MEP315 SPORT, MEDIA AND CELEBRITY

1
MEP315 SPORT, MEDIA AND CELEBRITY

• 2. THE PRODUCTION AND MANUFACTURE OF SPORT NEWS

2
The manufacture of news thesis making news

• News is manufactured by journalists (Cohen and
  Young 1973 97)
• News is a constructed reality possessing its own
  internal validity (Tuchman 1976 97)
• journalists produce news accounts which claim to
  be objective representations of reality (Allan
  2004 47)
• newspapers become predirected to certain types
  of events and topics in terms of organisation of
  their own workforce and the structure of the
  papers themselves (Hall et al 1999 645)

3
Newswork and News Organisations

• News is a depletable consumer product that must
  be made fresh daily (Tuchman 1978 179)
• News is not spontaneous or unanticipated
  (Schlesinger 1978 69)
• Constraints of time and space
• Editorial decision-making
• Reliance on official news sources / agencies

4
News story values (Golding and Elliott 1999) (1)

• News values derive from (a) perceptions of the
  audience, (b) the availability of material
• DRAMA beginning, middle, end
• VISUAL ATTRACTIVENESS
• ENTERTAINMENT
• IMPORTANCE
• SIZE no of people involved in event
• PROXIMITY cultural, geographical

5
News story values (Golding and Elliott 1999) (2)

• NEGATIVITY bad news is good news
• BREVITY
• RECENCY up-to-date, timely
• ELITES powerful groups
• PERSONALITIES big names
• BIAS / OBJECTIVITY sympathetic to political,
  national, economic interests

6
The manufacture of sports news (Lowes 2004) (1)

• News is tailored to perceptions of the assumed
  readership (Male, 18-49 years)
• readers are a commodity generated by the news
  industry an audience commodity and access
  to them is sold as advertising space (p131)
• Commercial, professional sports are more
  newsworthy than non-commercial sports

7
The manufacture of sports news (Lowes 2004) (2)

• SPORTS BEAT a reporter is assigned to cover a
  club/team on an almost full-time basis
• BULLSHIT STORIES the artificial generation of
  news to fill editorial space
• ON THE FLY writing reports before events have
  taken place (e.g. before the final whistle)
• ROUTINE NEWS SOURCES press releases (useful for
  slow news days) and news conferences (for more
  significant events)
• PERSONAL CONTACTS e.g. players, agents, coaches,
  grounds staff, executive management staff

8
Sport media events television sports news
(Rivenburgh 2003)

• Despite being live, media events are announced
  and advertised in advance distinguishing them
  from regular news coverage (p31)
• Global EGS of sports media events World Cup
  Final, Olympics, Super Bowl
• However, in multi-channel media environments
  these events are becoming much rarer, less unique
  and monopolistic