Press Freedom

17 July, 2009 in Botswana

source: The Botswana Gazette
Written by JFG
Friday, 17 July 2009 00:00

A question has been posed to me to deal with through this column. Whether press freedom is a licence for journalists to disparage, write innuendos and rumours about other people? I wish to address this question in two parts . First I will deal with the importance of Press freedom or Freedom of expression to lay the basis to the answer that I will proffer to the question I have been asked not once but twice.

I will confine myself to the importance of press freedom in this article and in the next issue I will address the question.The Constitution of Botswana does not expressly mention press freedom in the Freedom of Expression Clause, Section 12. However, our courts have long held that it includes press freedom. Academic books and court judgements have explained why the protection of freedom of expression is important and thus deserve constitutional protection. The first justification is the quest for truth. That scientific, artistic and [continue reading]