judge ruled in a defamation lawsuit against Botswana Gazette and Mmegi newspapers that journalists should personally pay Israeli intelligence firm, Vlatacom P500,000 each (around US$45,000) for their exposés that the country’s security agency had a questionable multi-million dollar contract with Vlatacom are awash with AI-generated images depicting political party candidates as caricatures. While this may be viewed as innocent satire, some have stretched the entertainment value of the satire to spread misinformation. Batswana are no strangers to disinformation on social media. Fake news proliferated during the last general election campaign in 2019. Online rumours have the potential to fuel postelection violence. The corruption watchdog, the DCEC itself accused the intelligence agency, the DIS, of awarding a dubious tender to Vlatacom. However, Botswana Gazette and Mmegi newspapers who reported on the story were unable to provide sufficient evidence of corruption and bribery. Vlatacom then filed lawsuits against them. The emergence of generative artificial intelligence could exacerbate misinformation in countries where the mainstream media lacks the capacity to combat various forms of misinformation, thereby posing a threat to democracy. In this instance, the journalists were placed directly in the line of legal fire. Journalism in Botswana is a poorly paying profession with few benefits and little job security. The dominance of state media, which operates as mouthpieces of ruling party politicians, poses a threat to access to information as there are no guarantees for divergent views, according to the International Press Institute. Journalists do not have personal legal insurance and earn an average annual income of US$5,000. The Daily News, a state-owned newspaper, boasts of wide circulation. It is often distributed to public servants’ offices for free. The High Court judgement by Justice Zein Kebonang — and letters of demand from rich and powerful individuals and big corporations, calculated to intimidate journalists — generated a chilling effect on journalists. Similarly, Radio Botswana 1 and RB 2 are the sole radio stations with nationwide coverage, reaching even remote areas. AI and the spread of misinformation during elections Botswana Television (BTV) stands as the only nationwide television broadcaster in the country. A proposal to transform the State broadcaster into a more independent public service was recently rejected, according to Reporters Without Borders because the BDP government enjoys maintaining control of the State-owned media. Botswana is gearing for elections in late October to choose a new government. However, there are concerns over the proliferation of generative AI tools capable of manipulating videos and audios has led to the emergence of deep fakes on platforms like TikTok. The Ombudsman, after receiving numerous complaints from opposition parties, conducted a survey and concluded that indeed there is disproportionate coverage in State media — skewed in favour of the ruling BDP politicians. These manipulated audios, crafted with AI tools and shared mostly on WhatsApp, can deceive voters by fine-tuning voices, potentially spreading misinformation. Cabinet ministers were also found to have undue influence on the editorial content of the State media. For instance, during the 2019 general election, social media platforms were inundated with allegations suggesting that the ruling BDP had employed public servants to manipulate votes, purportedly resulting in the narrow defeat of Noah Salakae, a prominent member of the Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC), in the Ghanzi North constituency. The status quo has existed from time immemorial. There have been no policy changes even under the current regime. Access to information Social media platforms, particularly WhatsApp 29 STATE OF PRESS FREEDOM IN SOUTHERN AFRICA 2023