Botswana freedom of expression but that the reality on the ground is different. This is the reason why some freedom of expression activists have called for the explicit guarantee of the freedom of the media in the constitution. There is a plethora of legislation which makes it difficult for the Botswana media to operate. These include the Directorate on Corruption and Economic Crime Act, which bars the director from giving information on any person who is being investigated. Other such restrictive laws are the Public Service Act and the National Security Act, which make accessing information by journalists very difficult, the Official Secrets Act and the Cinematography Act. MISA has been pressing for the latter to be scrapped but the government does not seem to be interested in doing so. Besides the fact that all these pieces of legislation could lead to the media in Botswana practising self-censorship for fear of being on the wrong side of the law, it was also felt that the situation is made worse by the many far-reaching powers given the Botswana’s President under the Constitution. These powers are more or less unlimited and extend to many aspects of Botswana’s public life. SCORES: Individual scores: 2, 3, 2, 4, 4, 2, 3, 2, 2, 2 Average score: 2.6 1.2. The right to freedom of expression is practised and citizens, including journalists, are asserting their rights without fear. ANALYSIS: There was general agreement that there is a lot of fear among citi6 African Media Barometer - Botswana 2005