03/05/2026
๐๐/๐๐/๐๐
๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐
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๐จ๐ซ ๐๐ฆ๐ฆ๐๐๐ข๐๐ญ๐ ๐๐๐ฅ๐๐๐ฌ๐
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๐๐จ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐๐ฆ๐จ๐ซ๐๐ญ๐ข๐ฏ๐ ๐๐ญ๐๐ญ๐๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ญ: ๐๐จ๐ซ๐ฅ๐ ๐๐ซ๐๐ฌ๐ฌ ๐
๐ซ๐๐๐๐จ๐ฆ ๐๐๐ฒ ๐๐๐๐
๐๐ก๐ ๐๐จ๐ญ๐ฌ๐ฐ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐๐ข๐ญ๐จ๐ซ๐ฌ ๐
๐จ๐ซ๐ฎ๐ฆ (๐๐๐
) ๐ฃ๐จ๐ข๐ง๐ฌ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ ๐ฅ๐จ๐๐๐ฅ ๐๐จ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ง๐ข๐ญ๐ฒ ๐ญ๐จ๐๐๐ฒ ๐ข๐ง ๐๐จ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐๐ฆ๐จ๐ซ๐๐ญ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐จ๐ซ๐ฅ๐
๐๐ซ๐๐ฌ๐ฌ ๐
๐ซ๐๐๐๐จ๐ฆ ๐๐๐ฒ.
This day serves as a vital global reminder to governments of their obligation to uphold press freedom. It is a moment for us as the media fraternity to take stock of our progress, defend editorial
independence, and honor those we have lost in the line of duty. We pause to celebrate the resilience
of the local media, which continues to make significant strides despite prevailing and emerging
challenges.
This yearโs theme, "Shaping a Future at Peace: Promoting Press Freedom for Human Rights,
Development, and Security," underscores that democracy cannot thrive without a free press. It
allows us to appreciate that Botswana remains committed to maintaining an environment where the
press can operate freely. We remain acutely aware of the high stakes in todayโs rapidly changing
media landscape. The rise of "fake news," disinformation, and misinformation makes it more critical than ever for the press to fulfill its role as a watchdog, ensuring citizens are well-informed active
participants in their democracy.
We call upon all stakeholders, including corporate entities, the government, and society at large, to
remember that press freedom is a collective interest. Without a free flow of information, businesses
cannot prosper and society will be negatively impacted. As the global and domestic economy face
geopolitical headwinds, the necessity of a vibrant press becomes even more apparent.
Our Pledges and Calls to Action:
ยท To Editors: We urge all editors to ensure their newsrooms adhere to the highest ethical
standards. Continuous learning is essential, particularly in navigating the impact of Artificial
Intelligence on journalism. We encourage vigilance to ensure AI is used to enhance
credibility, not compromise it.
ยท To Publishers: We encourage publishers to remunerate talent fairly to ensure
motivation, retention, and innovation in a highly competitive environment. We encourage
newsroom policies that guide journalistic work including around emerging technologies. We
also advocate for greater editorial independence, especially where business interests may
conflict with editorial integrity.
ยท To the Government: We call for a conducive media environment, free from overt or inadvertent interference, to ensure a thriving press in the face of shifting global geopolitics.
Following the change in political leadership in 2024, we remain optimistic about the future of
our media environment. We look forward to the review of the Media Bill, 2025, which is expected to be tabled before Parliament during the winter sitting, this July. This progressive piece of legislation seeks to establish a self-regulatory body, protect media sources, and establish a Media Development Fund. While we welcome these reforms, we must acknowledge the challenges of the past few years. We acknowledge the sometimes- adversarial relationship between government and the media punctuated by media advertising sanctions against critics, the use of punitive pieces of legislation and increasing SLAPP (Strategic lawsuit against public participation) damages reaching millions of p**a, arbitrary arrests and investigations as well as public utterances that disparage the press, leading to self-censorship and a decline in critical or investigative reportage. These issues and a combination
of a struggling domestic economy and the ripple effects of global conflicts, such as the wars
in Ukraine and the Middle East have not helped the industry. To this end we have seen
Botswanaโs position in the global World Press Freedom Index decline since 2013, falling
from 40th to 81st place out of 180 as at last year. We therefore hope to see not only a change
in the posture of government when engaging the media but also tangible changes in the media
environment in the actualization of the envisioned reforms.
Finally on this day, we reaffirm our commitment to a free, independent, and professional press as a
cornerstone of Botswana's democracy.
