As Botswana gears up for the 2024 General Election, concerns emerge over the state of the country's media landscape, with industry leaders highlighting significant hurdles that threaten traditional journalism.
In a poignant address at the launch of the African Barometer Botswana 2023, Titus Mbuya, Managing Director of Dikgang Publishing Company, painted a stark picture of the challenges facing Botswana's print media as the elections loom large. Mbuya lamented the reducing capacity of newspapers to cover such significant events, attributing it to their declining profitability in the face of digital dominance. "This year, newspapers are not going to be able to cover the General Election as they always did in the past, the space for newspapers is diminished because newspapers are no longer profitable," said Mbuya.
Mbuya pointed to the digital shift as a major factor in this decline. "The future of print lies in digital platforms. Newspapers traditionally relied on selling their audience to advertisers. However, the rise of digital giants like Facebook and Google has disrupted this model, these tech giants dominate the digital advertising space, leaving newspapers struggling to compete and attract advertisers," he explained. Highlighting the impact on local coverage, Mbuya lamented the closure of regional bureaus. "Mmegi, for example, had bureaus in three northern towns that we have had to close due to financial constraints. This means we can no longer cover those areas adequately," he noted. Furthermore, Mbuya says investigative journalism, that was once a pillar of newspapers, is also under threat. "Newspapers can no longer afford dedicated investigative desks. This has severely limited our ability to uncover corruption and hold the powerful accountable, the working conditions for journalists have also deteriorated as revenues decline, leading to a loss of experienced reporters in newsrooms," Mbuya added.
Kabo Ramasia, a board member of the Media Institute for Southern Africa (MISA), echoed concerns about the media environment in Botswana. "Media freedom in Botswana is becoming more restricted, and journalism is also to an extent compromised, the other challenge is that over the years the media has been losing a large number of experienced Journalists either to the private sector or public sector because of the issue of remuneration, there is a popular believe that Journalists do not get paid well and that is a fact, that is why we are losing experienced journalists to greener pastures, hence why you'd find newsrooms managed by the less experienced and that creates a gap," said Ramasia.
Despite these challenges, both Mbuya and Ramasia emphasised the enduring relevance of newspapers. "Newspapers still play a crucial role, particularly in investigative journalism, studies have shown that newspapers are unmatched in uncovering corruption and addressing issues of public interest," Mbuya remarked.
Looking ahead, Mbuya called for sustainable solutions to support the vital role of newspapers in Botswana's media landscape. "The public interest served by journalism is a public good, adressing the market failure facing newspapers requires innovative approaches to ensure their viability and safeguard the integrity of our media," he asserted.
