GABORONE, June 22 (Xinhua) -- The COVID-19 pandemic, which is caused by the highly contagious Coronavirus, has spurred the transition of traditional media to digital journalism in Botswana, two leading media bodies observed. While analyzing the COVID-19 pandemic's impact on the local media during a live broadcast via the country's national television, Botswana Television on Monday, both Botswana Media and Allied Workers Union (BOMAWU) and Botswana Editors Forum (BEF) representatives shared the same sentiment.
Spencer Mogapi, the chairperson of the BEF, said most media houses in the southern African country started digital platforms in order to keep the pace with the flow of information about the spread and transmission of the pandemic in the country.
"Most newsrooms in Botswana took a deliberate decision to go digital which is the future of the media industry after the pandemic COVID-19," said Mogapi.
Mogapi said the digitalization of the local media industry helped a lot in curbing the spread of "fake news" as the both the public and private media decided to work in unison "in disseminating the correct and authentic information not competing as is the norm.
Philemon Mmeso, the president of BOMAWU, said the pandemic has given local journalists to understand and recognize the importance of moving away from print publications to online publications.
"A strong online presence may secure more readers and in turn more advertisers and thus more revenue in a more challenging economic climate," said Mmeso.
A digital edition online is an electronic version of the newspaper, which appears in a form similar to the print version and can be downloaded from the newspaper's website to ease the transition for older readers. Enditem
