Most publications are centered in urban areas or places with high population concentrations. Most newspaper houses either distribute their newspapers themselves or use other means such as subscriptions, use of courier services and various forms of public transport. The situation could improve since a company from the Mmegi stable – BONESA - has recently been established as a distribution agency. South African newspapers appear to enjoy better distribution than the local papers, probably because it is cheaper for the South Africans with their established networks and large population to penetrate the market than it is for small publications. In addition, there are instances where South African owned trading outlets refuse to sell local newspapers - either because this is a management decision or because the shop management has been instructed to stock certain newspapers and are not aware of the existence of local papers that they could also sell. It was further noted that, generally, investigative journalism appears to be lacking and that news content in most newspapers is largely the same. One of the panelists argued that where there is a major issue of national or regional importance, this tends to happen even among leading publications in the world and that it is not only true of Botswana. Panelists stated that, given the scattered distribution and the small size of the population, it would take a long time for specialized publications to evolve in Botswana and that the tendency to have general newspapers will stay with us for a long time. Newspapers in Botswana are generally affordable as they are cheaper than a loaf of bread, an internationally accepted form of measuring the affordability of newspapers. SCORES: Individual scores: Average score: 2.2 2, 2, 3, 3, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2 2.2 Citizens’ access to domestic and international media sources is not restricted by state authorities. ANALYSIS: Access to media sources is not restricted. In any case, it would be difficult to stop any published material from entering Botswana. SCORES: Individual scores: Average score: 2.3 4, 4, 5, 4, 5, 5, 4, 4, 5, 5 4.5 Efforts are undertaken to increase the scope of circulation of the print media, particularly to rural communities. ANALYSIS: Given the fact, mentioned above, that Botswana’s small population is thinly spread over a vast area, this is a serious challenge for the local media, particularly with regard to rural communities. Even the government is finding it difficult to distribute its publications to every corner of the country. So This Is Democracy? 2005 -194- Media Institute of Southern Africa