Botswana News

Generally, Botswana hardly makes it in international headlines (like those splashed on CNN or BBC) often, but there is still quite a bit going on within the country on a daily basis.

History of Media in Botswana

After Botswana's independence, the government granted freedom of expression to all of it's citizens. This meant that even the opposition to the government had every right to express themselves in print or digital media without being prosecuted or snuffed, a privilege that citizens in many other African countries have been denied. In fact, there was no censorship, although journalists generally adhered to community standards and cultural rules of not using offensive language in their content. The same privilege of open publishing was granted to foreign journalists and media. Eventually, the University of Botswana created a media studies department to provide training to its citizens.

Print media included a free daily newssheet for all starting in 1964, and in the 1980's television transmission to select areas began. By 2002, the state-owned Botswana Daily News (English and Setswana) was the largest in the country, followed by Botswana Guardian (English), The Botswana Gazette (English) and Mmegi wa Digmang (English and Setswana), which are privately owned.

Botswana Media Today

Quite a few newspapers have been established since the early days, and with the rise of the internet, the newspapers have also gone online. Weekly newspapers and magazines have also found their way onto the media scenes. These are the sites for locally published news in Botswana (as well as some regional and international news).

There are also a few radio stations based in Botswana which stream online. The national broadcaster Radio Botswana is not yet available on online streaming, but Gabz FM, Duma FM and Yarona FM can be found online and on radio streaming apps such as Radio FM and Tune In. The news on Botswana is included in the broadcasts, usually on the hour.

Newspapers Published in Botswana

There are a few local newspapers that are online both daily and weekly. The Daily News is the state-run newspaper while the others are privately owned newspapers. The ones to note are as follows:

Online daily newspapers that include:
• Daily News - www.dailynews.gov.bw
• Botswana Guardian - www.botswanaguardian.co.bw
• The Voice - www.thevoicebw.com

Weekly news sites include:
• The Weekend Post - www.weekendpost.co.bw
• The Sunday Standard - www.sundaystandard.info
• The Midweek Sun - www.themidweeksun.co.bw

Live Botswana News Feed

In the news feed below, you will find an automatic compilation of news headlines about Botswana. These are live news stories which are pulled from different online agencies and publishers from around the world:

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