05 Dec 2022

The mushrooming of online publications, most of which tend to publish untruths, has become a cause for concern. 

The onus is now on the media fraternity to help come up with remedial solution to this challenge, said Minister for State President, Mr Kabo Morwaeng when officiating at MISA Botswana awards ceremony in Gaborone on Thursday.

“We can only track these developments with your assistance and guidance,” said the minister, adding that the growth of social media presented a threat to democracy worldwide. 

Mr Morwaeng said, although all were committed to development of the country from different perspectives and roles, government had a responsibility to ensure the media operated within a conducive environment.

Despite improving relations between the government and private media, the minister said such did not mean the absence of different opinions. 

“…we are friends of the media, which sometimes looks at issues differently. Let this be understood to be a true measure of democracy in Botswana; a consultative democracy,” Mr Morwaeng said.

In the same vein, Mr Morwaeng said government also had a task of protecting citizens from the media. 

“The recently passed media law, which was a consequence of a thorough consultative process, seeks to find a balance of these two; the inalienable right of the media to report freely without fear or favour and the right of ordinary citizens to fair and truthful reporting,” he added.

The Media Practitioners Association Act of 2022 strikes a balance between government’s responsibility to the citizenry and the long-held belief that the media should self-regulate, therefore, the minister said government’s involvement should not be seen as an attempt to restrict media freedom.

Mr Morwaeng applauded government for recent developments that included a media hub, which was undergoing refurbishments at the Mass Media Complex.  The facility will not only benefit the state media but also the private and creative industries.

For his part, MISA Botswana chairperson, Mr Mboki Chilisa, said the return of the awards was an opportunity to celebrate achievements of various media houses and journalists. 

He said this year’s event was broadened to include digital media platforms, which were becoming more dominant, non-governmental organisations and trade unions.

Mr Chilisa said the regulatory frame work had also evolved with data protection and various pieces of legislation that regulated electronic media platforms.

Meanwhile, several media houses and journalists received awards for their hard work. Among the recipients was Yarona FM reporter, Mr Katlego Rakola, who received the Overall Best Journalist of the Year award.

Sunday Standard’s Mpho Kuhlmann won two awards; the Best Feature of the Year and Best Reporter on HIVAIDS while Chairman’s Award went to Mr Spencer Mogapi. Ends