17 Nov 2019

Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) Botswana chapter will hold its media awards event on December 5.

That was revealed at the MISA awards pre-launch session on November 14.

MISA Botswana executive director, Mr Tefo Phatshwane, said the awards would reward distinction in the media industry and encourage journalists to strive for excellence in their vocation.

“Our adjudicators, who will include media studies university lecturers, former journalists and others who have media interest other than currently practicing journalists, will look at different criteria in selecting award winners. These include the command of language and excellence of style, creativity, sensitivity on issues, originality, balanced and fair reporting among others,” Mr Phatshwane said.

He added that professional integrity, a sense of social responsibility, understanding of the context of issues and the use of communication techniques to ensure that people were able to understand the news piece were other aspects that would inform the adjudicators’ criterion.

Mr Phatshwane said they would be able to host the awards this year through assistance of various sponsors such as Botswana Housing Corporation (BHC), Botswana Fibre Networks (BoFiNet), Turnstar Holdings, Mascom, Kgalagadi Breweries Limited (KBL) and Botswana Network on Ethics Law and HIV/AIDS (BONELA).

He also encouraged media practitioners and their media houses to regularise their membership with MISA, which would assist the organ to be able to fully run its intended activities, and also urged the industry to coalesce the different media advocacy bodies into one strong organisation.

Awards that would be presented would include the coveted overall journalist of the year, chairman’s award, veteran journalist and the journalist of the year in various categories including print, photo, investigative, business, sport, broadcast journalist-radio and television, newsreader of the year, sport presenter as well as the best digital media house and digital reporter.

MISA Botswana board member, Mr Joel Konopo said the pre-launch session was meant to raise awareness about the awards and allow journalists from different media houses to intermingle. Ends