Media self-regulation is said to be vital for safeguarding media independence and enhancing media professionalism. While there appears to be consensus on the importance of media self-regulation, there seems to be divergent views on what is self-regulation in the media. The Botswana Parliament has enacted the Media Practitioners Act, 2008, a law whose objectives, among others, is aimed at the preservation of media freedom and promotion high professional standards in the media through self-regulation. Although the Act was enacted with the object of promoting self-regulation in the media, critics of the law argue that it falls short of the principles of self-regulation and thereby undermines media freedom. This article critically examines pertinent provisions of the Act to determine whether the law promotes or undermines self-regulation in the media.

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