Botswana
potential advertisers appear in a good light.
The local media were also accused of being too cowardly and not
talking about certain issues because they fear people in positions
of power and influence. (A number of examples show that the press
has indeed been brave – and braver - in the past.) Not many people are prepared to come forward and comment when something
is written about them, leading to a situation where stories are not
balanced and as accurate as they could be.
Investigative reporting has also suffered because most experienced
journalists tend to be promoted and stop writing. Therefore, there
is a need to train new journalists in investigative reporting all the
time. Many others leave the profession for greener pastures, especially in public relations.
SCORES:
Individual scores:

3, 2, 4, 4, 3, 3, 3, 2, 3, 3

Average score:

3.0

4.9.

Gender mainstreaming is promoted in terms of equal
participation of both sexes in the production process.

ANALYSIS:
Women are in top decision-making positions in some media such as
the Voice or the Gazette.
There have been more women journalists joining the profession in
the recent past. However, many women journalists find journalism
to be too confrontational in nature and are wary of going out and
facing up to controversial cultural or political issues, in particular
because most opinion makers and decision-makers are men. Many
prefer desk jobs and others leave for public relations jobs. There
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African Media Barometer - Botswana 2005

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