of conduct for journalists" Source: Committee to Protect Journalists, 2022-05-16. Ethiopia expels Economist correspondent Tom Gardner. https://cpj.org/2022/05/ethiopia-expels-economist-correspondent-tom-gardner/ Claim: https://thewaronnews.com/claims/536, checked 2026-09-22.

[2] The outlet's response to the expulsion. Quote: "Gardner's reporting on Ethiopia has been professional, unbiased and often courageous." Source: Committee to Protect Journalists, 2022-05-16. Ethiopia expels Economist correspondent Tom Gardner. https://cpj.org/2022/05/ethiopia-expels-economist-correspondent-tom-gardner/ Claim: https://thewaronnews.com/claims/537, checked 2026-09-22.

[3] Reference tying Gardner's case to the earlier expulsion of a New York Times reporter. Quote: "Gardner's expulsion came almost a year after Ethiopian authorities similarly expelled New York Times reporter Simon Marks" Source: Committee to Protect Journalists, 2022-05-16. Ethiopia expels Economist correspondent Tom Gardner. https://cpj.org/2022/05/ethiopia-expels-economist-correspondent-tom-gardner/ Claim: https://thewaronnews.com/claims/638, checked 2026-09-22.

Source page: https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2022-ethiopia-expels-tom-gardner. The War On News, CC BY 4.0.