Journalistic performance in sports coverage: A comparative study of television, radio, press, and online media in Chile

Abstract

Traditionally, sports journalism has been questioned for lacking rigor, having poor critical thinking skills regarding sources, and ignoring social conflicts. This article seeks to establish whether there are differences in the characteristics of news coverage between sports and other sections of media, assessing aspects such as number of sources, diversity of viewpoints, and delivery of verifiable information. In addition, it is inquired if there are differences in the presence of professional roles (interventionist, watchdog, loyal facilitator, service journalism, infotainment and civic-oriented roles) between sports news and those from other sections. Using as a research method an analysis of news contents in Chilean press, online media, television and radio (n = 2.118) in 2015, this study compared the characteristics of news coverage in the sports section with news published in other areas. Results tend to confirm the most critical views on sports journalism and show that, compared to political news, the number of sources used, the diversity of viewpoints involved, and the amount of verifiable information received by the audience are small. As to the presence of professional roles, it is observed that, compared to other sections, sports news more frequently includes roles related to journalists' opinions expressing a positive view of sources.