Mmegi

Botswana’s media is not the enemy - It’s a mirror of our society

WPFD commemorations at Mass Media complex
WPFD commemorations at Mass Media complex

For the second time President Duma Boko has declared that “90% of Botswana’s media reports are false.” A statement like this especially coming from the highest office in the land, reverberates far beyond the walls where it was uttered.

It lands in every newsroom, echoes through every WhatsApp group where people share links and lingers in the mind of every citizen trying to make sense of the world through the headlines they read. Now, to be clear, the media in Botswana is not perfect. No media system in the world is. But, suggestions that nearly all of it is untrustworthy paint an entire profession with a careless brush.

It simplifies a complicated reality and worse, erodes public trust in one of the key institutions of any democracy, a free and independent press.

Editor's Comment
Our digital safety is in our hands

That sounds like good news. But the report also warns that this may simply be because our digital economy is still young, not because we are safe. As more people shop, bank and pay online, criminals will follow.We Batswana do not need a report to tell us that danger is real. Many of us have heard of or fallen victim to KYC scams. A caller impersonates your bank or mobile money provider. They say they need to “verify” your account. They ask...

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