News

The University of Botswana is committed to playing a pivotal role in the development of media in Botswana especially in the area of ethics and human rights.

This emerged at the World Press Freedom Day commemorations held at the University of Botswana Conference Centre on May 3, 2023. The theme for the panel discussion was The Role of Media in Promotion of Human Rights in the Wake of the Digital Revolution.

University of Botswana Chief Operations Officer, Mr Dawid Katzke, expressed concern about the rise of fake news and disinformation which were propagated through social media platforms.

“The sad reality is that breaking news by citizens disregards human rights which then undermines media ethics and standards. This is because those who occupy the citizen space are yet to go through the rigour that comes with going through a media school,” said Mr Katzke.

He urged MISA Botswana Chapter to cease the opportunity for partnerships and collaboration with the University of Botswana so that it can help in the training of journalists and growth of the media sector in Botswana.

Mr Katzke further said the collaboration would be in line with the University’s transformation agenda underpinned by its strategic plan of Creating a Future for the Knowledge Generation.

He said it was critical for the University of Botswana to contribute to the development of media so that there was a distinction between fake and verified news especially in the face of digital technology . It would also help journalists to report properly on issues of human rights and to draw the line between freedom of expression and human rights violations. Thus, UB can help curb infringement on human rights through education.

Senior Lecturer in the Department of Media Studies, Dr Allen Munoriyarwa, said the media studies department offered courses on media ethics and also has state of the art facilities that met the needs of the students in the digital era. In that regard, he said UB was ready to  play its role as an academic institutions in preparing the next generation of media professionals to navigate the complexities of the digital revolution,

“Institutions need to respond technologically and through the curriculum. We need to teach these issues so that people understand what is media ethics, especially in the digital world,” said Dr Munoriyarwa.

Meanwhile, the panel discussion which the University of Botswana part sponsored was held as part of the worldwide commemorations which were organised to mark the 30th Anniversary of the World Press Freedom Day. The day is commemorated every 3rd of May and this year's theme was Shaping a Future of Rights: Freedom of Expression as a Driver for all other Human Rights.