Abstract
State of play: sports journalism in the journalistic field in Australia, the United Kingdom and India
Journalism Education Association of Australia Annual Conference: Redrawing the Boundaries: Journalism Research, Education and Professional Culture in Times of Change, 2013 (Sunshine Coast, Australia, 02-Dec-2013–04-Dec-2013)
2013
Abstract
Sports journalism is a significant aspect of contemporary journalism that does not possess high levels of capital when compared with more pure forms of "serious" journalism. However, while sport does not carry the power and prestige, in relation either to content or its journalists, it has designated daily space across media platforms and provides a vital element in the balance of coverage. It is therefore important to situate the sports journalism field within the journalistic field. Employing Bourdieu's (1996; 1998) research, and following an analysis of the economic and cultural capital of a variety of speciality areas, it is argued sports journalism sits predominantly on the economic capital side of the field. Further, it is relevant to map the broadsheet/quality newspaper sector of the sports journalism field. This is achieved through an analysis of the sports desks at two publications in Australia, the United Kingdom and India. The titles were: The Sydney Morning Herald; The Australian; the Guardian; The Daily Telegraph; The Hindu; and The Times of India. Results were obtained through 36 in-depth interviews - involving six journalists at each company who represented a different position to enable comparisons - and a 12-day constructed-week content analysis, totalling 4541 print and web articles. Combining this data allowed for a comprehensive analysis of the sports journalism field in regards to broadsheet/quality titles, by examining levels of economic and journalistic capital. Particular areas of interest utilised to situate the organisations through journalistic capital included: publishing techniques; use of technology; content; and workloads. Economically, it was evident that the field's landscape was changing through commercial influences and financial shifts towards the market pole, especially in the Western nations.
Details
- Title
- State of play: sports journalism in the journalistic field in Australia, the United Kingdom and India
- Authors
- Peter A English (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast - Faculty of Arts and Business
- Conference details
- Journalism Education Association of Australia Annual Conference: Redrawing the Boundaries: Journalism Research, Education and Professional Culture in Times of Change, 2013 (Sunshine Coast, Australia, 02-Dec-2013–04-Dec-2013)
- Publisher
- Journalism Education Association of Australia Inc.
- Date published
- 2013
- Organisation Unit
- School of Business and Creative Industries; University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland; School of Creative Industries - Legacy
- Language
- English
- Record Identifier
- 99448712702621
- Output Type
- Abstract
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