From Social Clubs to Champions for Sports Journalistic Identity and Integrity

Bibliographic Data

ID21225348
AuthorsKirsten Frandsen (0000-0002-4599-3347, Aarhus University, corresponding author)
Year2024
Volume12
Publication date2024-05-06
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueMedia and Communication (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2183-2439 • E-ISSN: 2183-2439
PublisherCogitatio (PUBLISHER • PT)
DOI10.17645/mac.8135
OpenAlexW4396669363
LanguageEN
Citations received5
References cited24

Taking the FIFA World Cup in Qatar as a point of departure, this article analyses the changing role of national associations of sports journalists in Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. Introducing the concept of meta-journalistic discourse and well-established media system theories, it is argued that Nordic sports journalism’s negotiations of professional practices and standards are shaped by a particular media systemic context with distinct Nordic welfare state-oriented features. One such feature is a tradition of using collective, organized social groups, like democratically based voluntary associations, as instruments for social change. The empirical study explores this through a qualitative thematic analysis of the changing structures, identities, and practices of the national associations of sports journalists across the three countries. This illustrates how the organizations in particular during the last two decades have started very similar processes of transformation away from being mainly social clubs. The associations have used their collective frameworks and bargaining power to ensure independent journalists’ access to sports organizations and athletes, and they have engaged in negotiations of what sports journalism is and what constitutes sports journalism in a sports media landscape shaped by strong combined forces of digitization and politicization

Journalism · Media studies · Negotiation · Political science · Public relations · Qualitative research · Social media · Social science · Sociology · Sociology of sport · Sport management · Thematic analysis · Gender Studies · Law · Media Studies and Communication · Sport and Mega-Event Impacts · Sports, Gender, and Society

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