Playing the Right Way: In-House Sports Reporters and Media Ethics as Boundary Work

Abstract

During the past 2 decades, sports organizations have turned their websites into news portals, a transition that has included hiring reporters to produce stories that often look like the daily output of independent sports journalists. The professional status of practitioners of this form of brand content is still an open debate. Using interview data, this article finds most hired into this role view themselves as journalists, justifying this claim by rearticulating the cardinal journalism ethics of independence and seeking truth to argue for their place in the professional community. These claims represent boundary work, as a new occupational group seeks recognition within the profession of journalism. This finding underscores the continuing importance of an ethical orientation in defining media professions even as occupational boundaries become less clear in digital spaces.