Investing in investigative journalism is said to be key in eliminating fake news.

The remarks were made by Mark Botomani, Minister of Information at the Annual General Meeting for a media grouping under the banner Blantyre Press Club.

Botomani said fake news has a negative impact on the social and economic development of the country as such the media needs to exercise caution when reporting different stories.

“I was delighted to hear that journalists were discussing an issue that has not only affected Malawi but the global community as well.”

Meanwhile, President for  Blantyre Press Club Blessings Kanache said they strategically picked the theme “Fake news Malawi’s case study “ because of the influx of fake news that followed the 2019 tripartite elections.

“There were a lot of fake stories that came out after the tripartite elections and we thought it was important that we address this issue,” Kanache said.

“The hunger for wanting to be the first to break a story is what has contributed to fake news stories in Malawi.”

Kanache is optimistic that issues of fake news will be minimized after the lengthy discussion that took place.