The survey rates the level of political rights and civil liberties in 195 countries and 14 related and disputed territories during 2012. Based on these ratings, countries are divided into three categories: Free, Partly Free, and Not Free. A Free country is one where there is broad scope for open political competition, a climate of respect for civil liberties, significant independent civic life, and independent media. Partly Free countries are characterised by some restrictions on political rights and civil liberties, often in a context of corruption, weak rule of law, ethnic strife, or civil war. A Not Free country is one where rights are absent, and basic civil liberties are widely and systematically denied.
This ranking notwithstanding, opposition parties and the Media Institute of Southern Africa have launched a relentless campaign to solidify Botswana's press freedom by adopting a robust freedom of information regime.The Freedom House report coincides with that of the Brookings Institution which convened its World Governance Forum in Prague late last year. The latter's shows that in itself, freedom of speech is not enough, buttressing a viewpoint taking hold around the world that "freedom after speech" is more crucial. Technically, all countries have freedom of speech/press but what matters more is what consequences follow the airing of views that those in power are unhappy with.
One of the issues that was raised at the Prague Forum was that in some countries, state advertising is used as a weapon against the media. This has been the Botswana experience. Unhappy with the journalism of Botswana Guardian and Midweek Sun, the government instructed all its ministries, departments and parastatal organisations to stop advertising with the two newspapers.
