Sports journalists have been challenged to broaden their knowledge of different sporting disciplines to avoid leaving games such as basketball, golf and netball underreported.
Gazette Media Lead Consultant McDonald Chapalapata said journalists need specialised knowledge of various sports to understand the games and deliver accurate, meaningful reports to their audiences.
He said this on Friday in Blantyre when Gazette Media donated K1 million to the Sports Writers Association of Malawi (SWAM) ahead of its Annual General Meeting (AGM), scheduled for November 13 to 15, 2026 in Salima.
Chapalapata said the meeting should help journalists exchange knowledge and sharpen their reporting skills as sports coverage continues to extend beyond football.
He said the media has a responsibility to give different sporting disciplines visibility, particularly as organisations and companies continue to invest in sports beyond the country’s most popular game.
“We are a media-oriented company, and we have different clients who are involved in sponsoring various sporting disciplines. We are talking about football, women’s football, golf, basketball and netball,” he said.
Chapalapata said the K1 million contribution was part of the company’s continued engagement with SWAM, expressing hope that the relationship would grow.
SWAM General Secretary Wesysylas Chirwa welcomed the donation, saying it would support preparations for the AGM, which is expected to attract about 200 sports journalists from across the country.
The gathering will also provide an opportunity to celebrate World Sports Journalists Day.
