26 Jun 2024

Ethical journalism and professional standards remain key in maintaining public trust and credibility.

MISA Botswana Chapter chairperson, Mr Thomas Nkhoma said this at the African Media Barometer launch in Gaborone on Monday.

He said the African Media Barometer served as a mirror for government to reflect its commitment to upholding the constitutional right to freedom of expression and information.

He said in 2008, government repealed the Media Practitioners Act by which it committed to upholding media freedom and freedom of expression in the society.

He added that the barometer held both the media and government accountable by evaluating the media landscape and further fostered accountability and transparency.

“The barometer is invaluable for policy makers, media practitioners, civil society as it informs strategies and actions to enhance media freedom and independence,” he said.

Mr Nkhoma also said the barometer assessed whether the legal and regulatory frameworks supported media freedom and whether the frameworks were implemented fairly and effectively.

“In Botswana where the media is sometimes accused of being cautious or even self-censoring the barometer findings could shed light on the underlying causes and suggest ways to address them,” he said.

Furthermore, he said the barometer promoted dialogue and engagement among different stakeholders including journalists, editors, academics, civil society representatives and government officials.

He said the inclusive approach ensured that the findings reflected diverse perspective and experience. He also said conducting the media barometer exercise aimed to benchmark Botswana’s media landscape against regional and international standards.

“The African Media Barometer uses a set of indicators aligned with the principles of the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights and other international instruments,” he said.

By comparing Botswana’s performance with other countries, he said best practices could be identified and learnt from the experience of the neighbours.

He said the report also helped to gauge how they progressed towards commitments under regional and international agreements.

Mr Nkhoma further said the exercise contributed to the empowerment of media practitioners and that the insights gained from the report could empower journalists and media houses to advocate for their rights and push for necessary reforms. ENDS