12 Dec 2016

The Minister for Presidential Affairs, Governance and Public Administration,  Mr Eric Molale, says state media serves to disseminate government policies and programmes with fairness and transparency.

Addressing Parliament during the minister’s question time on December 9, he stated that there was no need to transform state media in to public service media because there was no difference between the two.

Mr Molale explained that he had consulted with professionals from his office and he respected their opinion. He said the state and public service media served the same purpose.

MP for Gaborone Central, Dr Phenyo Butale, had asked the minister to transform state media in to public service media, which he said would allow the media to be independent and be free from government interference.

Mr Molale highlighted that contrary to the fact that some MPs believed that there was political interference on state media, the departments of broadcasting services and information services subscribed to professional reporting.

The minister stated that it should be noted that the President of Botswana was no ordinary MP hence when he was performing a duty like delivering a State of the Nation he would be broadcast live on television.

Mr Molale said in the next financial year, part of Parliament proceedings would be broadcast live on BTV.

He stated that no officer at Office of the President gave instruction directed to Mass Media Complex to cancel certain programmes and tamper with editorial decisions.

He said state media served everybody and remained unbiased by educating and informing the nation.

Dr Butale had asked the minister why BTV only aired President’s State-of-the-Nation Address, but did not air the response from MPs.

The MP further dismissed the ministers statement that there was no editorial interference at the state media stating that officers at Mass Media were told what to write and air. Dr Butale  differed with  minister’s view that there was no difference between state and public service media because international organisations had laid down the differences between the two. ENDS