'Botswana needs social media code of ethics'
- Published on 14 August 2012
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Bostwana officials have challenged media practitioners in that country to come up with a code of ethics for using social media.
Judge Justice Key Dingake, who was speaking at the official launch of the Botswana Press Council (BPC) website, said that those in media need to apply ethical standards as far as social media is concerned.
"The growth of social media poses many ethical dilemmas, which the media must address," he explained.
"Media may need to review its constitutive documents to check whether they still remain relevant to this day characterised by an increased use of social media," Dingake said.
Dingake also warned that the internet differs fundamentally from broadcast and print media.
He added that society has a need to harness the power of social networks to find and distribute information in a responsible way.
Dingake's message comes at a time when Botswana’s government is debating the importance of state regulation as apposed to self-regulation or a combination of both.
Through its proposed Communication Regulation Act, Botswana envisages to spy and regulate on telecommunications.
