The fight to ensure increased mainstream media coverage continues and if the mood at the gsport Annual List of Newsmakers (#GAL2023) was anything to go by, more needs to be done to make women’s sport visible.
Renowned sports journalists and multiple Momentum gsport Award winner, Busisiwe Mokwena, emphasised the crucial nature of #GAL2023, highlighting its impact on both media and sportswomen, saying: “An event like #GAL2023 allows women in media and sportswomen to interact and relive the success of the year that was, which is also an important aspect of growing the industry.”
Adding to this sentiment, Mbali Sigidi, a top female sports broadcaster, expressed the empowering atmosphere of the event, noting, “It was my first time attending the event, and it was great to be in a room with so many powerhouses, women who have accomplished so much. It’s so inspirational because when you feel like you hit a block in your career, you just need to be in a room like that.”
Echoing this view, Ashley Nakazwe, a sports marketing professional and football journalist, stressed the significance of #GAL2023, saying, “It’s significant because there are so many newsmakers around this year. This event makes it easier for them to be celebrated. It also makes it competitive for the other girls to perform, to work harder next year and this adds to the significance.”
While acknowledging the progress made in women’s sport coverage, Mokwena highlighted a critical issue, stating, “Some female athletes don’t like doing interviews. As journalists, you want to cover certain athletes, and sometimes those athletes are not willing to chat. I feel like that is detrimental to both, the journalists and the athletes.”
Building on this point, Sigidi emphasised the need for broader coverage, stating, “We can never say enough is being done until we reach gender parity. We definitely see progress, but we need to cover women’s sporting events across the board to show its value.”
Nakazwe proposed a shift in journalistic focus, urging, “Pay more attention to the things that aren’t trending. Sometimes as journalists, we cover stories in the headlines, neglecting the untold narratives that deserve attention.”
In essence, their collective voices underscored the vital role of events like #GAL2023 in fostering collaboration between women in media and sport, celebrating achievements, but also highlighted the challenges that persist in achieving comprehensive coverage and recognition in women’s sport.
#GAL2023 also celebrated the success of The Year of Women’s Sport – a campaign launched by gsport at #GAL2022 last year to shine the spotlight on South Africa as host of multiple world events involving our sportswomen.
The gsport Newsroom was at the forefront of news coverage at major events including the inaugural ICC U19 Women’s T20 World Cup, FIH Indoor Hockey World Cup, ICC Women’s T20 World Cup, World Table Tennis Championships, Netball World Cup, and FIFA World Cup.
The gsport initiative was launched in August 2006 to raise the profile of women’s sport and encourage corporate South Africa to back our female athletes. In 2019, gsport launched its annual newsmakers event to boost mainstream media interest in women’s sport and encourage greater coverage from the big players in the game.
Check out gsport.co.za for rolling coverage of women’s sport and follow @gsport4girls to be part of a community that is playing its part to close the visibility gap.
Sign up for the weekly gsport newsletter to hear more about the work we do and the opportunity to get close to the initiative – https://mailchi.mp/gsport.co.za/signup-today
Photo caption: The fight to ensure increased mainstream media coverage continues and if the mood at the gsport Annual List of Newsmakers (#GAL2023) was anything to go by, more needs to be done to make women’s sport visible. Photo: gsport
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