Sports journalism ethics and quality of information: the coverage of the London 2012 Olympics in the British, American and Spanish press

Ramon Vegas, Xavier

Sports journalism ethics and quality of information: the coverage of the London 2012 Olympics in the British, American and Spanish press

Document Type

Doctoral thesis
Published Version

Author

Ramon Vegas, Xavier

Director

Alsius, Salvador

Publication Date

2016-05-20

Pages

385 p.

License

Citation

Ramon Vegas, X. Sports journalism ethics and quality of information: the coverage of the London 2012 Olympics in the British, American and Spanish press. Universitat Pompeu Fabra; 2016. handle: http://hdl.handle.net/10803/393739

This citation was generated automatically.

Doctoral program

Programa de doctorat en Comunicació

Abstract

This dissertation has examined to what extent six prestigious newspapers (The Guardian/The Observer, The Daily Telegraph/The Sunday Telegraph, The New York Times, The Washington Post, El País and La Vanguardia) complied with the fundamental principles of journalism ethics (truth, justice and responsibility) in their coverage of the London 2012 Olympics. The content analysis of 6,552 pieces, their correlation with the major codes of ethics, and the conduct of 41 interviews revealed that in many areas the coverage dispelled the long-held notion of sports journalism being the “toy department”. Significant strengths include the wide range of sources employed, the comprehensive examination of the larger framework of the Olympics, the recognition of errors and the fight against discrimination. Despite all of this, the research highlights that in other core aspects, the diversity of the sporting agenda, sensationalism, stereotyping and the use of warlike language, for example, there is much room for improvement.
Aquesta tesi ha examinat fins a quin punt sis prestigiosos diaris (The Guardian/The Observer, The Daily Telegraph/The Sunday Telegraph, The New York Times, The Washington Post, El País i La Vanguardia) van complir en la seva cobertura dels Jocs Olímpics de Londres 2012 amb els principis fonamentals de la deontologia periodística: veritat, justícia i responsabilitat. L’anàlisi del contingut de 6.552 peces, el contrast amb els principals codis d’ètica i la realització de 41 entrevistes revelen que en moltes àrees la cobertura va dissipar l’arrelada noció del periodisme esportiu com a “departament de joguines”. Fortaleses significatives inclouen l’ús d’un ampli ventall de fonts, una anàlisi exhaustiva dels aspectes contextuals, el reconeixement d’errors i la lluita contra la discriminació. Malgrat això, la recerca ressalta que en altres aspectes essencials, com la diversitat de l’agenda esportiva, el sensacionalisme, els estereotips o l’ús del llenguatge bel·licista, hi ha un ampli marge de millora.

Keywords

Sport, Sports journalism, Journalism ethics, Quality of information, Truth, Justice, Responsibility, London 2012, Olympic Games, United Kingdom, United States of America, Spain, Quality press, Toy department, Esport, Periodisme esportiu, Ètica periodística, Qualitat informativa, Veritat, Justícia, Responsabilitat, Londres 2012, Jocs Olímpics, Regne Unit, Estats Units d’Amèrica, Espanya, Premsa de qualitat, Departament de joguines