Judge hails media role in corruption fight

Patricia Edwin
Staff Writer | Tuesday May 7, 2013 00:00

 

'The media in Botswana should be applauded for reporting on cases of corruption and others of abuse of public office but care must be taken in appreciating those accused remain innocent until proven guilty after a trial in a court of law,' he said at the World Press Freedom Day held in Francistown on Saturday under the theme: 'Safe to Speak: Securing Freedom of Expression in All Media'.

He advised that comments imputing guilt before trial must be avoided. Ketlogetswe said that the media in Botswana has had few challenges related to lawsuits arising out of print materials regarded as defamatory. 'The situation is avoidable if, resources permitting, in house training and continuous journalistic training can be undertaken. I think there are people out there who will help empower newspaper reporters on how to separate facts from comments on those facts, in the same newspaper article,' said the judge.

He stated that the press in all its facets represents a very important and crucial role player in the Botswana democratic set up. 'You are not called the watchdog of the nation for nothing. The press occupies a very privileged position in society. They are the vehicle through which agents of public opinion can be carried,' he added.

Ketlogetswe said that it is important for the media to realise that the position they occupy has responsibilities. 'It requires accurate reporting, verifying facts before going to print and giving those that you report about the journalistic right of reply. The ordinary man in the street, and this will include the woman, will invariably believe what they read as news in a newspaper or hear over the radio or see televised on a TV screen,' he said.He said the media must ensure that whatever is reported does not become a source of litigation.

'I think there has to be an appreciation that on one side of the coin there is freedom of speech, which includes freedom of expression and freedom of the press. On the other side of the same coin, there are other rights belonging to other people to have their privacy and reputations protected by the very same laws that guarantee and protect press freedom,' said Ketlogetswe.

He said that it is accepted that the media in Botswana has over the years been relatively free owing to the country's adherence to democratic principles and freedom of expression as enshrined in the constitution.