1. MEP315 SPORT, MEDIA AND CELEBRITY 2. THE PRODUCTION AND MANUFACTURE OF SPORT NEWS

2. The ‘manufacture of news’ thesis: making news News is “manufactured by journalists” (Cohen and Young 1973: 97) News “is a constructed reality possessing its own internal validity” (Tuchman 1976: 97) “journalists produce news accounts which claim to be ‘objective’ representations of reality” (Allan 2004: 47) “newspapers become predirected to certain types of events and topics in terms of organisation of their own workforce… and the structure of the papers themselves” (Hall et al 1999: 645)

3. Newswork and News Organisations News is “a depletable consumer product that must be made fresh daily” (Tuchman 1978: 179) News is “not spontaneous or unanticipated” (Schlesinger 1978: 69) Constraints of time and space Editorial decision-making Reliance on official news sources / agencies

4. News story values (Golding and Elliott 1999) (1) News values derive from (a) perceptions of the audience, (b) the availability of material DRAMA beginning, middle, end VISUAL ATTRACTIVENESS ENTERTAINMENT IMPORTANCE SIZE no of people involved in event PROXIMITY cultural, geographical

5. News story values (Golding and Elliott 1999) (2) NEGATIVITY bad news is good news BREVITY RECENCY up-to-date, timely ELITES powerful groups PERSONALITIES big names BIAS / OBJECTIVITY sympathetic to political, national, economic interests

6. The manufacture of sports news (Lowes 2004) (1) News is tailored to perceptions of the assumed readership (Male, 18-49 years) “readers are a commodity generated by the news industry – an ‘audience commodity’ – and access to them is sold as advertising space” (p131) Commercial, professional sports are more newsworthy than non-commercial sports

7. The manufacture of sports news (Lowes 2004) (2) SPORTS BEAT: a reporter is assigned to cover a club/team on an almost full-time basis ‘BULLSHIT STORIES’: the artificial generation of news to fill editorial space ‘ON THE FLY’: writing reports before events have taken place (e.g. before the final whistle) ROUTINE NEWS SOURCES: press releases (useful for ‘slow news days’) and news conferences (for more significant events) PERSONAL CONTACTS e.g. players, agents, coaches, grounds staff, executive management staff

8. Sport media events – television sports news (Rivenburgh 2003) “Despite being live, media events are announced and advertised in advance … distinguishing them from regular news coverage” (p31) Global EGS of sports media events: World Cup Final, Olympics, Super Bowl However, in multi-channel media environments these events are becoming much rarer, less unique and monopolistic