Examining the role of Botswana’s proposed media Ombudsman

The Draft Media Bill of 2025 could be just what the doctor ordered for the media fraternity. PIC PHATSIMO KAPENG Kabo Ramasia Share Tweet Share Email sms Listen The proposed Draft Media Bill 2025 seeks to establish a Media Ombudsman to ensure a new mechanism for journalistic accountability and safeguard public trust. KABO RAMASIA reports The Draft Media Bill of 2025 could be just what the doctor ordered for the media fraternity, helping restore media credibility and reshape relations between the media and the public. The proposed law establishes a Media Ombudsman at a time when nations are grappling with information disorders such as disinformation, misinformation, and malinformation, which have eroded trust in news organisations. This is a time when, due to the aforementioned, there are concerns about ethical journalism; hence, the establishment of a Media Ombudsman provides an opportunity to strengthen accountability without necessarily undermining press freedom. The Bill establishes an independent Office of the Media Ombudsman under the Media Council and gives it the power to receive complaints, mediate disputes between members of the public and the media, recommend remedies, and promote ethical journalism. Unlike courts, which are often expensive, formal, and slow, the Ombudsman is designed as a non-judicial, accessible mechanism for resolving media disputes. For a country long proud of its democratic governance but often criticised for limitations on media freedom and access to information, the proposal could prove one of the most crucial media landscape reforms since independence. From way back, Botswana's media environment has operated under a mix of statutory regulation, professional self-regulation, and ordinary legal remedies such as defamation litigation.