The influence of broadcasting rights on sports journalism: A study conducted with journalists on the coverage of the Rio/2016 paralympic games

Abstract

This study characterized influences of image and broadcasting rights on the process of producing news stories about Rio/2016 Paralympic Games. This research was qualitative, descriptive, exploratory and inspired by some characteristics of newsmaking studies. We interviewed 15 journalists and editors from distinct Brazilian media groups and newspapers who covered that mega sporting event. Definitions and delimitations of journalistic activity guided by commercial issues, such as time and space constraints for interviewing athletes and occasional difficulty to access local sports idols for news coverage directed to specific locations, indicate that the breadth and complexity of the information collected by journalists to produce news is restricted when no one holds broadcasting rights.