Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
05GABORONE154
2005-02-02 05:14:00
UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
Embassy Gaborone
Cable title:  

CHALLENGES FACING BOTSWANA'S MEDIA

Tags:  PGOV PHUM BC 
pdf how-to read a cable
This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 GABORONE 000154 

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE

AF/S FOR DIFFILY, AF/PD FOR DALTON

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PHUM BC
SUBJECT: CHALLENGES FACING BOTSWANA'S MEDIA

REF: (A) 04 GABORONE 1506 (B) GABORONE 56

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 GABORONE 000154

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE

AF/S FOR DIFFILY, AF/PD FOR DALTON

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PHUM BC
SUBJECT: CHALLENGES FACING BOTSWANA'S MEDIA

REF: (A) 04 GABORONE 1506 (B) GABORONE 56


1. (U) SUMMARY: While Botswana enjoys a relatively free
press, public and privately-owned media face a number of
challenges. State-owned outlets, the primary source of news
for most Batswana, generally feature uncritical reporting on
the government and are susceptible to political
interference. Independent news sources struggle with slim
resources, low professional standards, and strict government
controls on access to information. Public and private media
institutions have made attempts to address these
difficulties with limited success. U.S. assistance in the
form of funding to train journalists, sponsoring exchange
programs, or advocating press freedom, remains important to
sustain and expand this pillar of democracy in Botswana.
END SUMMARY

--------------
PUBLIC MEDIA DOMINATE
--------------


2. (U) The public media dominate the supply of news and
information in Botswana. The GOB-owned Radio Botswana
covers almost all of the country and is the primary source
of news for most Batswana. Radio Botswana 2 provides sports
and entertainment programming. The government distributes
the Daily News newspaper (circulation 65,000) free of charge
Monday through Friday. In 2000, the GOB established
Botswana Television, which produces its own news and current
events programming.

--------------
PUBLIC MEDIA PERCEIVED AS PRO-GOVERNMENT
--------------


3. (U) While the state-owned media enjoy greater resources
than their private-sector counterparts, they are often seen
as providing pro-government reporting. In June 2002, then
Minister for Presidential Affairs and Public Administration
Daniel Kwelagobe remarked that Radio Botswana "is there to
broadcast and disseminate government policies and programs."
Critics dubbed BTV "BDP-TV" for its tendency to favor the
ruling Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) in its coverage of
the 2004 election campaign. Other recent complaints
involved the cancellation of programs or columns that were
perceived to give greater voice to dissenting opinions (Ref
A).

-------------- --------------
PUBLIC MEDIA SUSCEPTIBLE TO POLITICAL MANIPULATION
-------------- --------------


4. (U) Contacts in and out of government report a concern
about the potential for political manipulation. In August

2004, then Minister for Communications, Science and
Technology (MCST) Boyce Sebetela told the press that the
state-owned media were "government departments falling under
the direct control of a minister." This attitude of tight
control over the state-owned media appears to have cost BTV
some talented young journalists who reportedly resigned in
frustration with perceived mismanagement by the Government.
A contact at the MCST indicated that, during the 2004
electoral campaign, reporters frequently expressed anxiety
about whether their coverage would offend a member of
parliament or minister. Another official at a state-owned
medium indicated that before the Mogae administration,
ministers had routinely interfered in editorial decisions.
While President Mogae is generally perceived as appreciating
the importance of a free press, contacts expressed some
apprehension about what might happen after he resigns,
probably during the next three years.


5. (U) The independence of state-owned media, or lack
thereof, is not uniform, however. The MCST exercises less
control over editorial decisions at the Daily News, for
example, than at BTV. While the Ministry established a
policy governing BTV's coverage of political rallies during
the 2004 electoral campaign, the Daily News was not hampered
by such restrictions.


6. (SBU Noforn) In an interview with the independent
Monitor newspaper published on January 10, 2005, former MCST
Minister Sebetela depicted some of his more controversial
decisions as coming from the cabinet rather than himself.
Sebetela refused to say whether he agreed with the December
2003 cancellation of the radio call-in show Masa-a-sele, in
which callers frequently criticized the government, for use
of profanity. He stated that he merely implemented a
cabinet decision. Although this interview's objective was
probably to improve his own image, Sebetela's account
accords with other reports that senior cabinet officals, not
Sebetela, were the source of tension between the government
and the media (Ref B). This suggests that skepticism about
thoroughgoing freedom of the press is not limited to a few
aberrant ministers.

--------------
INDEPENDENT PRESS: RELATIVELY FREE BUT FLAWED
--------------


7. (U) Although Botswana's independent media enjoy relative
freedom, they generally do not provide high- quality
reporting. Botswana's ten privately-owned newspapers are
the primary source of independent news in Botswana. Their
combined circulation, according to the publications
themselves, exceeds 183,000-and, as everywhere on this
continent, one edition has multiple readers. Despite
complaints that the GOB has withheld advertising to punish
dissent, they did not shy away from criticizing government
policies and personalities. Their article, however,
frequently included grammatical mistakes, factual errors,
and insufficient distinction between reporting and
editorializing. Since little investigative journalism
occurs, most articles are based on press releases, press
conferences, hearsay and/or speculation.

--------------
LACK OF RESOURCES COMPOUNDS PROBLEMS
--------------


8. (U) Funding is the biggest difficulty facing privately-
owned newspapers. Aside from South African chain-stores
with branches in Gaborone, there is relatively little
commercial demand for advertising. Consequently, government
agencies have been the most important buyers of advertising
space. The 2003 decision to begin selling advertising space
in the Daily News created new pressure on these papers
because the state-owned publication could easily underbid
them. According to the Managing Editor of Mmegi, the
leading independent paper, revenues from government ads fell
from 25 percent to 2 percent of Mmegi's advertisement income
in the last twelve months.


9. (U) Lack of resources contributes to problems in the
quality of reporting these independent media can provide.
Budgets for travel and training typically are limited,
restricting opportunities to investigate stories or upgrade
skills. Given Botswana's small and tightly interwoven
elite, journalists are reluctant to investigate stories that
might offend individuals in a position to cut off access to
advertising revenue or information.

--------------
GOB GENERALLY NOT FORTHCOMING
--------------


10. (U) While the GOB generally respects freedom of the
press, its tendency toward secrecy limits the degree to
which the press can act as a watchdog. Despite a
recommendation by the Ombudsman in 1999, the GOB has yet to
implement freedom of information legislation. When a
controversy concerning defense spending arose in the mid-
1990s, then Minister for Presidential Affairs Ponatshego
Kedikilwe asserted that it was "unacceptable" to expect him
to answer a question about reported military purchases from
other countries. A series of corruption scandals in the
early 1990s produced no ironclad protection for
whistleblowers but enhanced controls on official
information.

--------------
MASS MEDIA BILL: THE CUDGEL BEHIND THE DOOR
--------------


11. (U) In addition to its reluctance to share information
with the press, the Government has been weighing a proposed
mass media bill that would increase its power to regulate
the media. The prospect of a legislative clampdown has
loomed over the media since 1997. Former Minister Sebetela,
himself no friend of the private media, described the bill's
provisions, including the registration of newspapers and
searches of newspaper offices by police officers, as
"draconian." The Media Advisory Committee, chaired by the
MCST Minister, has begun work on a new draft bill acceptable
to the private press. This has led some insiders to
conclude that the immediate threat has passed. The
Government resurrected the bill in 2001 when it appeared to
be dead, however, and could do so again if the media push
their rights too far.
--------------
CONCENTRATED OWNERSHIP A LIABILITY
--------------


12. (U) Concentration of ownership characterizes the
private media. The Mmegi Publishing Trust, which owns
leading independent newspapers Mmegi and Monitor, also owns
Setswana-language weekly Mokgosi and has a majority stake in
the firm that owns the Midweek Sun and the Guardian. In
addition, it is part owner of independent radio station Gabz
FM. According to a senior manager at a paper owned by Mmegi
Publishing Trust, the former MCST Minister had indicated the
GOB's intention to enact anti-trust legislation targeting
this company in an effort to undermine its dominant position
in the private media sector. He had not heard whether the
current minister intended to pursue this tactic as well.

--------------
NEW MINISTER FOR COMMUNICATION
--------------


13. (U) After the October 30, 2004 parliamentary election,
Pelonomi Venson replaced Sebetela as Minister of
Communication, Science and Technology. Minister Venson
began her tenure by hosting a series of consultations with
stakeholders in the various sectors she oversees. While
some welcomed this gesture of openness, other contacts were
confident that she would eventually adopt an adversarial
mode like her predecessor. Nonetheless, one media
interlocutor noted that the Minister had expressed concern
to her about the lack of trust between politicians and
journalists and had sought her ideas on how to bridge that
gap, suggesting that her outreach might be more than just a
gesture.


14. (U) An incident of alleged editorial interference in
late January illustrated the sensitivity surrounding the
operations of the state media. After viewing a television
news bulletin, Minister Venson reportedly contacted the news
editors over her concerns that a particular story might
expose BTV to liability for defamation. She denied any
intention to interfere with the public media but conceded
that her ministry is responsible for "gate-keeping". As
long as a cabinet minister exercises such direct oversight,
suspicions that she will abuse that authority to bias media
coverage personal or partisan political interests will be
inevitable.

--------------
EFFORTS TO IMPROVE STATE AND PRIVATE MEDIA
--------------


15. (U) The public and private media took steps in 2004 to
address their respective shortcomings. On December 21, the
National Broadcasting Board (NBB),an autonomous body
composed of members from civil society and the private
sector, licensed Radio Botswana. The NBB will now monitor
the content of the state-owned broadcaster to ensure that it
adheres to the provisions of the license. It plans to
license Radio Botswana 2 and BTV, perhaps as early as 2006.
Earlier in 2004, the independent media established a Media
Complaints and Appeals Committee to provide a mechanism by
which media professionals themselves can deal with
accusations of unethical behavior.

--------------
ENDURING CHALLENGES
--------------


16. (U) Better training is a key ingredient to improving
the quality of journalism in Botswana. Unfortunately, the
state of media education is poor. The University of
Botswana's Media Studies Department is only three years old.
It has relied on several American Fulbright professors and
journalists on Knight and McGee fellowships to fill its many
vacant teaching positions. The department also has suffered
a lack of leadership after one chairperson died suddenly and
was replaced by an acting head from another country who will
soon give way to a successor who lacks a background in
journalism. The fledgling department struggles to teach
young people the nuts and bolts of print and broadcast
journalism.

--------------
COMMENT
--------------


17. (U) Botswana's media sector clearly needs assistance.
The challenges facing the public and private media are
complex, entrenched and long-term. U.S. assistance through
PD programs has nurtured freedom of the press and its
attendant responsibilities in this country. The U.S. should
continue to sustain and help to expand press freedom in
Botswana. More exchanges involving journalists, funds for
training and speaker programs, digital video conferences,
and continued free press advocacy can fill crucial voids in
supporting an effective media that can deepen the roots of
democracy in Botswana.

HUGGINS