2006 Speeches

Ambassador's Remarks at Press Reception

September 19, 2006

Remarks by
Ambassador Katherine H. Canavan
on the Occasion of the Annual Reception for the Botswana Media, Thursday, September 14, 2006


Distinguished Guests, Media Practitioners, Ladies and Gentlemen,

This is the first chance since my arrival in Botswana that I have had the pleasure to share the annual press reception with you. I am delighted to welcome you to my Residence, and to have this opportunity to meet those of you I don’t already know and interact with you.

I would like to recognize and salute the vital role that you, the members of the media, play as the Fourth estate. One of the pillars of a strong democracy is a vibrant press that is free to report without hindrance. An independent press serves as the medium for raising the level of public discussion, which is essential for a democracy. Without a free and vibrant press, a nation cannot flourish as a democracy. A free press informs and educates the public, provides a check on those in power, exposes the abuse of power, and gives a voice to the voiceless. All of us know how Washington Post reporters, following a story in the 1970s, -- the famous Watergate scandal—influenced the course of politics in the United States. It is clear testimony of what a free press can do in a democracy.

A free press must however not lose sight of its responsibilities. Clear ethics and codes of conduct observed by all media practitioners are essential. It would be a sad day if the same media that strives for its own freedom turned around and used the same freedom to violate others’. Responsible reporting at all times is critical if the media is to sustain its own hard-earned freedom.


We live in a time when the media is rapidly undergoing major changes. A recent cover article in The Economist was entitled, “Who Killed the Newspapers?” That prominent magazine, and others, analyzed the impact of the Internet, blogs, and other interactive media, on the more traditional forms of information, such as newspapers. One of the challenges is to maintain the importance of responsible, factual reporting, in an ocean of instantly available information.

Let me end my remarks with words of Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice uttered on occasion of the World Press Freedom Day; “While the United States will continue working to advocate for greater global press freedom, all free societies carry the responsibility to press restrictive governments to allow an open press. Independent media empowers people, exposes corruption, encourages transparency and prompts participation in the political process. Without it, society as a whole suffers.”


I wish you all an enjoyable evening and much success in your vocation in the coming year.
Pula….!!