The Botswana Media Studies Papers Vol 3

THE BOTSWANA MEDIA STUDIES PAPERS
THE BOTSWANA MEDIA

STUDIES PAPERS
A Collection Presented by the Media Studies

Department, University of Botswana
Volume Three
The Media Studies Papers, vol 3.
A Collection of Papers Compiled by the

Media Studies Department, University of
Botswana
Edited by Richard Rooney
Published by The Media Studies

Department, Faculty of Humanities,
University of Botswana, Private Bag 703,
Gaborone, Botswana
www.ub.bw
2016. Copyright remains with individual

contributors
Contents
Introduction ......
Botswana youth and the labelling of basic mobile phone handsets

By William Lesitaokana ... 4
Scholastic Newspaper Front Page Design- An Analysis of the UB
Horizon
By Martha Mosha .
13
How students studying Media Studies say they prefer to learn

By Richard Rooney ...
23
An analysis of how Botswana Television News reports on poverty

By Bame Lekoma .
33
Introduction
This is a collection of papers originally presented at a series of research seminars hosted by

the Department of Media Studies in the Faculty of Humanities at the University of Botswana
during 2015.
The work presented recognises the wide spectrum of teaching and research that takes place
within the department; ranging, in this collection, across mobile phones, newspapers,
teaching and television.
The Media Studies Department is the major centre in Botswana for the teaching of
vocational and theoretical media. It runs two undergraduate programmes in Media Studies
and intends to launch a Master of Arts programme in the not-too-distant future.
In this volume William Lesitaokana considers the appropriation and signification of basic
mobile phone handsets among urban youth in Botswana. The focus of his article is on the
figurative label Sedilame, which has since become popular among youth in Botswana. This
study has revealed that many adolescents who have adopted and use basic mobile phone
handsets in Botswana were mainly influenced by its affordable costs and specialised uses.
Martha Mosha offers an empirical study of the front pages of a student-produced
newspaper, the UB Horizon (UBH), with aims to analyse the pages in terms of their design
elements. Her study looks at the basic elements of a newspaper front page with biasness to
campus newspapers and likens it to that of the UB Horizon. Basic front page design elements
pertaining to the headlines, text, photos, captions, flag, teasers and white space are discussed.
Richard Rooney presents the findings of a survey undertaken among students attached to the
Media Studies Department, University of Botswana. It interrogates the research question:
How do students studying Media Studies in the Faculty of Humanities at the University of
Botswana say they prefer to learn? The results suggest that the majority of students may have
a confidence in their ability to learn for themselves and realise that there are sources of
knowledge besides the teacher: books, programs, other teachers, peers or even themselves.
Bame Lekoma investigates Botswana television News and the extent to which it reports on
issues of poverty and concludes that journalists do not have a lot of freedom and their main
sources of gathering information is directly from the government.
The Botswana Media Studies Papers Vol 1 is available online here
The Botswana Media Studies Papers Vol 2 is available online here
Botswana youth and the labelling of

basic mobile phone handsets
By William Lesitaokana
Abstract
In this article, I consider the appropriation and signification of basic mobile phone handsets
among urban youth in Botswana. The focus of the article is on the figurative label Sedilame,
which has since become popular among youth in Botswana. This study has revealed that
many adolescents who have adopted and use basic mobile phone handsets in Botswana were
mainly influenced by its affordable costs and specialised uses. Subsequently, the youth
constructed the label Sedilame - a fundamental meaning and label that relates to the
relevance of such devices in their lives. Overall, this study underscores that youth in
Botswana construct local meanings for the mobile phone handsets in ways that express their
local knowledge and experiences about the use of the devices in their specific contexts.
Keywords: Botswana, conception, mobile handsets, Sedilame, signification, youth,
Introduction
SINCE the introduction of mobile telephony in the 1990s, the rate of mobile phone
subscriptions has been increasing dramatically across the globe. Reports are that both the
developed and developing worlds continue to record a significant rise in mobile phone
adoption and use (Castells, Mireia, Linchuan, & Sey, 2007; Hahn & Kibora, 2008; Kalba,
2008; Ling, 2004; Rizzo, 2008). This has contributed to the ever-increasing volume of studies
undertaken worldwide to understand the social relationship between youth and mobile
phones. In these studies, it has been observed that the mobile phone is not only useful for
making telephone calls, but has also become a statement of social identity and status (Bond,
2010; Oksman & Turtiainen, 2004; Walsh, White, & McD Young, 2010); a personalised
accessory of fashion (Foley, Holzman, & Wearing, 2007; Katz & Sugiyama, 2006) and a
convergent multimedia device that is useful for communication and entertainment (Cawley &
Hynes, 2010; Hjorth, 2008; Peters & Allouch, 2005). Reports from many studies have
identified the following specific uses of the mobile phone by youth: for safety and security
reasons (Davie, Panting, & Charlton, 2004; Ling, 2004); for social interaction (Aoki &
Downes, 2003; Leung & Wei, 2000); for making and receiving telephone calls (Ishii & Wu,
2006) and for sending and receiving text and picture messages (Axelsson, 2010; McIntosh,
2010; Mitchell, Bull, Kiwanuka, & Ybarra, 2011). Additionally, due to the recent innovative
developments in mobile telephony technology, such as enhancements of its multimedia
features, shapes, sizes and colours, the social interaction between the device and its users
keeps changing. Despite the high prevalence of studies examining youth and mobile phones

in the global North, the literature also indicates that some researchers have started to show an
interest in studying the relationship between youth and mobile phones in the global South.
However, so far, only very little research has been conducted in Sub-Saharan Africa, Far East
Asia, South America and the Scandinavian region. Against this backdrop, many researchers
continue to argue the case for further research in other parts of the economically developing
world (Donner, 2008; Goggin, 2013; Halewood & Kenny, 2008). As Goggin (2013) notes,
[w]ork from the global south is all the more important given the shifting geopolitical
coordinates of mobile media and mobile internet, where our taken-for-granted ideas of
mobiles, online media, their histories and cultures stand to be dramatically altered. (p.
86).
The purpose of this article is to add to the existing literature of the consumption and
signification of mobile phone handsets among youth globally. The findings of this study are
drawn from a large qualitative research conducted to investigate the adoption, consumption
and implications of the mobile phone among young people in Botswana.
Mobile Telephony Landscape in Botswana
THE history of mobile telephony in Botswana dates back to 1998 when both Mascom
Wireless and Vista Cellular (rebranded Orange Botswana) were introduced. These two
mobile communication operators were the first to go mobile in a telecommunications industry
that was for some years dominated by a fixed landline telephone service under the monopoly
of BTC. During the first three years of their introduction, Mascom and Orange experienced
slow business, as many people were hesitant to adopt mobile phone technology. However,
this changed in subsequent years when mobile phones became popular in Botswana and
mobile telephony expanded to include mobile communication. Ten years after mobile
telephony was introduced in Botswana, the third mobile operator, BTC Be Mobile, was
licensed to operate alongside Mascom and Orange. These three local operators provide
mobile communication services such as voice calls, text messages and mobile Internet. In
addition, they sell mobile phone products and provide other value added services such as
mobile money and mobile banking. Mobile telephony in Botswana has since spread
countrywide, such that in many villages, towns and cities many people own and use a mobile
phone.
In a study conducted by the BOCRA1 in 2012, it was revealed that the mobile telephony
market has shown signs of strong penetration and signal coverage, especially in urban areas
and major rural villages in Botswana (Botswana Telelcommunications Authority, 2010). As
indicated from the BOCRA survey, subscription to mobile phones recorded an increase in the
penetration rate from 33% in 2005 to 131% in 2010 (see table 1), reaching a total of about
2,363,411 subscribers among a population of fewer than 2 million. The BOCRA study also
revealed that new markets in Botswana were guaranteed due to multiple subscriptions among
youth. Customer subscriptions options are post-paid and prepaid, with prepaid subscription
recorded at about 98% and post-paid at 2%. This is because in Botswana, prepaid
subscriptions are more affordable, especially to young people since they sell at slightly
1.
BOCRA is a quasi-governmental corporation that regulates the communications sector, including mobile communication in
Botswana.

cheaper and manageable costs than post-paid. Indications are that Mascom had more
subscribers because it was the first of the three local operators to extend its services to many
villages in Botswana.
Table 1. Telephone market penetration between 2005 and 2010
Market
Mobile
Fixed
Penetration Rate %
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
571 437
823 070
1 151 761
1 485 791
1 874 101
2 363 411
(33%)
(48%)
(97%)
(98%)
(105%)
(131%)
136 423
132 034
136 946
142 282
144 195
137 422
(8%)
(8%)
(8%)
(8%)
(8%)
(7.6%)
Source: BTA Annual Report (2010)
Related Literature
SCHOLARS such as Davie et al. (2004), Katz and Sugiyama (2006) and Campbell (2007),
have researched how mobile phone consumption among youth influenced the social and
cultural construction of meanings for the mobile phone devices. From these studies, it was
reported that mobile phone users carry the devices with them wherever they travel and use
them to connect and contact their families and friends during emergencies, and to chat with
friends and express their fashion tastes. Consequently, it was reported that because of the uses
to which they put mobile phones in their lives, young people regarded the device as a good
metaphor for perpetual contact and social interaction (Davie et al., 2004); as symbols of
safety and security during mobility (Campbell Scott W, 2007); and as accessories of fashion
(Katz and Sugiyama, 2006). In his study, Campbell (2007) studied the cultural similarities
and differences associated with mobile phone consumption drawing on research conducted
among college students in Hawaii, Japan, Sweden, Taiwan and the USA. His research
considered that the technical features of the mobile phone handset, such as handset size,
design and colour, are important factors that clearly help researchers understand how young
people think of, utilize and interact with mobile phone devices in their everyday lives.
Moreover, these features are important factors that determine how youth relate to mobile
telephony and they are in effect, as Campbell (2007) argues, the important geists that
influence the perceptions of youth with regard to the adoption and consumption of mobile
phone devices. In another study conducted in the USA, it was evidenced that during the
consumption of mobile phones, young people construct meanings and perceptions in relation
to the relevance of devices in their lives, and through these meanings, others were influenced
to also adopt the devices (Campbell & Russo, 2003). In referring to the significance of social
groups during the construction of meanings about technology, Campbell and Russo (2003)
also note shared meanings are constructed that influence the ways people think about and
use communication technologies (p. 330).
As reflected in the sections above, scholars who have attempted to study the interactive
relationship between youth and mobile phones focused primarily on how social and cultural
contexts in each society influenced the construction of meanings for mobile phones among

youth. No doubt, there is a dearth of related literature from the global South. Against this
background, this article considers how urban youth in Botswana use their local experiences
with mobile phones and their perceptions about the implication of the devices in their lives, to
collectively construct meanings about the devices in relation to their contexts. The study
sought answers to the following research questions.
RQ 1: What symbolic label does urban youth in Botswana accord basic mobile phone
handsets?
RQ 2: And what factors influence such symbolic names among urban youth in Botswana?
Methodology
THIS study used a qualitative design. In qualitative research, researchers are concerned about
exploring the set of meanings through which people understand the world and how meanings
are constructed in various settings (Creswell, 2013). Specifically, qualitative interviews
(semi-structured) were held with twenty young people aged between eighteen and twentyfive in Gaborone and Francistown. In each city, ten youth were interviewed to investigate
their interactive relationship with mobile phone, including basic cheap and basic handset.
Follow-up questions also explored their take regarding the figurative label Sedilame, as well
as factors that influence local youth to accord basic handsets with such symbol labels. In
addition, two focus groups, one in Francistown and the other in Gaborone were held to
collect data from participants. Tonkiss (2004) postulates that the key feature of focus groups
is their interactive nature. Hence, by using the focus groups in this study, I gave more youth
in Botswana the opportunity to explain their views with regard to the consumption and
symbolic label of basic mobile phone handsets in a discursive group setting. The participants
were also required to share with the researchers the specific factors that motivate them to
ascribe basic mobile phone handsets with symbolic names. Using simple random sampling,
participation in the study was restricted to youth who lived in that city, who were aged
between eighteen and twenty-five, and owned and used mobile phones. All semi-structured
and focus groups were held with participants in the afternoons, each for about an hour and the
conversations were audio recorded and later transcribed prior to analysis.
Youth and their labelling of basic mobile phone handsets
WHEN mobile phone subscriptions started to increase in Botswana, both the appeal and
significance of the mobile phone among its users and non-users bourgeoned from being just a
mobile, to a ubiquitous device. With various models and types of handsets, the price of the
devices also ranged from the cheapest to the most expensive, depending on both the
multimedia features and functionality of the devices. High uptake to mobile phones among
the people also took place in the local towns in Botswana around 2004 when all of a sudden
the following two categories of handsets started selling locally: the cheap and basic; and
expensive and advanced mobile phones. Indications are that at that time, it was no longer the
economic background of local people that prevented them from acquiring mobile phones
because those who were economically challenged also started to purchase handsets that they
could afford. Moreover, as the participants in the study mentioned, many of them had started
to realise that a simple mobile phone was a necessity for communication, such as during
emergencies and in situations when they wanted to connect with their families, friends and
relatives in other towns and villages, as they were required to do so within the livelihoods.

Once many people in Botswana started to use mobile phones around 2003, both users and
non-users in Botswana sought to ascribe specific mobile phone handsets with distinctive
labels that they could easily identify with the devices in their lives. Such names as it turnedout also helped the functional worth of the mobile phone handsets to be easily recognised in
Botswana contexts. Focus group participants articulated this during a discussion with them as
illustrated in the following excerpt:
Researcher: What types of mobile phones do you own and why particularly those brands?
Tau2: I have two mobiles, one a Nokia 5310 and the other a Blackberry Z10.
Kaone: I own a Blackberry too, but mine is Blackberry Bold.
Sammy: I own two devices, a Sedilame and a smartphone.
Researcher: Sedilame, which is that?
Sammy: A basic, cheaper Nokia with torch.
Researcher: And whats your smartphone?
Sammy: A Blackberry Z10
Kaone: In fact, its the in-thing to own a Blackberry. Most of my friends use it.
Tau: But Sedilames are also very important phones in situations when one does not have
enough cash to buy expensive smartphones. They also come handy with torch functions.
Particularly, young people in the study who identified with the Sedilame label agreed that
it could be explained on two accounts: on the one hand, it refers to basic and cheap mobile
phone devices with an in-built torch function. Figuratively, Sedilame relates to a passage in a
traditional hymn that reads sedilame, mponesetse tsela3. In Tswana terms, this passage is a
reassuring statement that any source of light for an individual is an important virtue. In this
example, a users interest in a basic mobile phone handset with a torch lies in the
effectiveness of the handset to make calls and also provide a freely accessible and significant
source of light through its mini torch. Consider the excerpts which came out interviews with
some of the participants.
I own Sedilame (referring to a Nokia 1100). Its cheap, but very functional (Theo, 20,
Gaborone).
All participants in the study are given pseudonyms as per an agreement with them that their names
will not be revealed in any publication produced from interviews with them.
3.
Translates into my light, light up my ways.
I own two phones, one a Sedilame for basic calls, and the other a smart phone that I
received as gift from my boyfriend. They are individually useful through their unique features
(Letta, 22).
This study has revealed that whereas in most cases the ownership of cheap and basic
mobile phone devices, such as the Nokia 1100 and Nokia 1208 was prompted by the low cost
of these handsets among Botswana youth the attraction to more advanced mobile phone
devices was to some extent assured by important technical features, such as the in-built torch
functions, of these handsets. For instance, when asked to comment on what they liked most
about their mobile phone handsets besides mobile communication, the young people who
used Nokia 1100s and 1208s, pointed to the significance of accessing a torch and FM radio
in their devices. Consider below the viewpoints that emerged during semi-structured
interviews with the following participants as part of this study:
My mobile has a small torch and I make use of it quite often. Whenever I wake up very
early in the morning while its still dark and want to go somewhere, instead of disturbing my
roommate by switching on the main room light, I just use a small torch on my mobile. Also,
since we dont have a radio set at home, I use it to play radio (Ofentse, 24).
I like my Nokia 1208 because of its small torch. It is handy in situations when one arrives
home at night from school and there is no electricity (Refilwe, 22).
Ofentse mentioned further that his Nokia 1100 mobile phone (which costs around P200)
was also useful to him as a mini source of light whenever he visited his parents during most
weekends and school holidays at their cattle post where there was no electricity supply.
According to Ofentse, unlike the latest smartphones, if fully charged his mobile phone can
hold power for up to three days while also being useful as a reliable source of light. Unlike
other expensive mobile phone handsets, his cheap handset is dependable for use to conduct
voice communication and text messaging in situations when there is no electricity for
continuous charging.
Sharing related sentiments, smartphone users such as Letta (22) and Pako (22) mentioned
that they also own a Nokia 1208 because of its significant use as a mini light source. To these
participants, and many other urban young people in Botswana, the relevance of mobile
phones with a torch are timely considering the electricity power cuts which have been
occurring in Botswana lately. These intermittent power cuts have been due to various factors
that include local power station malfunctions, a reduction of the required power supply from
South Africa (to which Botswana has been importing about two thirds of its nationwide
electricity resources)4, and increased high demand for electricity as a result of booming
mining, agriculture and commerce industries countrywide (Ganetsang, 2008; Letswamotse,
2013; Maswabi, 2013). Many young people in the study who used mobile phone handsets
with a torch mentioned that because their handsets are always handy, in situations when these
4.
The reduction of supply from South Africa has led to load shedding of power countrywide, which was effected with the purpose to
minimise electricity consumption in different areas, at specific times.

power cuts occur unexpectedly at night, they will use their devices as mini light sources to
easily locate domestic light sources, such as house lamps and electricity generators.
In addition, Sedilame is a commonly used Tswana expression, which signifies that even a
basic object can serve as an important asset for the owner. Accordingly, this term can also be
given to babies as a name, especially when parents believe that the child will in the future
become a breadwinner who will uplift the economic standards of the family. Culturally, it is
hoped that such a name essentially inspires a child to grow into a star which shines brightly
and diminishes the grey shades of poverty that have afflicted the entire household. Relatedly,
with a basic mobile phone handset, the notion among young people in Botswana is that
despite being cheap and housing basic features, it is also significantly efficient enough to
enable users to improve their livelihoods. For instance, the fundamental and most pertinent
uses for basic and cheaper mobile phone handsets in Botswana that came out during the study
include the following: college students connecting with their classmates through calls and
text messages (sms) to complete assignments; micro businesspersons linking up with their
customers through calls and sms; owners of street vendors loading large amounts of airtime
in the device and reselling it to other mobile phone users via sms; and for unemployed youth,
making connections with job markets through calls. Clearly, while some of these uses may
seem quite global in nature, they have influenced young people in Botswana to ascribe the
basic mobile phone with a locally nuanced symbolic description. Importantly, the Sedilame
label was useful to help users become knowledgeable about the significance of mobile phone
devices and other brands that they had never used. Both justifications for the label Sedilame
suggest an underlying fact that young people identify with basic and cheaper mobile phone
handsets through their aesthetic characteristics and their degree of use.
Conclusions
A closer examination into the findings presented in this article has revealed that young people
in Botswana have sought to ascribe mobile phone handsets with distinctive labels that helped
the functional worth of the devices to be easily recognised, as well as to clearly identify and
help to describe basic mobile phones handsets. Generally, this information helps us in two
ways: First, it provides a nuanced picture of the level of acceptance of the mobile phone
among youth in Botswana, and second it illustrates the degree of the relationship between the
device and local youth. The findings add weight to the argument that, in each society, people
construct local meanings for mobile phones in ways that express their knowledge and
experiences about the device in their specific local contexts.
One important limitation is that in this study is that it focused only on urban youth and left
out other young people in rural villages. By focusing selectively on urban youth in
Francistown and Gaborone in this study, the researcher was cognisant of the fact that,
compared to the rural villages, young people in towns have more access to mobile phones and
that while residing in urban places most of the participants had previously also experienced
rural life and others have families, relatives and associates who still dwell in villages and
settlements countrywide. However, this study has demonstrated that youth experiences with
mobile communications technologies differ, depending on where they live. Possibly, a
follow-up study that focuses on rural youth and mobile phones might offer another dimension
about the interactive relationship between youth and mobile phones in rural settings in
Botswana.
10
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William Ofentse Lesitaokana, PhD is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Media Studies
at the University of Botswana (UB). Dr. Lesitaokanas main research interests are in
audiences consumption of new media, digital media technologies, youth cultures and the
media in Botswana. His research expertise is in qualitative research and ethnography. Dr.
Lesitaokana has written extensively in the area of media and communications and has
published numerous refereed research articles in local and international journals, including
Lonaka Journal of Teaching and Learning, Journal of New Media and Society and Journal of
New Media and Culture. He also has edited chapters in books and refereed conference
proceedings to his name.
Email: lesitaokana@mopipi.ub.bw
12
Scholastic Newspaper Front Page

Design- An Analysis of the UB Horizon
By Martha Mosha
Abstract
An empirical study of the front pages of a student-produced newspaper, the UB Horizon
(UBH), with aims to analyse the pages in terms of their design elements. This study looks at
the basic elements of a newspaper front page with biasness to campus newspapers and likens
it to that of the UB Horizon. Basic front page design elements pertaining to the headlines,
text, photos, captions, flag, teasers and white space are discussed.
Keywords: Newspapers, Design, Front Page Design, Desktop publishing, University of
Botswana, Botswana.
Introduction
The front page of any newspaper is very important as it is a blend of traditional reporting
and modern marketing (Harrower, 2002, p. 7). It is the window of the publication
(Rolnicki, Tate, & Taylor, 2001). Therefore, it is used to attract readers to choose one
newspaper as opposed to the other thus can make or break the sales of a given newspaper. In
the case of the UBH, the newspaper is free and hence it does not compete with other sold
papers but it still has to compete for attention from the university community who have a
number of other distractions including mobile phones, social media such as Facebook and
downloaded content. As Harrower (2002, p. 2) explains, If you can design a newspaper
thats inviting, informative and easy to read, you can for a few minutes a day- successfully
compete with all those TVs, CDs, computers and magazines. In addition, Schnbach (2000,
p. 93) writes that, Layout and design were generally a little more important than content and
marketing outside the newspaper itself.
It must be pointed out that, The content of a successful newspaper is the most important
factor in its success, and presentation is an integral part of that element (Hutt & James,
1989, p. 9). In the end, Readers do not read buts of text and pictures. What they read is the
paper, the tangible object as a whole (Barnhurst and Nerone in (Buchanan, 2009, p. 71).
Purpose
The purpose of this research was to analyse the front page of the UBH in terms of its design
elements. All past editions of the UBH were scrutinised in terms of the front page design so
as to map out the elements that make up the Newspapers front page and discuss the key
issues in term of the elements.
13

Brief History of the UB Horizon Newspaper
The UB Horizon newspaper is a student produced University of Botswana campus newspaper
that was created as a platform for students to learn how to produce a newspaper. According to
(Njuguna, 2011, p. 2 & 3), the UB-Horizon newspaper was launched in August 2007 by
the University of Botswana, Media Studies Department in partnership with the McGee
Foundation, a U.S. private foundation dedicated to promoting sound journalistic practices in
Southern Africa. The first ever-printed edition was dated 21st March 2007.
The UBH was originally created with the main goal to, help the students put into
practice the theories they had acquired in the print journalism courses (Njuguna, 2011, p. 2).
The undergraduate students were therefore tasked with producing the newspaper in terms of,
collecting and writing stories, editing, soliciting adverts, designing the newspaper and
distributing it (Njuguna, 2011, p. 2). A student lead editorial team managed the newspaper
with the Editor in Chief being a member of staff within the Media Studies Department. The
newspaper was meant, to serve the university as a whole by providing fair, balanced and
accurate news to the UB community (Njuguna, 2011, p. 3). The UBHs focus areas as
outlined by Njuguna (2011, p. 4) include, student politics, students academic issues,
social problems on campus, economic issues, administration & management issues, school
gossip, sports news, local advertising, academic staff issues, editorial/opinion pieces, off
campus students challenges, UB support staff issues, culture and religion.
In 2009, the UBH newspaper went into a partnership with Simply Marketing, a local
marketing company, which took over advertising, printing and distribution of the newspaper
thus offloading major economic hardships the paper was undergoing (Njuguna, 2011, p. 2).
With this arrangement, came a number of changes. One of the major changes was the fact
that a student led the papers editorial team; this meant therefore that the students selected an
Editor-in-Chief amongst themselves. A member of staff from within the Media Studies
Department would supervise the overall production.
As of 2012, the production of the UBH became encompassed into courses; running in two
semesters of an academic year as UB Horizon I and UB Horizon II in semesters 1 and 2
respectively. The students who register for the course (which is open to any student within
the UB with interest for newspaper story writing and design - hence no longer only exclusive
to Media Studies students) make up the editorial team. Two lecturers, one in story writing
and editing and the other in design, are the advisors of the newspaper production.
The paper was to be produced three times in a semester that has three months, ideally one
copy per month. Previously, more than three copies where produced but it later became
almost standard to have three or less copies per semester- depending on the editorial team. To
support the printed newspaper, the UBH team of 2012 opened an online social media account
with Facebook, which updates the campus community (mainly students) on the latest
information, which cannot wait for the printed copies to come out. This account is also
managed by students some of who are not within the editorial team.
The UBH moved from a 16-page (Njuguna, 2011, p. 5) to a 24-page, full-colour tabloid
newspaper. It has a circulation of 9000 copies, which are distributed within the University of
Botswanas Gaborone, Maun and Francistown campuses. At times, the paper is distributed
outside of the University community, beyond the named areas, when there is a case of high
left-overs - this would happen on occasions where the paper would be late in printing and
hence distribution happens when students are no longer around the campuses.
14

Newspaper Front Page Design
Newspaper design is a creative art, and the possibilities to vary design are endless
(Holmqvist & Wartenberg, 2005, p. 1). The newspaper is no longer just one thing. Every
paper is a congeries of information, thought, advertising, and entertainment, packed into a
few pages of newsprint and sold at a ridiculously low price (Berry, 2004, p. xiv). This is
no different for the UBH, which has all the named geared at the university community. The
paper was initially sold at P2 for the first two copies. From then on, the paper was given out
for free.
The UBH is designed in two parts. The first draft is designed by the students within the
UBH design team; who form the part of the editorial team, and is overlooked by the Chief
and Deputy Designers.
Within the past years, different formats have been used to make up the editorial team but
at most, three different ways of setting up the team seem to have been used. These include;
A team of student volunteers with a lecturer who acted as the Editor-in-Chief. This
setup was such that the team ran the paper as if it were a business and hence were responsible
for everything from writing, editing, designing of all content, advertising and marketing,
printing and distribution.
A team of student volunteers with a student as the Editor-in-Chief. This setup was
agreed upon after the papers advertising and marketing was outsourced. This then meant that
the team was responsible for writing, editing, designing and distribution. The outsourced
company assisted with the advertising and marketing of the paper, design of all
advertisements and the printing costs. Occasionally they would touch up the final design
work.
A team of students who registered for UB Horizon as a course with a student as the
Editor-in-Chief. This was after the newspaper production was incorporated into courses
within the Department and Simply Marketing assigned a designer to enhance the quality of
the final printed-paper.
The content that makes up the UBH newspaper comes from stories, which are written by
any students within the University of Botswana. These are proof read and most edited by the
editors within the editorial team with the assistance from their supervisor. The content is
usually from issues within the University and hence relevant to the community that the paper
serves.
The main reasons for the layout design of a newspaper according to Arnold (in Hutt &
James, 1989, p. 12) is to;
1) increase readability and to attract the reader into the news.
2) sort the news so that the reader knows at a glance which are the most important stories.
3) create attractive and interesting pages
4) create recognition, to make the reader identify and want your paper as soon as he sees
it.
In the end, designing of a newspaper is so as to have a visual hierarchy (Rolnicki et al.,
2001, p. 265) thus one should design a page so as to guide the reader to what is important
first and continue to guide them to what should be read next and so on.
As mentioned, the UBH used to run its own marketing and advertising up until 2011 of
which this was then outsourced to Simply Marketing. When one has to design the front page
of a newspaper, the best way to begin is with the page layout; otherwise known as page
make-up. The decision on which grid to go with; vertical, horizontal, diagonal or quadrant
15

or other such, will go a long way in determining the overall front page look. In the case of the
UBH, there is a standard basic page make-up for the front page. Page make-up is a matter
concerning both the advertisement and editorial department (Hutt & James, 1989). During
the time that all was done in-house, the team would work out the page make-up for each
edition between the design and advertising departments. Later on, as the advertising was
outsourced, the outsourcing company had to agree on a stand make-up for some pages, the
front page being one such page. Therefore, the UBH front page, for every edition after 2011,
has the same make-up in terms of the advertising and the slag spaces. The design team has to
work on the placement of the teasers and dropping in of the front page stories within the
remaining space.
The main components of newspaper page design according to Harrower (2002, p. 13) are
the, headlines, text, photos and cutlines (captions). This is similar to what Rolnicki et al.
(2001, p. 263) considers to be the main components as they mention the following as the
important components, text (for headlines, caption, stories and photo credits), pictures
(illustrations, photos and adverts) and the white space. The latter being important as the white
space makes up about 50% of all pages...
A nameplate (also referred to as logo and/or flag) is the primary element of the front page.
It is responsible for the branding of a newspaper and separating the given newspaper from all
others available in the market. This all so important element is often one of the most
neglected (Berry, 2004, p. 159) element in front page design. It is one of the elements which
should maintain consistency (Rolnicki et al., 2001, p. 274) due to the fact that it becomes
part of the branding of the paper. The nameplate should include the date of issue, the volume
and issue number (Rolnicki et al., 2001, p. 275)
Since newspapers are filled with words, text therefore becomes, the most essential
building block of the newspaper design (Harrower, 2002, p. 26). There are many ways in
which text can be manipulated for newspaper design. Harrower (2002, p. 26) classifies the
different ways of manipulation as being; typography, orientation, position, colour and size.
Typography plays a very important role in the overall look of the newspaper - it is at most
used as part of the branding of the paper. Hutt and James (1989, p. 9) explain that, Words
are the content; the typography is the way we express them. Some newspapers have over the
years designed their own font that is unique to their brand. As Harrower (2002, p. 38) clearly
stated, Theres no magic number when it comes to typefaces. It should be noted that,
Different headlines and text typefaces changes a papers appearance, its visual tone of voice,
and subtly alter its readability. Thus, one must keep this in mind at all times while designing
every page of a newspaper.
Headlines play a major part in any design. They signal entry points and lead the
readers eye around the page (Frost, 2003, p. 69). According to Hutt and James (1989, p.
70), There are four methods of securing headline variation no matter what the basic style.
The four being, size, weight, style and contrast. Newspaper headline font size can be divided
into three categories; small between 12-24 points, midsize between 24-25 points and large at
over 48 points (Harrower, 2002, p. 24).
Photos, as one of the main elements of page layout design become very important within
the front page of a newspaper. It has almost become standard practice to have at least one
photo on the front page of a newspaper and UBH is no exception. It is argued that, Every
picture tells a story- and every story deserves a picture (Harrower, 2002, p. 29). The three
basic newspaper photo shapes according to Harrower (2002, p. 29) are; rectangular
16

horizontal, rectangular vertical and square. With the named types, the rectangular horizontal
photos are more natural to the readers eyes- it is what one is used at seeing and is relative to
the golden mean. In most case this type of photo is easier to work with in terms of the page
layout. The rectangular vertical photos are vibrant in nature. It is however difficult for one to
layout the page with such in mind. The final one, the square type photo, is not as common as
the others and is also difficult to layout on a page. Pasternack and Utt (1990, p. 30)
summarises the importance of photography as, Design principles indicate that illustrations
(photographs and artwork) can attract attention, aid in retention, inform, entertain, show a
relationship, and help to pull a reader into a design.
A caption is meant to, tell the story behind every picture (Harrower, 2002, p. 30). The
captions should be differentiated from the text or any other writing within the designed page.
The placement of the caption in relation to the picture that it speaks to is generally at the
bottom of the picture. There are however some instances where the caption is to the side of
the pictures - to the left or right and at times in the middle of two or more related pictures. In
the latter, the pictures could be sharing one caption or the designer could just choose to layout
the captions as such so as to have a different look.
In all, one must emphasise that, Design in all things can be a very personal matter (Hutt
& James, 1989, p. 34). Thus, the front page design of the UBH is highly dependent on the
students who designed that given pages personal preference even with the set principals on
how to design the pages.
This research does not wish make a judgement on how good or bad the design of the front
pages of the UBH is. It is just to point out what is the situation in terms of the design of the
UBH front page. Hutt and James (1989, p. 34) explained it best that, There can be no
unanimity about what makes the perfect page; there will always be those who know they can
improve it.
Methodology
This research looked at all available archived editions of the UBH from the first printed
edition to the last one of academic year 2014. A total of 39 editions were analysed. The
analysis was made looking at the editions in chronological order of date of publishingstarting from the first to the latest produced edition. This allowed for the observation of the
changes in design with time and more interestingly, the change with the editorial team.
Findings and Analysis of Data
In terms of the front page design of the UBH, there has been a number of different layouts
over the years.
The Editorial Team
The UBH editorial team plays a great role in the design of the front page. Every academic
year a new team takes over the production of the paper and with it comes a new set of ideas
on how to best use the space left on the page for design. Ideally a team should design a total
of six editions, one each month of the two academic semesters. During the first few editions
as the team takes over, the paper designs are either the same as the old team or the design is
new but not the final look that the team would use for the rest of the editions. In most cases,
after the first two editions, the design team sticks to the format they see works best hence the
other four have a similar layout.
17
Overall Page Make-up

In terms of the page make-up, the UBH front page currently has a standard make-up from
the design team. After the first 20 editions, the front page was standard in terms of
advertising space and therefore there must be a bottom strip (front strip) and front ear for
advertisements.
The Nameplate/ Flag
The UBH front page basic layout reserves the upper strip for the flag. The UBH flag has
over the years been made up of;
The logo
The logo was designed by the first team that established the paper and has not been
changed ever since. It seats at the same location for all the front pages of the paper and is key
to the branding of the paper. The logo has two colours, orange and blue, which are the
colours mostly used within the paper in terms of the text and headline colours or the
background colours.
The tag line
Together with the logo- the tagline was also designed by the founding team. It also has
never moved positions.
* The logo and the tag line are now designed as an image and hence imported into the
document.
The date of publishing
In the early days of the paper production, the first 19 editions, the paper had a particular
date of print thus the design team would place the date of printing within the flag- under the
tag line. This then stopped as the team was not sure to the date of print, which meant that the
paper could come out weeks after it was submitted to the printers. The month of production
was however maintained in the paper on each page- under the logo.
The volume number
The volume number was indicated in the first 19 editions and stopped thereafter. It is
thought that this was the case as the detailed followed with the date hence, when the date was
dropped, so was the volume number.
The price
In the beginning, the UBH was sold at P2 per copy, which was indicated within the slag.
However, this was only for the first two editions. The next 17 editions saw the price replaced
by Your Free Copy. This again stopped being part of the slag after the 19th edition. It did
share the same design space, under the logo, as the date and volume number hence could
have been removed as the rest were.
The website
The UBH carries a URL to a website that one is to assume would be part of the
Newspaper. The site, www.ubhorizon.com, does not exist. The UBH however continues to
18

print the slag with this URL. All of the first 30 editions, except for the 26th edition, carry the
URL. The editions after that seem to correct the mistake but there is always one or two that
go for print with the URL within the slag.
The Facebook account
In 2012, the then UBH team opened a Facebook account. The account details where hence
added to the slag with the Facebook icon followed by they text Find us UB Horizon
Newspaper (BASCO) on Facebook. This was all at the top left corner of the slag.
The Teaser
Depending on the chief designer and the UBH team of the moment, there could be space
under the flag or a column to the left or right of the flag for the teasers. There was a team that
had the teaser within the slag, just above. A total of three editions did not have the teaser at
all. In all, a large number of the UBH, more than half, had the teaser positioned to the right of
the front page. Teams will position the teaser and design as such for all the editions that they
had. The one element that changed was the use of photos or the lead from the story within the
teasers. In most cases, only the heading or a few leading words were used. After the team
designs a few editions, they add photos to the words or add a few sentences from the
beginning of the story.
Headlines
The UBH headlines are designed in any size, weight (usually bold), style (but not in
italics), colour and font type that the designer of the front page feels fits the aesthetics of the
page. At most times the colour is sampled from the photos, which is featured at the front
page. At times, the headlines have a background colour also referred to as reverse heading usually forming a rectangular shape that bounds the headline. In most cases, the background
colour is sampled from the UBH logo thus blue or orange. At times the colour is given a tint
so as not to be fully saturated hence overpower the design.
The front pages of the UBH newspapers have a midsize for the headlines at between 24pt
and 48pt. This is the case due to the act that in most cases the front page has more than one
story on it with a reasonably sized photo thus there is little space left to play around with.
There are a few editions that carried only one story on the front page and these then had a
larger size headline at 48pt and above. Only three had small size headlines, less than 24pt. In
most cases, this would come from the page having three stories and the small size headline
would be for the third story, which is squeezed into the page. In terms of the orientation of
newspaper design, in most cases, Headlines for news stories usually run on top of the text
(Harrower, 2002, p. 25). Referred to as the banner type, this is always the type of headlines
used in the UBH front page design.
Text
In most case, all text has a horizontal orientation. There is however some cases where the
photo credits are written in a vertical orientation- to the bottom left of the photo. This was the
case as the type for the text, caption and the credit are all the same- hence this is to separate it
from the rest.
19

Overall, the UBH uses Times New Roman Regular typeface, size 11pt, for the text
throughout the paper- the body. This has been the case from the first ever edition. The
captions and photo credits also use the same font, however it is at times made bold and/or in
italics. The headlines however are designed in any other font- hardly ever Times New
Roman.
In the end, a number of different typefaces are used within the UBH front page and the
decision is left to the person who is designing the page as to which ones to use.
The UBH has a five leg, otherwise referred to as columns, maximum setup. All the front
pages were designed with the text being made to fit within this leg setup. Thus, the
positioning of the text and its orientation is given in terms of design. The only text orientation
and position element that a designer had to worry about in terms of the design for the front
page of the UBH is the headlines, caption and at times photo credits as these do not conform
to the legs.
The front page text font colour has always been black with the first letter of every story,
which is drop capped by three lines, being either black, blue or orange. Each edition the
dropped cap is in one colour for every story. The text within the whole of the UBH is
designed with font size 11pt. This has been the case with the exception of a few, only about 4
editions, that have size 10pt or 12pt so as to get the story to fit within the given space. It must
be noted that this was not to be the case but the designers would do such so as not to have to
re-work the design so that the story fits in the given space.
Photos
It is standard that the UBH would carry at least one photograph within the front page. This
does not include the times that the front page carries photos within the teaser. About 70% of
the editions had only one photo within the front page with another 15% being two
photographs. Occasionally the front page has three photos. It has happened only once that
the paper had more than three, at six images, which all belonged to one story. All the photos
are rectangular in shape except for one, which was edited to crop out the person from the
background and the text was wrapped around the individual.
Captions
The UBH front page has captions to accompany the photographs within the page. In all
cases, the captions are below the photos and at times separated from the rest of the text by a
change in typeface or by the use of a different colour background. There are a number of
cases of the photos being put up without a caption- almost 20% of the editions would have
this omission. The colour for the caption is normally black but this is the case if there is no
background colour. Should the captions be made to have a background, and the background
is a dark shade, the caption text colour is then changed to white for easy reading.
This goes hand in hand with the photo credits which are in most cases missed out, more so
than the caption.
White Space
The front page of the UBH is designed such as to have five columns with a gutter space of
3.0-4,0mm depending on the design team. The paper has a border space of 1cm to the right,
1.5-2.0cm to the top, 2cm to the left and 1.0-1.5cm to the bottom. The space spared within
each story is usually about 3mm. The extra large white spaces are found between the
20

photographs or the headings and the text. If the captions do not have a background, the
negative space left by the captions adds to the white space within the page.
The one element that seems to be working in favour for the UBH in terms of its design is
the fact that it is printed in full colours. Thus the designer has a choice of colourful text,
background, photos and advertisements to consider when designing the front page. Few
people will be bold enough to say that colour actually sells newspapers. What evidence we
have tends to suggest that the use of colour in a newspaper is beneficial in creating and
encouraging the attitude among readers that here is a modern, go-ahead good- value
newspaper (Hutt & James, 1989, p. 151 & 152).
Discussions
The element of text within the UBH front page design has never changed in its font type, the
size and colour. There are however certain elements such as the nameplate, the teasers, the
headlines, captions, photos and white space that have over the years evolved with some
combinations attributing to some well designed front pages.
The UBH front page design has been highly influence by the editorial team. Berry (2004,
p. xi) explains that, New management may want to establish its presence by stamping its
own image on the paper The UBH team is not different as all teams tried to leave a mark
without changing the brand.
The removal of what is considered to be part of the main parts of a front page of any
newspaper - the date of publishing, the volume number and the price or in the case of the
current situation, the indication that the publication is free, needs to be reviewed so as to
bring such elements back within the front page.
The nameplate should be designed so as to remove the URL to the website that does not
exist - if this change is implemented within the template, the mistakes of having it printed
will be avoided.
The photos used within the front page of the UBH are standard rectangular in shape. This
is the same even for the teaser. The photos used for the front page - especially for the teaser
can be a bit more creative with them being extracted from the background. To finish the
design of such should be a caption and photo credits. There is a considerable number of the
UBH which features a photo without the caption nor the photo credits.
Conclusions
The UBH newspaper has been a part of the University of Botswana community for the last
nine years. The layout and design of the paper has only but evolved from the first edition.
The design elements of the front page has over the years removed some of the main elements
of a newspaper, such as; date of publishing, volume number and the price or in the case of the
current situation, the indication that the publication is free. The UBH editorial team, lead by
the chief designer, has managed to design an aesthetically pleasing front page in most cases.
References
Berry, J. D. (2004). Contemporary newspaper design : shaping the news in the digital age
: typography & image on modern newsprint: West New York, NJ : Mark Batty.
Buchanan, C. (2009). Sense of place in the daily newspaper. The Journal of Media
Geography, 4, 62-82.
21

Frost, C. (2003). Designing for newspapers and magazines: London: Routledge.
Harrower, T. (2002). The newspaper designer's handbook. Boston: McGraw-Hill, 5th ed.
Holmqvist, K., & Wartenberg, C. (2005). The role of local design factors for newspaper
reading behaviouran eye-tracking perspective. Lund University Cognitive Studies, 127, 1-21.
Hutt, A., & James, B. (1989). Newspaper design today : a manual for professionals.
London: Lund Humphries, 1989
Njuguna, W. P. (2011). Broadening Horizons: A Case Study of a Training Newspaper at
the
University
of
Botswana.
Wits
Journalism.
Retreived
from
www.journalism.co.za/blog/teaching-journalism-case-studies
Pasternack, S., & Utt, S. H. (1990). Reader use and understanding of newspaper
infographics. Newspaper Research Journal, 11(2), 28-41.
Rolnicki, T., Tate, C. D., & Taylor, S. (2001). Scholastic journalism, Iowa State
University Press. 10th ed.
Schnbach, K. (2000). 5 factors of newspaper success: does quality count? A study of
German newspapers 14. Measuring media content, quality and diversity, 85.
About the author

Martha Mosha, Lecturer, Information and Communications Studies Department, Faculty of
Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Namibia.
Martha is a digital media enthusiast with an experience in graphics design, digital video
production, project management and training within the media production area. Her interests
are in areas where digital media merges with science communication. Currently a lecturer at
the University of Namibia, Martha is a graduate from the University of Sydney (Aus) with a
Masters degree in Design Science (Digital Media). The digital media specialisation included
area of; online media production, video production, compositing, graphics design, 3D
animation & game design and sound design for visual media.
Email: Marthamosha@gmail.com
22
How students studying Media Studies

say they prefer to learn
By Richard Rooney
Abstract
This paper presents the findings of a survey undertaken among students attached to the
Media Studies Department, University of Botswana. It interrogates the research question:
Botswana say they prefer to learn? To facilitate this, a questionnaire was designed and
distributed to 115 students across years one to four. The research assumes there are three
types of student: A) shallow learners; B) deep learners and C) strategic learners and
attempts to identify how many of each there are in Media Studies. The results suggest that the
majority of students may be C-type. That is they have a confidence in their ability to learn for
themselves and realise that there are sources of knowledge besides the teacher: books,
programs, other teachers, peers or even themselves. They believe assessments are not
occasions to spout received information, but are opportunities to show a considered
response. Even though C-type students might be a majority, significant numbers remain Atype and prefer simply to commit material to memory in an uncritical way. They expect the
teacher to give them all they need. There are also significant minorities of B-type who know
they should be critical, but are unsure about how to do it. They try to second-guess what
position the teacher favours and give that view in assessments. They feel insecure in this
position.
Key words: media studies, students, University of Botswana, learning
Introduction
This paper presents the findings of a survey undertaken among students attached to the Media
Studies Department, University of Botswana. It interrogates the research question: How do
students studying Media Studies in the Faculty of Humanities at the University of Botswana
say they prefer to learn?
To facilitate this, a questionnaire was designed and distributed to 115 students across years
one to four.
The research assumes there are three types of student: A) shallow learners; B) deep
learners and C) strategic learners and attempts to identify how many of each there are in
Media Studies.
The results suggest that the majority of students may be C-type. That is they have a
confidence in their ability to learn for themselves and realise that there are sources of
23

They believe assessments are not occasions to spout received information, but are
opportunities to show a considered response.
Even though C-type students might be a majority, significant numbers remain A-type and
prefer simply to commit material to memory in an uncritical way. They expect the teacher to
give them all they need.
There are also significant minorities of B-type who know they should be critical, but are
unsure about how to do it. They try to second-guess what position the teacher favours and
give that view in assessments. They feel insecure in this position.
The paper cautions that the results may be problematic. When the author discussed these
results informally with some colleagues in the Media Studies Department they expressed
surprise that students reported they wanted to learn for themselves and did not want to be
unduly led by the teacher. Colleagues said that in their own experience typically the students
wanted guidance and were insecure when required to work independently. This would mean
that the majority of students might at best be B-type or A-type with a smaller number at Ctype than the present research suggests.
This raised an issue with the research: could we be certain that students answered wholly
truthfully?
Defining the Media Studies Student
At the University of Botswana there are two undergraduate Media Studies programmes
within the Faculty of Humanities. They are the Bachelor of Media Studies which has the
programme code BMS 220 and the BA (Media Studies) with the programme code BAH 210.
In order to graduate from UB a student must successfully complete a minimum of 120
credits over four years. The BMS 220 programme requires students to take a maximum of 88
credits in Media Studies courses with the remaining 32 credits made up of electives, general
education courses and level 100 English courses. The BAH 210 programme is a major in
Media Studies requiring students to pass a maximum of 56 Media Studies credits. Students
on this programme can take another programme as a minor. Typically, these minors are from
the Faculty of Humanities and include, among other programmes, English Language, African
Languages and Literature, History, Theology and Religious Studies (University of Botswana,
2012).
The structure of the Media Studies programmes means that a Media Studies student has
to take a significant number of non-Media Studies credits to graduate. In the case of BMS
220 this would be at least 26 percent of total credits and in BAH 210 this would be at least 54
percent of total credits.
We should therefore be cautious in thinking of Media Studies students as people who
only study Media Studies, but rather we should see them as Humanities students who
specialise in Media Studies. We might reasonably believe that the results obtained by this
research could generally reflect the way Humanities students say they prefer to learn, rather
than just Media Studies students, and it could therefore be of interest to teachers across the
faculty.
Goal
To investigate how students on Media Studies courses at the Faculty of Humanities in the
University of Botswana prefer to learn.
24

Rationale
There is no information about this topic. A survey of students attitudes would help us to
work towards establishing a learning and teaching policy in the Media Studies Department.
The work also speaks to the UB Learning and Teaching Policy (University of Botswana,
2008, Pp. 3-4).
This policy is guided by the principle of intentional learning which puts an emphasis on
pedagogical strategies that encourage active learning. It says, Approaches to learning should
be creative, diverse and flexible and should benefit from the application of appropriate
technologies. It also privileges learner-centeredness, saying, Learning and teaching
processes should adapt existing methods and techniques, adopt new ones and adjust to the
learners styles and pace of learning, and focus on the achievement of learner outcomes.
Objectives
1. To investigate students attitudes to the role of lecturers in teaching.
2. To investigate the knowledge transfer relationship between lecturer and student.
3. To investigate students attitudes to their own role in learning.
4. To investigate students understanding of the concept of knowledge.
5. To investigate students attitudes to the role of assessments and examinations.
Research question
Botswana say they prefer to learn?
Samples
Questionnaires were distributed at one class meeting at one Media Studies core course in
each of Year 1, Year 2, Year 3, and Year 4. These were conducted in February 2012.
Students who attended the class were invited to complete a questionnaire. They had not been
told in advance that the survey would be conducted. The sample sizes ranged from 50 percent
to 74 percent of the available populations.
Table 1: Sample size
Year 1
Year 2
Year 3
Year 4
Combined
No in sample
13
49
26
27
115
Size of population
26
66
40
43
175
%age of population
50
74
65
63
66
The research instrument

This research relies on the tried-and-tested methodology set out by Johnstone (2005) in his
work for the Higher Education Academy, UK. In particular, two questionnaires have been
utilised to capture information about the way students say they like to learn. The two
questionnaires were combined into a single instrument for the present research. The original
questionnaires were designed to capture information about long-term changes in students
attitudes to their own learning, but they have been used in the present research simply to take
a snap-shot of the students attitudes in one point in time.
25

Johnstone utilises work of Entwhistle et al and Perry to identify three types of student: A)
shallow learners; B) deep learners and C) strategic learners (cited in Johnstone, 2005, Pp. 810).
He concludes students in position A see their job as one of committing to memory what
they are taught. This is an uncritical operation because they are confident that the teacher will
give them exactly what they need for the exam; no more and no less. Exams that facilitate
this black-and-white view (i.e. multiple-choice) are welcome.
Johnstone says students in position B seem to be in a less happy position. They know that
their job is not just to swallow information in an uncritical way, but they are unsure about
what they should be doing. Whenever the teacher suggests that there is more than one way of
looking at things, they accept this, but try to find out which the teacher favours so that they
can be sure of giving that view in the exam. They are beginning to realise that the teacher
may not know all the answers and that makes them feel very insecure. When it comes to the
exam, they write all they know and leave the teacher (as examiner) to pick out what is
relevant.
Johnstone says students in position C have moved from the insecurity of students in
position B and now display a confidence in their ability to learn for themselves, seeking
meaning and pattern in knowledge. Knowledge is no longer black and white, but its
interpretation and use depends upon the context. Students in position C realise that there are
sources of knowledge besides the teacher, such as books, programs, other teachers, peers or
even themselves.
Exams are not occasions to spout received information, but are opportunities to show a
considered response and to exhibit lateral thinking. This type of student dislikes multiplechoice testing.
In terms of confidence, students in position A are confident in the system: the teacher, the
lecture, and the exam. Students in position C are confident in themselves and in their ability
to learn on their own or in a group or by whatever method they find congenial. Students in
position B, however, sit in a trough of uncertainty and low self-esteem.
In Part One of the questionnaire used in the present research, students were presented with
two statements, one A and one C, on the same attitude dimension. Between the statements
were five boxes and the students were asked to shade the box nearest to their view. There is a
range between strongly agreeing with the A statement, agreeing with it, strongly agreeing
with the C statement, agreeing with it and, in the middle, is a neutral position which
subscribes to neither pole and so may be identified with the B position.
In Part Two of the questionnaire, following the work of Perry, four dimensions were
chosen (cited in Johnstone, 2005, Pp. 8-10).
These were:
Student role;
Lecturers role;
View of knowledge;
View of examinations.
In the vertical columns the three types of student (A, B and C) have been described.
26

Results
Johnstone (2005, p. 6) reminds us that data are, at best, ordinal and not cardinal. And there is
no way of knowing if the interval between neutral and agree is the same as that between
agree and strongly agree. If we number strongly agree as 1, agree as 2, and so on to
strongly disagree as 5, these numbers cannot, with any confidence, be added, subtracted or
averaged to give anything meaningful.
Academic colleagues at the UB will recognise that this numerical approach is the one
preferred by the University for its SECAT questionnaire in which students evaluate their
lecturers at the end of the course. The SECAT form utilises what Johnstone calls pseudo
arithmetic.
He states that if the class were to respond to any question in the form of a normal
distribution of frequencies, the pseudo arithmetic would give an average value of 3.
However, if the class were split equally between strongly agree and strongly disagree the
average value would still be 3. The same value would arise from any symmetrical
distribution of response frequencies. To carry out this averaging is to lose the vital data
which can be seen only by
inspecting the whole frequency distribution. Another illogical outcome of the pseudo
arithmetic is seen when one asks if disagree, labelled 4, is twice as great as agree, labelled
2. Clearly they are not.
To avoid the SECAT error the responses to the questions in the present research were not
assigned a value. Instead, to make sense of the data the distributions of the frequencies to
each response were studied. This showed trends, skews and polarities.
27

Table 2: Results from Part One of the questionnaire, expressed as percentages
Note: C donates all years combined.
Table 3: Results from Part Two of the questionnaire, expressed as percentages.

Q7 I think my job as a student is:
A.
B.
C.
To accept the information given to me without question and learn it.

To accept that some responsibility rests on me for learning, but I am not
sure what is expected of me about what or how to learn.
To accept what I am given, but to think about it critically, to check other
sources for myself and take responsibility about what and how I learn.
Year 1
0
15
Year 2
2
10
Year 3
0
15
Year 4
0
15
Combined
1
13
85
88
85
85
86
Year 1
23
Year 2
2
Year 3
12
Year 4
4
Combined
7
69
94
85
96
89
Q8 I think the job of a lecturer is:
A. To give me all I need to know but where there is more

than one way of looking at things, it should be indicated
clearly which way is preferred.
B. To provide me with information, but I realise that
lecturers are not the only source of information and that I
can find things out for myself to supplement what they
have given.
C. To give me all I need to know and to exclude any nonexaminable material.
28
Q9 I think that knowledge is:
A. A collection of unchangeable facts which are either right

or wrong. I dislike uncertainties and vague statements. I
am uncomfortable if I am asked to think for myself. I
prefer to be given the facts.
B. Complex and by no means all black and white, but I find
this exciting and stimulating. It makes me want to explore
things for myself.
C. Not just a collection of black and white facts but there are
shades of grey. Things might be right or wrong depending
on the circumstances and context. This uncertainty makes
me feel uncomfortable.
Year 1
23
Year 2
21
Year 3
24
Year 4
11
Combined
20
38
47
56
52
49
38
32
20
37
31
Year 1
31
Year 2
17
Year 3
15
Year 4
19
Combined
19
46
62
58
48
56
23
21
27
33
26
Q10 My job in assessment and exams is:
A. To give back the facts I have learned as accurately as

possible. I prefer questions with single clear-cut answers
rather than open long questions.
B. To answer the questions, including what I have been
taught and what I have found out for myself from reading
or other sources. I dislike questions which force me into a
fixed answer (such as multiple choice) and prefer open
questions in which I have room to show my own thinking.
C. To give back all I know about the topic and eave the
marker to give me credit for the relevant bits. I quite like
open-ended questions, which allow me to show how much
I know.
Description of the findings

Q1
Between 54 and 59 percent of students across all four years are C-type students. They say
they do not have to rely totally on the lecturer and part of their learning is to work things out
for themselves. However, in year one, nearly one in four (23 percent) are A-type. They say
they should just study what the lecturer says and they might fail the course if they do not. A
further 23 percent remained neutral about whether they should study just what the lecturer
tells them or work things out for themselves.
Q2
Most students are C-type. They do not to believe they should accept what the lecturer says
and not question it for fear of failing. A total of 69 percent of Year one, 75 percent of year
two, 74 percent of year three and 67 percent of year four students disagreed or disagreed
strongly with this proposition. However, a sizeable minority (15 per cent of year one and 11
percent of year four students), were A-type students and agreed they should accept the
lecturers word and not question it.
29

Q3
Students were undecided (B-type) whether it is the lecturers job to supply all the
knowledge they need or to stimulate their thinking. Responses were spread across all
available categories and only students in year four agreed by a majority (52 percent) that the
duty of the lecturer was to stimulate the students thinking.
Elsewhere, there are significant minorities of A-type students: 28 percent of year two
students, 28 percent of year two students and 32 percent of year three students agreed
strongly or agreed that the lecturer should supply all the knowledge needed. Nearly one in
four (19 percent) of year four students also agreed strongly or agreed with the statement.
Q4
Students across all years are C-type. They overwhelmingly agreed strongly or agreed that
a good lecturer should give all conflicting views on an issue and give students a chance to
evaluate them. Responses ranged from 82 percent to 93 percent.
Q5
Many students are C-type. They want their lecturers to provide them with challenges, but
they are in a minority - 49 percent of all years combined disagreed strongly or disagreed that
lecturers should avoid teaching material they know their students will find difficult. Year
three students (57 percent) and year four students (55 percent) were the most willing to
accept challenges.
Sizeable numbers strongly agreed or agreed lecturers should avoid teaching difficult
material, ranging from 35 percent to 39 percent among years one, two and three and 19
percent in year four.
A quarter (26 percent) of year four students and 19 percent of both year two and year
three students were undecided and remained neutral.
Q6
Students are overwhelmingly C-type. They like to work with other students and get their
points of view: between 71 percent and 86 percent of students appreciated this. Among all
students those in year four were more likely to not want to work with other students (14
percent) than year three (8 percent) and year two (2 percent). No student in year one said they
did not want to work with other students.
Q7
More than 85 percent of students in all years are C-type students. They believe their job is
to accept what they are given, but to think about it critically and to take responsibility for
what they learn.
Q8
The overwhelming majority of students in Years 2, 3 and 4 are B-type students. They
believe the job of the lecturer is to provide them with information but that the student must
find out things for themselves to supplement it. Nearly a quarter of Year 1 students (23
percent) are A-type students. They believed lecturers should give them all the information
they need to know and where there is more than one way of looking at things to indicate
which is the preferred way.
30
Q9
Students are uncertain what knowledge is. They mostly are B-type or C-type students,
but in all years, except Year 4 there are substantial minorities (at least one student in five) of
A-type students.
Q10
In assessment and examinations, most students are either B-type of C-type, with a skew
towards B-type in Year 2 and Year 3. Year 1 students are most uncertain about their role: 31
percent are A-type students, 46 percent B-type and 23 percent C-type.
Discussion
From the results of the questionnaire, the following narrative statements may be made that
might assist the Media Studies Department in formulating a learning policy:
Students do not want to rely totally on the lecturer, but Year one students are more likely
to want guidance from the lecturer (Q1).
Students do not want to be just led by the lecturer; they want challenges and want to find
things out for themselves. They want lecturers to stimulate them and give them conflicting
views on a topic so they can evaluate for themselves (Q2, Q3, Q4, Q5).
Students expect information from lecturers but they want to also supplement what they
have been told by finding things out for themselves (Q8).
Students like working with other students. (Q6).
Students believe their job is to think critically, but a sizeable minority are not sure what is
expected of them. (Q7).
Students are unclear about what knowledge is. A sizeable minority think it is a collection
of unchangeable facts which a either right or wrong. A larger minority say they know there
are shades of grey, but this makes them feel uncomfortable. (Q9).
Students want assessments that do not force them into writing short answers (e.g. multiple
choice), but a sizeable minority want questions demanding single clear-cut answers. A
minority of students want the lecturer to take a large role in deciding what is relevant in a
students answer and what is not. (Q10).
Although the research is mainly interested in how the majority of students behave there
are some interesting minority views that could have impact on any future teaching strategies
that are devised by the Media Studies Department. For example:
Large numbers of students do not appreciate that knowledge in not a collection of certain
facts. 20 percent of the combined total believes it is. This does not change between Year
one, two and three, but falls in Year four (Q9).
A sizeable minority believe it is the job of the lecturer to supply them with all the
knowledge they need (Q3).
A sizeable minority think lecturers should avoid teaching material they know students will
find difficult (Q5).
A sizeable minority are uncomfortable with uncertainty (Q3).
A sizeable minority of Year one students believe in order to pass the course they need to
study just what the lecturer says, dont question it, otherwise they might fail (Q1 + Q2).
A sizeable minority of Year two, Year three and Year four students believe it is the job of
the lecturer to supply all the information they need (Q3).
31

A sizeable minority of students believe lecturers should avoid teaching material they know
students will find difficult. This applies to students in all years, but drops in Year four (Q5).
In assessments, a sizeable minority of students want only to give back facts they have
learned as accurately as possible they also want questions requiring simple clear-cut
answers. This applies most in Year one (31 percent) and continues through other years,
including Year four (19 percent) (Q10).
Towards creating a learning policy in Media Studies
The results of this research suggest that the majority of students may be C-type. That is they
have a confidence in their ability to learn for themselves and realise that there are sources of
They believe assessments are not occasions to spout received information, but are
opportunities to show a considered response.
Even though C-type students might be a majority, significant numbers remain A-type and
prefer simply to commit material to memory in an uncritical way. They expect the teacher to
give them all they need.
There are also significant minorities of B-type who know they should be critical, but are
unsure about how to do it. They try to second-guess what position the teacher favours and
give that view in assessments. They feel insecure in this position.
These results may be problematic. When I discussed these results informally with some
colleagues in the Media Studies Department they expressed surprise that students reported
they wanted to learn for themselves and did not want to be unduly led by the teacher.
Colleagues said that in their own experience typically the students wanted guidance and were
insecure when required to work independently. This would mean that the majority of students
might at best be B-type or A-type with a smaller number at C-type than the present research
suggests.
This raised an issue with the research: could we be certain that students answered wholly
truthfully? Could it be that they displayed tendencies of the B-type student and tried to work
out the response the researcher expected and gave that, even though it did not reflect their
true position?
An additional issue might be that respondents were aspirational in their answers. That is,
they recognised how a student was expected to behave (to be confident, independent learners
and so on) and answered the questionnaire as if they were that type of student, even when
they were not.
These two issued cannot be satisfactorily resolved without further investigation.
My own experience with students in the Media Studies Department is that in certain
circumstances they can and do work well independently as C-type students. I have identified
this tendency to be especially strong in the more practical / vocational classes. For example,
in news writing classes at years two, three and four, they demonstrate independence of
thought and endeavour, by identifying news and feature article possibilities and then
following them through by selecting and interviewing appropriate people to interview and so
on, before writing a finished article.
In this case, the students would have moved from classes in year two to year four under
the same instructor, who would have the opportunity to tailor the learning experience so as to
guide progression from being the A-type to the C-type student.
32

My experience with students in the more theoretical classes is less positive. Here
students in years two, three and four (I dont teach year one students) continue to struggle,
often unable to synthesise material they have gathered or critique it. Critical thinking skills
especially seem to be lacking. In these classes C-type student appear to be in a small
minority, while A-types are the majority.
References
Johnstone, A. (2005). Evaluation of teaching, a physical sciences practice guide. Higher
Education Academy, University of Hull.
University of Botswana (2008). Learning and Teaching Policy, approved by Senate, 20
February 2008.
University of Botswana (2012). Undergraduate Academic Calendar 2012 / 2013.
About the author
Richard Rooney is an associate professor and head of the Department of Media Studies at the
University of Botswana, Gaborone. He has taught in universities in Europe, Africa and the
Pacific. His research, which specialises in media and their contribution to democracy and
good governance, has been published in books and academic journals across the world.
Email: Richard.Rooney@mopipi.ub.bw
33
An analysis of how Botswana

Television News reports on poverty
By Bame Lekoma
Abstract
Botswana Television (BTV) is the first national television in Botswana following a decision
that was made by the Botswana government in 1997. BTV was launched on 31st July 2000
and has since been the centre of Batswana viewing habits. The station prides itself as being
not only diverse but also being the first station in Africa to fully utilize digital technology. Its
main aim and objectives is to bring programming that is fair and accurate and news that is
truthful and timeliness. The station has committed itself to provide at least 60% local content
to meet the diverse needs of Batswana. Very little research has been done into BTV news
reporting and this research paper sets out to answer two research questions, i) To what
extent does BTV news report on issues of poverty?; ii) How much freedom do journalists
have to report on such issues?
To answer these questions, a content analysis of 14 news bulletins was undertaken to find
out i) media representatives of social groups; how BTV news reports on poverty and ii) the
sources that journalists used in their reports.
The data from the content analysis proved that BTV news does to a certain extent report
on issues of poverty.
The discussion on how much freedom Journalists have on reporting on such issues
concluded that journalists do not have a lot of freedom and their main sources of gathering
information is directly from the government.
Key words: Botswana Television, BTV, poverty, journalism, news
Introduction
News is the major product of journalism; it is information that journalists believe is important
or interesting for their audiences. It is one of the main ways in which society examines itself;
that examination provides an important means by which the society can find solutions to its
problems, (Stovall, 2005). News is all around us, from extraordinary events to everyday
occurrences such as weather. It relies on the experiences of the audience to be effective; the
more open the society, the more freedom the journalists have, the better news process works.
Poverty is a very difficult term to define as it can mean different things to different people
depending on where they live and where they come from. For example, in Botswana poverty
is perceived as a sorry condition of a persons life, (Ministry of Finance and Development
Planning, 1997). A very poor person was described as she/he who own nothing but head lice.
Lice here projected both the materialistic perception of poverty and the uselessness of lice as
34

material things. Thus one could not use lice to help oneself; instead the lice were the once
living off the owner. The materialistic conception of poverty for Batswana means the absence
of livestock, food, shelter and money, (Ministry of Finance and Development Planning,
1997). Poverty is thus perceived as the absence of material things which determine the
quality of life. Poverty can also be about powerlessness and ill being, Poverty is hunger, lack
of shelter, being sick and not being able to see a doctor. Poverty is not being able to go to
school and not knowing how to read. Poverty is not having a job, is fear for the future, living
one day at a time. Poverty is losing a child to illness brought about by unclean water. Poverty
is powerlessness, lack of representation and freedom, (Rooney, 2013). The incidences of
poverty in Botswana are very high with 18.4% of the population living below the poverty
line; high unemployment rate of 17.8%, (African Economic Outlook, 2015).
Different factors can contribute to poverty for example unemployment, drought, wars,
genocides, divorce, death caused by illnesses such as AIDS, teenage pregnancy, etc.,
(Ministry of Finance and Development Planning, 1997). In Botswana for example successive
droughts and the failure of agriculture is the main cause of poverty because most Batswana
depend on farming as a way of life. Women, especially in rural areas, are also hard hit by
poverty mainly because they are usually unemployed so they are unable to fend for
themselves and have no interest in farming. They have numerous dependent children from
various fathers, they have no support system and a number of them either never went to
school or dropped out at primary level.
Poverty Eradication Scheme, Botswana
The government of Botswana has undertaken several policies and programmes which have
implications for poverty alleviation. These include the policy of national food self-sufficiency
and food security, drought relief programmes, supplementary and direct feeding programmes,
labour-intensive public works, the Arable Lands Development Programme (ALDEP), the
Tribal Grazing Land Policy (TGLP), the Accelerated Rain fed Arable Programme (ARAP),
the Financial Assistance Policy (FAP),the National Policy on Destitute(s), the Old Age
Pension Scheme and the Citizen Entrepreneurial Development Agency, (Hwedie, 2001). The
most recent government initiative schemes to eradicate poverty and reduce employment
include Tirelo Sechaba Programme, Ipelegeng, government internship programme and the
government volunteering programme. The government also came up with the policy of vision
2016 which would also help in the alleviation of poverty. The goals suggest that by the year
2016, Botswana will be an educated, informed nation; prosperous, productive and innovative;
safe and secure; open, democratic and accountable; moral and tolerant; and united and proud
(Presidential Task Group, 1997). The goal is to enable everyone to contribute effectively and
meaningfully to building the nation, while creating prosperity for all. The guiding
principles are democracy, development, self-reliance, unity and botho, which encourage
cooperation, respect and social justice for all. The plan predicts the nationwide eradication of
absolute poverty. By 2016, no part of the country will have people living with incomes
below the appropriate poverty datum line (Presidential Task Group, 1997. p. 8). Vision 2016
anticipates that by the year 2016 there will be a zero rate of new infections, as well as
mechanisms in place to cater for all those infected and affected, (Presidential Task Group,
1997, p. 8).
As a Government-owned media, the role of the Department of Information and
Broadcasting is to mobilize Batswana towards national development, to inform them about
35

events within and outside the country, to interpret such events and whenever possible suggest
appropriate approaches to them. The department also educates and entertains citizens in
accordance with national development goals and interests, (Department of Information and
Broadcasting, 2015).
The main purpose of news is to report on issues that are of public interest; stories that not
only affect one person but the whole community/country at large, issues such as poverty. This
paper explores the extent to which Botswana television (BTV) news reports on these
concerns.
Methodology
A comination of both qualitative and quantitative analysis was used to conduct this research.
Secondary data will be reviewed initially through the University of Botswana library using a
range of information sources such as books, journals and internet search engines.
Data was collected by watching BTV news and taking note of news reporting on poverty for
a period of two weeks from 12th February to 25th February 2015. It was entered using MS
Word and inserting a table with headings: date, description, source. The strengths of using
this method of collecting data is that one gets first-hand information by observing and noting
down what has been seen. It is not time consuming and it is relatively easy to compile data.
The main challenge faced is that one had to be there every day 7pm to watch the news
bulletin and if it is missed the research would not be complete, since there was no necessary
equipments to record the news. To overcome the problem one has to be there to watch the
news at 7pm and again the repeat at 8pm in case something was missed.
Table 1 The number of stories on poverty broadcast with a brief summary
DATE
12/02
DESCRIPTION
SOURCE
1. Mahalapye- Shortage of livestock

medication and feed causing death of
livestock
President; government
2. poor service delivery by public sector;

rural people are sidelined
13/02
1. Kazangula bridge project; reduce poverty
Regional Labour Office
in the area
14/02
NO STORY
15/02
1. Tirelo Sechaba- poverty eradication
Minister of Sport, Youth and
scheme.
Culture
16/02
NO STORY
17/02
1. Molepolole- Residents complain that

they have no access to water/clean water
18/02
NO STORY
19/02
1. Mogobane residents urged to utilise

poverty eradication programmes
20/02
NO STORY
21/02
1. Gender equality linked with poverty
36
Government
Phillip Makgalemela

eradication
22/02
1. No more poverty in the country by
23/02
March 2017
1. UNESCO striving to get people out of
poverty through education
24/02
1. Robelela Village- received poverty
Government
UNESCO
Kgosi Roblela
eradication packages
25/02
1. Medie Village- Failure of poverty

eradication programmes
Source: Author
In the two weeks that the research was conducted, there were a total of eleven stories
reporting on poverty. In each news bulletin there were approximately 10-12 stories ranging
from breaking news to health news to business, international, sports and weather news. Out
of all those stories usually there would be only one or at most two stories reporting on
poverty and on some days there would be no stories on the issue of poverty. The stories
usually came from one source and that was the government and the President addressing an
issue or a member of parliament tackling an issue and usually those issues were about
poverty eradication schemes.
According to the observations, the texture of the stories was mild to moderate meaning
there were not very serious issues. For example, no one died because of hunger; there were
no stories about malnutrition in children or people dying because of unclean water. There
was, however, a story where Molepolole residents complained that they had no access to
clean water, ever since the water pump broke down, water is very red and muddy (17
February, 2015). However, there was no report on someone dying or admitted to the hospital
because of the water. Mostly the stories were about government initiatives to reduce and
eradicate poverty; the schemes that they have and that residents should take advantage of
such schemes to reduce poverty.
The Medie Village story about the failure of poverty eradication programmes(25 February
2015) was about residents complaining that they were using the schemes but the government
kept failing to make them work; for example, there was poor customer service from the
public sector, lack of water and electricity in certain villages, or they were given livestock but
not taught how to care for it, there was no provision for livestock feed, water and medication
so in the process their livestock died and as a result residents were not benefiting from the
program.
There was also a story on education on how UNESCO is striving to get people out of
poverty through education and that everyone has the right to education, (23 February 2015).
Most of these stories were narrative, the viewers are not told the outside factors that have
contributed to the situation and without the social context to understand as to why this is the
situation, they are left to assume the worst. The news portrays the poor as victims and people
who were only dependent on the government, it gave an impression that once you were poor
there was no hope of ever succeeding in life. The poor are sidelined especially in rural areas
and their complaints are not taken in consideration, they are just brushed off.
For example, the residents on Mahalapye complained about poor service delivery by the
public sector and that they were sidelined which defeated the purpose of the governments
initiative to help the destitute/poor, (12 February 2015). There was the same issue in Medie
37

village, (25 February 2015) the residents complained about the same thing; poor service
delivery by the public sector but the journalist did not link the two stories to show that this
was a problem which needed to be dealt with by the government. Instead the government still
promotes the poverty eradication schemes without dealing with the problems that are making
the scheme unproductive. The stories also have no continuity or follow up, for example the
story of unclean water in Molepolole, (17 February 2015) was not followed up to see if the
issues were resolved.
BTV news shows poor people as victims and also gives the impression that once you were
poor or were born into a poor family there was no hope of ever succeeding in life; you were
going to remain poor forever. Take for example the government programme of eradicating
poverty called Ipelegeng. If the government gives individuals P500 every month to sustain
themselves and their family there is no hope for them of getting out of poverty because P500
is not enough to sustain one person a month, what more a family of five or more?
Why are the poor represented this way?
Poor people are represented in this way because mass media are usually the voice of
authority. News focuses on powerful people and institutions and generally reflect established
interests, (McQuail, 1994) In the eyes of many journalists, poverty is a depressing story - a
turn off for viewers; at best it is a charity inspiring story, (McQuail, 1994).
The media are owned or controlled by a small number of powerful interests and are similar
to one another and all have more or less the same purpose, (McQuail, 1994), for example in
Botswana, BTV is completely owned by the government. Television relies on advertising so
in striving popularity, television producers have often adapted a strategy of least
objectionable programming whereby programmes are intended to avoid controversy and
remain politically bland, (Burton, 2010), This is ideological as blandness favours certain
images and stories and pushes others to the margins or off air entirely. For example, in BTV
news stories about poverty and economic crisis in Botswana are very minimal so as to avoid
controversy. Media companies work in the interest of owners and not in the interest of
audiences or the community at large. The media isolates people who become alienated from
society which leads to a loss of values and a break down in social order, (Croteau and Hoyne,
1997). That explains why BTV news mostly shows news that favours people in power.
Power in societies is not distributed evenly between individuals, groups and classes and
media are related to societys structure of political and economic power, so the media content
is likely to serve the interest of those who hold political and economic power (McQuail,
1994). The media make it difficult for society to change because they do not allow alternative
points of views to be heard, When we look at poverty eradication schemes in Botswana for
example, television shows the government simply giving out blankets to the poor, or a house,
or petty jobs such cutting grass by the side of the road and receiving P500 a month. So
television portrays poor people as just receivers, people who are not worthy of being taught
how to make a living so that they get themselves out of the situation they are in, in other
words they are just given the fish, they are not taught how to catch it, as a result they become
dependent. Poor people are portrayed as being dependent on the government, they cannot
think for themselves and they cannot live without the governments help.
38

Conclusion
This paper concluded that there is not enough news being broadcasted on poverty; there is a
shortage of stories about the underprivileged. Poor people are usually shown when the
government is giving them material things to help them. There is usually a gap on how these
stories are being told, more like the stories are being filtered to favour the owner of the
station because what is being shown in the news about poverty, is not entirely what we see
happening on ground.
The main aims of BTV news is to inform Batswana about events within and outside the
country, to interpret such events and whenever possible suggest appropriate approaches to
them. But it has failed to do that because on ground there is indeed extreme poverty in
villages like Sekhutlhane, Sekokwane, Matlakeng etc but those cases are not being reported.
The department is also dedicated to the provision of objective, balanced, credible
and professionally-tailored programmes and publications; To give fair, accurate and balanced
reporting to ensure that Batswana are properly informed, educated and innovative, but
according to the research journalist are not doing enough to inform the nation about what is
happening in Botswana, more like they do not have the freedom to write and report on such
sensitive issues like poverty.
Recommendation
Improvements in journalism and how the reporters report on issues of poverty and the
underprivileged will help people to get a better understanding of poverty, how to get oneself
out of the situation. It will make people less judgemental on the poor and more willing to help
get them out of the situation and reduce/remove the stigma associated with being poor.
Journalists in Botswana need to understand that they are messengers. The poor everywhere
have messages that they cannot bring to the worlds attention; they should use their resources
to serve as a link between the impoverished and those who can best assist them. If things
continue the way they are, if journalists do not educate themselves and get a better
understanding of how to report on sensitive issues such as poverty, I believe in the near future
it is likely that the stigma towards poor people will increase, poverty rates will still sky rocket
and the government will not be able to eradicate poverty by the year 2017.
References
African Economic Outlook. (2015). African economic outlook. Retrieved from
http://www.africaneconomicoutlook.org/en/about-us/
Burton, G (2010). Media and Society: Critical Perspectives, Milton Keynes: Open
University Press.
Croteau, D. & Hoynes, W. (1997). Media/Society: Industries, Images and Audiences,
London: Sage.
McQuail, D. (1994). Mass Communication Theory, 3rd ed., London: Sage.
Ministry of Finance and Development Planning, (1997), Study of poverty and poverty
alleviation in Botswana,
Osei-Hwedie, K. (200l). Social Policy and Poverty Alleviation in Botswana, Paper
presented at the Southern African Universities Social Science Conference, Windhoek, 2-5
December 2001.
Presidential Task Group, (1997). Vision 2016: Towards Prosperity for All, Gaborone:
Department of Broadcasting and Information, Retrieved from http://www.dib.gov.bw/
39

Stovall, J. G. (2005). Journalism: who, what, when, where, why, how, Boston: Allyn &
Bacon. Retrieved http://www.ablongman.com/stovall1e/
About the author

Bame Lekoma completed her Bachelor of Media Studies at the University of Botswana in
2014. She also studied Business Management and Media for two years in Malaysia. In 2012,
she took part in an exchange program at the University of Arizona, USA, studying media arts.
She volunteered at the Botswana Defense Force in 2013 to help in training the military on
how to respond to the media. Currently, she is an intern assisting lecturers at the Media
Studies Department, University of Botswana.
Email: Bame.Lekoma@mopipi.ub.bw
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