ABSTRACT
In an environment increasingly dominated by sports organisations and commercial factors, the role of sports journalism and the practices of its journalists have been severely compromised. This has forced considerable shifts for journalists. In many Western nations, sports journalism is a shadow of what it has been historically, indicating the contemporary environment is in crisis following transformations in online delivery and economic conditions over the past decade, and the increased power of sports and commercial organisations. Key threats include control of information, access to key figures, commercial ties impacting on decisions, and the diminishing role of critically examining teams, athletes and issues. This results in more sanitised coverage of sport, greater public-relations driven content and a reduced understanding of wider sporting issues. In this chapter the history, roles and ethics of sports journalism are examined, along with an explanation of the survey of 120 Australian sports journalists that is utilised as the platform for analysis in the remainder of the book.
