FOTP 2013 Full Report

shrinking advertising revenue and major advertisers’ affiliations with political parties, manymedia outlets practice self-censorship to protect the commercial and political interests of theiradvertisers, upon whom they are financially dependent.Corruption and the use of subsidies also influence media content. In March 2012, theCenter for Humane Politics, a Bosnian watchdog group, reported the Republika Srpska primeminister and several members of his cabinet to the public prosecutor’s office, claiming that theyhad approved the payment of several million convertible marks, BiH’s currency, from the statebudget to media outlets in return for favorable coverage. In November, Croatian journalistDomagoj Margetić, who authored a series of articles on a Croatian corruption case involvingAustria’s Hypo Alpe-Adria-Bank, claimed that Dodik had threatened him and offered himmoney not to link him and his son to controversies at the bank.The internet is unrestricted, and 65 percent of the population had access in 2012.BotswanaStatus: Partly FreeLegal Environment: 11Political Environment: 17Economic Environment: 13Total Score: 41Survey Edition 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012Total Score, Status 36,PF 37,PF 39,PF 40,PF 40,PFWhile press freedom is not explicitly guaranteed in the constitution, clauses safeguardingfreedoms of speech and expression undergird extensive legal protections for media outlets, andthe government generally respects these freedoms in practice. However, the constitution containsa number of provisions concerning national security, public order, and public morality that canbe used to limit press freedom. In August 2012, the ruling Botswana Democratic Party (BDP)stifled a vote on a proposed freedom of information bill, and access to public informationremains a major problem for journalists.The 2008 Media Practitioners Act called for the establishment of a statutory regulatorybody and mandated the registration of all media workers and outlets—including websites andblogs—with violations punishable by either a fine or prison time. The minister of communicationwould be able to exert significant influence over the new Media Council envisioned by the lawthrough control of key committees. Although passed by the legislature, the act has not enteredinto force due to legal challenges by opponents, including a 2010 lawsuit by a group of 32individuals and groups representing media outlets, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), andtrade unions. A final ruling on the law’s constitutionality was still pending at the end of 2012.Journalists increasingly face defamation charges from public officials. In March 2012,BDP legislator Phillip Makgalemele won a defamation case against the private Yarona FM radiostation over a 2008 report alleging that he was willing to take bribes to orchestrate losses by thenational soccer team while serving as head of the Botswana Football Association. Yarona FMwas ordered to pay over $31,500 in damages. In July, Dikgang Publishing Company won an96