Technology, social media impact has made conventional football reporting irrelevant—media consultant

Football Journalists Association

Media consultant, Hastings Ndebvu has said football journalists need to adapt to to digital changes of reporting the beautiful game in cognizance that the ever-growing changes in technology and the impact of social media has rendered irrelevant the conventional way of reporting.

In his presentation as the main facilitator of a day-long workshop held at Red Zebra in Salima on Saturday organised by Football Journalists Association (FJA), Ndebvu said the industry is at a point where the reader, listener or viewer is more knowledgeable than the journalist.

“They follow the match and know the scoreline from a match way before the newspaper is published or the sports programme is on radio or television.

“Now the question is, why should they waste time buying the newspaper, listen or watch your programmes that carry stale content?” he observed.

FJA organised the workshop to prepare the journalists for the upcoming season which was delayed due to COVID-19 pandemic and Football Association of Malawi (FAM) COVID-19 task force chairperson Chimango Munthali, who was one of the facilitators, applauded FJA for organising the workshop.

“FJA is the first stakeholder to invite us to address them on the COVID-19 guidelines ahead of season’s kick off,” he said.

FAM competition and communication director Gomezgani Zakazaka, who attended the workshop, said the media has a role to play in ensuring that COVID-19 guidelines are adhered to.

“That’s why such kind of meetings with the media are crucial for us,” he said.

FJA general secretary Mabvuto Kambuwe said the association used FIFA COVID-19 funds to organise the workshop.

One of the participants, Donata Mpochela said she came out of the workshop a changed person after the presentation on how football journalists need to change on how they can adapt to digital changes.