Author

PETER CONNORS
  • Democracy is fragile, media must wake up

    Let us be honest. The world feels a little shaky nowadays. Democracy, that word we used to say with such pride, now feels fragile. Since 2019, the global democratic landscape has seen six straight years of decline. Think about that. Six years of...

  • Democracy is fragile, media must wake up

    Let us be honest. The world feels a little shaky nowadays. Democracy, that word we used to say with such pride, now feels fragile. Since 2019, the global democratic landscape has seen six straight years of decline. Think about that. Six years of...

  • Explanatory journalism: Botswana’s antidote to disinformation and civic confusion

    In recent years, the media landscape in Botswana has undergone a profound shift. Social media platforms, podcasts, and instant messaging services have created unprecedented speed in the dissemination of news, but this rapidity often comes at the cost...

  • Patriotic journalism vs watchdog journalism: Navigating the thin line of truth

    In April 1961, the world watched in disbelief as a small fleet of exiled Cubans, backed by the United States, attempted to invade Cuba at the Bay of Pigs. The mission ended in disaster, hundreds were captured and the US military suffered a...

  • Platforms may have changed but purpose has not

    When the first printing presses arrived in Europe in the 15th Century, they sparked a revolution in the flow of knowledge, power, and accountability. Centuries later, Botswana experienced its own media awakening with the emergence of private...

  • Why Botswana journalists cannot ignore their country’s digital future

    When Parliament passed the Access to Information Act in 2024, it was hailed as a milestone for democracy. At long last, people said, there was a legal framework to demand information that for years had been locked away in dusty government files. On...

  • Beyond favour:Ministers must face the Fourth Estate

    Debates about the role of public officials in engaging with the media are not new, yet they continue to reveal tensions about the meaning of accountability in democratic societies. One such debate arose recently when one colleague suggested that...

  • When interviews become missed opportunities

    One of the first lessons drilled into journalism students is that interviews are never casual conversations. They are structured encounters where the journalist represents the public, armed with questions that demand clarity, truth, and...

  • Journalism in the disinformation age is Botswana’s test of democratic resilience

    What once passed as harmless political banter on radio call-in shows has now morphed into a high-stakes contest of narratives on social media, where rumors, conspiracy theories, and personal attacks travel faster than the truth. Not only does this...

  • Balancing respect for cultural traditions with realities of modern journalism

    Nowhere is this tension more pronounced than in the reporting of the death of prominent individuals, a moment steeped in emotion, public interest, and increasingly, misinformation. Traditionally in Botswana and across much of Africa, the passing of...

  • In the dust of Ngamiland, no algorithm could feel their pain

    Cattle, not just assets but deeply woven into the lives and identities of families, were shot and buried in mass graves. It was not just a veterinary crisis. It was an emotional one. The pain could not be fully measured in numbers. It was in the...

  • Flawed journalism vs bad journalism, why the distinction matters

    Lately, in the wake of big stories such as allegations against Bridget Motsepe in the so-called P100 billion saga, some have accused the media of being complicit in spreading lies simply for reporting on allegations that were circulating in official...

  • Botswana media must resist becoming a prop in political theatre

    His move not only stunned South Africans and thrust the media into the storm but also forced journalists to navigate competing narratives, hidden agendas and the deeper question of how far journalism should go in serving the public interest when...

  • Regulating social media without silencing citizens: Where do we draw the line?

    At the time, community radio stations and newspapers were still aspirational and the journalist was often viewed with suspicion and regarded not as a partner in development or watchdog of democracy but a threat or outsider. Unfortunately after so...

  • New dawn for community media, inclusive journalism in Botswana

    That tragic misuse of radio became a convenient deterrent for policymakers wary of allowing citizens to take to the airwaves. Yet this narrative was always one-sided. Just across the border, South Africa’s vibrant community radio sector, with over...

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