[Botswana] Media Hedges Poverty - Ntuane

from All Africa

Tshireletso Motlogelwa

Specially Elected Member of Parliament, Botsalo Ntuane, says that societies that have a free flow of information and freedom of the press tend to be less prone to poverty, under-development and civil strife. He was officiating at an occasion held in Gaborone on Saturday to mark the World Press Freedom Day.

The march, which included journalists, media practitioners, representatives of media houses and publishers, civil society, media stakeholders was organised by the Media Institute of Southern Africa, Botswana Chapter, Press Council, Botswana Editors Forum, Department of Information and Broadcasting, Botswana Media Women Association and the Journalists Association Against HIV/AIDS. Elaborating on the theme, 'Media as a Partner in Development and Poverty Eradication,' Ntuane forwarded the thesis by Nobel Prize winning Economist, Amartya Sen, who argues that there is a direct correlation between a society's lack of press freedom and democratic practice on one hand, and its propensity to be afflicted by such ills as poverty and want.

Ntuane gave examples of Somalia and Ethiopia which have had to contend with famine during droughts. Botswana and India never faced the same challenges even though they have the same climatic conditions. He urged the media to take its rightful place in the struggle against poverty in Botswana. The list of speakers included Press Council of Botswana Chairperson, Pamela Dube, Botswana Media Women Association, Patricia Kole and Tumisang Jeanie Baruti, representing Botswana National Commission for UNESCO. Kole urged the media fraternity to stand up and claim its role in development and poverty alleviation. Dube lamented the current state where the media is becoming increasingly dependent on advertising for its sustenance. She said that this has led to the media becoming more and more focused on commercial and commodity issues rather than dealing with the wider issues of social and human interest. She called on the government to assist the media to make sure that it runs in a free and economically sustainable way by removing interference of any form.

On launching the annual MISA report on the state of the media in the sub-continent, 'So This is Democracy,' University of Botswana lecturer, Amelia Malebane, expressed regret that journalists around the world still face attacks. The booklet is a barometer on the performance of the media in the southern African countries. Malebane said she was satisfied with the rate at which the media is improving in some of the countries covered. The Gaborone commemoration of the Press Day was part of a national series of rallies to mark the day held in Gantsi, Maun and Francistown. The World Press Freedom Day is observed around the world every year on the May 3.