STATE OF THE NATION 2013: PRESIDENT KHAMA ON MEDIA Perhaps the best evidence of the continued vibrancy of our democracy is that criticism of all sorts is expected and when constructive readily embraced. Can anyone look at the daily output of our diverse domestic media and honestly deny that freedom of expression has continued to flourish; even if in some cases it is abused. But even the most abusive output comes with a silver lining in that the barrage of criticism this Government receives from much of the press has contributed in no small measure to our country’s superior global rankings in various surveys of democracy, tolerance and personal freedom. For its part our public service media have made strides in reaching greater numbers of Batswana online, as well as through print and broadcast media, while maintaining their status as our country’s most trusted sources of news and information. This has been achieved through expanded transmitter coverage, enhanced satellite capacity and the growing popularity of our e-communications as well as wider Daily News distribution. With respect to television, we have now begun the process of migrating from analogue to digital terrestrial broadcasting, having adopted the Integrated Systems Digital Broadcasting Terrestrial or “ISDB-T”, developed in Japan, as our national standard. This decision was made after comparative testing confirmed ISDB-T superiority as a platform for mobile as well as a fixed free to air transmission, which opens the door for Batswana to receive television through their phones and other mobile devices. To this end Government has built the required terrestrial transmissions network. A Project Management Office is being set up to drive process by reaching out to industry stakeholders and the general public to ensure that the next generation of television positively enhances the lives of Batswana. Our progress in interactive online communications is reflected in the rising traffic on the Government e-Portal and Facebook this past year, as well as the new Daily News and Kutlwano websites. Radio Botswana and RB2 are also now live streaming, meaning that they can be listened to online from anywhere in the world. I am also pleased to note that aspirant artists continue to record in our studios as a public service. The Daily News also continues to engage young freelance reporters focusing on increasing its coverage of rural areas
Posted on: Mon, 04 Nov 2013 16:50:48 +0000
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