ABSTRACT
Sports journalism in Australia is experiencing many difficulties and being dominated and controlled by sports organisations and commercial factors. What is clear is that the current approaches to combating these threats are not working. Financial influences are a major factor in these decisions, but the current crisis is broader and affects not just the bottom line, but also content, roles, routines, ethics, journalists, newsrooms and audiences. Challenges including the changing media environment, control by sports organisations, lack of access to key figures, and the infiltration of commercial aspects in sports coverage have led to sports journalism experiencing substantial reductions in both economic and journalistic capital. By attempting to do as much as possible to satisfy the market, many newsrooms have made their situation worse. At this critical point in sport journalism’s history, it is essential to outline suggestions for reframing this area as a more independent sector. The way forward can involve idealistic and more realistic changes. In this chapter, based on the results in the survey, suggestions for the future will be outlined, particularly in retaining independence and relevance.
