Mmegi

What role should journalism play in Botswana’s national security architecture?

Newspapers PIC: MORERI SEJAKGOMO
Newspapers PIC: MORERI SEJAKGOMO

For generations, national security was a relatively straightforward concept. It conjured images of soldiers guarding our borders, police maintaining law and order and intelligence agencies quietly protecting the country from external and internal threats.

Security was tangible because it had uniforms, checkpoints, surveillance and strategy. Conversely, some of the greatest threats confronting nations today arrive without passports.

Interestingly, they arrive through smartphones, social media platforms, anonymous online accounts and increasingly, through artificial intelligence capable of generating convincing text, images, voices and videos within seconds. The battlefield has changed and perhaps our understanding of national security should also change with it. In my previous article, I reflected on a recent investigation by Forbidden Stories which featured the testimony of a former journalist turned propagandist in the Central African Republic.

Editor's Comment
Deficit relief must not invite complacency

“Financial freedom is more of ajourney than a destination.”– Rob BergerThe preliminary 2026–2027 budget deficit has been revised down to P9 billion, which is an equivalent to 3.1 percent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP). It is an improvement from the P26 billion or 8.9 percent of GDP projected in February.This P17 billion improvement is significant and deserves acknowledgement.Government’s restraint on non-essential expenditure, tighter...

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