ABSTRACT
The global COVID-19 pandemic has exposed significant weaknesses in information literacy and data protection among journalists in the Southern African country of Botswana. Physical travel for news gathering had been severely restricted at a time when audiences at home were demanding more credible information. This chapter draws key lessons from a pioneering cybersecurity symposium for media practitioners, which took place in Botswana during the height of the pandemic in November 2020. It emphasised the importance of equipping journalists with the necessary information literacy and cyber security skills to build their credibility and enhance trust between them and their public audiences. The chapter argues that transitioning media practices require more robust information literacy training among journalists to mitigate the risks of public misinformation during and after the pandemic. The chapter offers lessons from the symposium that may be beneficial beyond the borders of Botswana.
