The Head of Botswana Television news and current affairs...

The Head of Botswana Television news and current affairs Chris Bishop resigned over government attempts to control news broadcasts. His move was triggered by a refusal by the government to allow him to air a documentary on the Bosch murder case and her subsequent execution.Bishop said after the refusal to allow the Bosch documentary on air, he heard that the Office of the President had said if the management of BTV could not control the station, it would send a (government) official to control the news department.BTV and the 'Daily News' freesheet are under the wing of the government and controlled by the Director of Information and Broadcasting.Four weeks after Bosch's execution, a row continued in the independent media, six major weekly newspapers and two radio stations, over how she died and the advisability of Botswana continuing to retain the death penalty.Every edition of every newspaper published since the execution has carried reports and readers' letters on it. Opinion seems to be swinging towards the abolitionists.In Botswana's largest selling newspaper MMEGI on April 27 a two page feature argued that the real debate had yet to start."The debate has yet to catch fire. Capital punishment clearly negates the democratic values our society purports to cherish," the writer says. "We seem determined to cling to these legalised killings. Our country has nothing to lose by abolishing this authoritarian punishment, it has everything to gain because (abolishment) can only boost its democratic credentials".