Social Media and Sports Journalism in Zimbabwe

Abstract

ABSTRACT Social media has opened up alternative spaces for the production, distribution, and consumption of sports news across the world. Previously, legacy media were the main spaces through which sports news and commentaries were mediated. Despite these transformations, few empirical studies have unpacked the disruptive impacts of these digital technologies in the global South. Utilising insights from Pfaffenberger’s concept of “technological dramas”, we investigate how sports journalism has been reconfigured by social media in Zimbabwe. Further, we assess ways in which sports journalists are incorporating social media into their everyday newsmaking routines. We also examine the extent to which sports journalists have the appropriate digital skills and competencies required to operate in a multimedia environment. Importantly, we highlight the ethical challenges that Zimbabwean sports journalists are navigating in the digital age. Data was collected through in-depth semi-structured interviews with 15 purposively sampled sports journalists from across Zimbabwe’s hybrid media ecosystem. Findings show that sports journalists are increasingly depending on social media for news production, distribution, and audience engagement. Notable challenges facing multimedia sports journalists include limited access to digital devices and internet connectivity.