3. 4. 5. 6. 7. that Botswana could become a dictatorship as MPs are no longer allowed to express their views as before. Failure to establish a journalists’ union. The strike has highlighted the media’s shortcomings in terms of biased reporting. The private media appears fixated on the President and there is not enough diversity of content. The victimisation of state media practitioners: outspoken staff are transferred and harassed. There are several defamation lawsuits against the media. ACTION PLAN 2011 TO 2013 ACTIVITY RESPONSIBILITY ACCESS TO INFORMATION: The team MISA-Botswana tasked with cleaning up the Private Member’s Bill / Access to Information Bill should share the draft with the media sector before it goes to parliament in July 2011. Once it goes to parliament, an advocacy group needs to explain what this bill entails to civil society. MPs must be approached in caucuses to brief them on the bill. UNIONISATION: A team needs to be MISA-Botswana established to look into a union for journalists, spearheaded by journalists not editors, and to ensure that it can become a reality. Advocacy work must be conducted to unite private and public media workers. A labour consultant should be called in to assist with issues of federation CAPACITY BUILDING FOR JOURNALISTS: Training must be organised for journalists in particular areas of specialisation to improve the quality of reporting in Botswana EDITORS’ FORUM : The forum needs to be made into an effective body. The Botswana Council of NonGovernmental Organisations (BOCONGO through its 11 sectors (environment, gender, science etc). Press Council Botswana Editors Forum AFRICAN MEDIA BAROMETER BOTSWANA 2011 65