Africa-Press – Botswana. The Umbrella for Democratic Change government does not want to be given special treatment at the expense of other political parties when it comes to state media coverage, hence the intention to convert the state broadcaster into a public broadcaster.
Responding to a parliamentary question recently on behalf of the Minister for State President, Minister for International Relations Dr Phenyo Butale said the state president ministry was aware that under the previous administration, the Ombudsman found that the state media coverage of political parties disproportionately favoured the ruling party.
The ministry, he said, was currently transforming the state media to become a public broadcaster with an autonomous broadcasting board, and the work was in progress, with the draft cabinet memorandum having been developed together with the ITT, which had been developed to engage a consultant to further the transformation.
On the number of persons representing civic organisations and opposition parties interviewed by the state media especially Botswana Television (Btv) in response to the 2025/26 budget speech, Dr Butale said between February 6 and March 6, 10 interviews were conducted, of which six were for civic organisations, two for the ruling party and two for opposition parties. He further noted that only one union leader had been invited by Btv between the aforementioned period to give an insight into the budget speech.
Tswapong South MP, Dr Kesitegile Gobotswang had asked if the minister was aware that under the previous administration, the Ombudsman found that the state media coverage of political parties disproportionately favoured the ruling party and to state whether the situation had changed. He had also wanted to know when the state media would become a public broadcaster to ensure editorial independence.
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