A leaked internal statement from the editor of Mining & Trade Review, a Malawian publication covering the extractives sector, has drawn scrutiny after it appeared to acknowledge a direct relationship between advertising revenue from mining companies and the tone of coverage those companies receive.
The statement, addressed to "stakeholders" and shared in what appears to have been a private forum before being leaked, was written in response to unspecified allegations being raised about the publication's practices.
"This is why it is likely for readers to read more negative news concerning those firms that do not give us advertorials to publish," the statement said.
In it, the editor explained that the outlet's survival depends entirely on advertising revenue, including from mining firms operating in Malawi such as Mkango, Sovereign and Lindian, which pay to publish "advertorials" promoting their projects.
According to the statement, one advantage for companies purchasing advertorials is that they are able to avoid negative coverage, because approval of advertorial content rests with the paying advertiser rather than the publication's editorial team.
"This is why it is likely for readers to read more negative news concerning those firms that do not give us advertorials to publish," the statement said. "News about their products is just news like any other. There is no malice nor emotions attached to it."
The editor went on to argue that this practice was "typical of all media houses," while also framing advertising spending by mining companies as a form of positive community engagement under Malawi's local content provisions, set out in the Mines and Minerals Act, as well as under corporate sustainability principles more broadly.
The statement cited the example of a foreign mining company placing an Independence Day advertisement in a local newspaper, suggesting this would signal that the company was "celebrating with the local community as a corporate citizen."
The leak has attracted criticism from Malawi's Media Council, which has been vocal in recent weeks about upholding editorial standards across the country's news industry.
While the council has not issued a lengthy formal response to this specific statement, its recent public interventions have consistently stressed that commercial relationships must not be allowed to compromise journalistic independence or the accuracy and fairness of reporting.
The episode raises broader questions about the financial pressures facing niche and specialist publications in Malawi's media landscape, particularly those covering capital-intensive sectors such as mining, where the pool of potential advertisers is often limited to the very companies whose activities the publication is expected to scrutinise.
It also comes at a moment of heightened public interest in the mining sector, with the Kangankunde and Kasiya rare earths projects both facing recent parliamentary scrutiny over sample exports and regulatory compliance, and opposition figures separately calling for greater transparency over mineral volumes and revenues leaving the country.
Mining & Trade Review has not issued a public statement addressing the leak or clarifying whether the practices described reflect its current editorial policy.