SECTOR 2 2.6 Government promotes a diverse media landscape with economically viable and independent media outlets. Rather than supporting economically sustainable and independent media outlets, government seems to act in a way that “reduces diversity in the media and promotes violence against the media… the state is increasingly closing the space for independent thought”. “...the state is increasingly closing the space for independent thought”. The government has never provided grants or loans to the private media and has not made any effort to protect small media outlets. The state has not made any effort to develop legislation for community broadcasters. “The emergence of the private media in Botswana just came about while the state was sleeping. Now the government is having second thoughts. It’s harder to establish radio stations and community broadcasting seems like it may not see the light of day.” The offer by private broadcasters to pay rent to share state infrastructure, notably transmitter towers, has not been accepted, and so private broadcasters spend millions of Pula erecting their own infrastructure. This is in contrast to the telecommunications industry, where there is a sharing of infrastructure among mobile phone companies and the state. “Private media entities are seen by the state as ‘troublesome children’ but the current legislation does not allow the government to de-register them.” “Private media entities are seen by the state as ‘troublesome children’...” The ruling BDP has directly and repeatedly threatened private radio stations that are seen to be too critical of the party. The president has told the private media that he does not read local newspapers because they publish “rubbish”. There is concern among the private media that the president is cut-off from the local media and is only informed by his advisors about private media reports that are negative about him and/or the government, and, thus, he is not getting a balanced picture of the industry. “The government controls 70 percent of the Botswana economy and the remaining 30 percent is an extension of government: this power affects the media space, making it less diverse and less liberated.” AFRICAN MEDIA BAROMETER BOTSWANA 2011 31