THE ROLE OF PHOTOGRAPHY IN SPORTS JOURNALISM AND MEDIA
Student ID: K1719648
Module: CHS
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Abstract
Sports journalism is a dynamic field that has attracted attention over the years. The activity has, however, received more attention because of the visibility which it attains courtesy of the images and video shared in multiple media platforms. As such, this study investigates the place of photography in sports journalism. The researcher adopted secondary research model, which involved the analysis of related peer-reviewed literature. As such, the study results show suggests that photography is vital in sports journalism in the following ways; it is used to tell a troy out of a specific event, it is useful for communicating complex situations in a sporting activity and also critical for promoting objectivity in the coverage of sporting events. These reports should, however, be done professionally without bias or lies.
Keyword: Photography, sports journalism, media, news, photojournalism.
1.0 Introduction
1.1 Background
Sports journalism and photography are linked together as they complement each other (Martin, 2019). For example, in journalism entails the collection, editing and presentation of news material for purposes of publication and broadcasting. However, to achieve proper communication of the images, there is a need to employ the use of images and visual components to tell the news in each story (Peterson, and Moore, 2015). The idea of photography is to create a picture which contributes to news media while at the same time helping masses and sports enthusiasts connect (Hadland et al., 2016). Through shared images, the audience can learn about a given sport and contribute to a discussion on the activity. Photography has dramatically improved sports journalism through innovations which have occurred in recent times (Baía Reis, and Coelho, 2018).
Sports journalists have been able to improve communication of their messages to vast masses courtesy of the photos which are taken in the course of a given sporting event (Greer, and Ferguson, 2017). The knowledge about a sports event can be learned due to interest generated from audio-visuals in media (Schwartz, and Vogan, 2017). Despite evidence of the role of photography in sports journalism, the actual impact that it has on the concept is unclear. There is a need to determine the impact of photography in sports journalism and evaluate how it can improve the activity (Li et al., 2017). Photography as an art and has entrenched itself into varied social media platforms (Larsson, 2018). The understanding of the actual role played by photography in sports journalism will create avenues of determining how to improve the aspect of reporting sports news.
1.2 Statement of the Problem
As is depicted in any given form of visual art, photography exploits the vulnerabilities of human visual perception making an individual experience emotion where one is compelled to do things they never imagined. Photography is essential since it captures a moment at a given time in its actual state. Sports journalism is based on the provision of content regarding a sporting event for various platforms including radio, TV shows, newspapers, magazines and websites. The primary focus of sports journalism is to write reports on matters related to sporting topics and competitions in the environment (Voakes, 2019). The primary focus of sports journalism is to ensure that content regarding a sporting event is up to date. However, if that is missing, it is vital to have content where that can be remembered. There is a link between photography and sports journalism. The specific role played by photography in sports journalism remains unclear. There is a need to explore photography in detail and ascertain how it imparts sports journalism. Consequently, this forms the basis of the current research aimed at evaluating and determining the role of photography in sports journalism.
1.3 Aims, Purpose and Significance of the Study
The primary purpose of this secondary analysis study was to explore the role of photography in sports journalism. Mainly, the focus is to illustrate how important the art of photography is on the state of journalism. Besides, the role of photography in different kinds of sports will be highlighted in detail. The study is significant because it will elucidate the importance of photography in sports journalism, highlight the different kinds of sporting activities impacted and any other sectors which are related. The dissertation will equally have evaluated the role of photography as an art with a focus on illustrating the impact that it has in addressing concerns about discrimination on matters, gender and racism. Cases of racism have become prevalent in sports arenas over the years. For example, in football, African players have been subject to racist stunts with some of them being forced to walk out of the game (Haynes, 2019).
1.4 Research Questions
Two research questions guided this research:
1) What is the role of photography in sports journalism?
2) What are some of the challenges faced while implementing photography in sports journalism
3) What is the place of social media and technology in sports photojournalism?
1.5 Justification of the Study
The purpose of this study is to examine the role of photography in sports journalism. A big number of current literature have focused on journalism, sports, photography and sports journalism separately. There is, however, a limited amount of literature linking the concepts of sports journalism and photography together. As such, this research hopes to bridge this gap of knowledge by providing relevant research material in the subject. The researcher also hopes that the study recommendations would be adopted by the various stakeholders in sports photojournalism to help better its operations and most importantly, improve professionalism and ethics in sports journalism.
1.6 Research Structure
This study adopts a classical approach, where after the introduction illustrates the component of photography as an art. The chapter highlights the research background, questions and justification. The second section is the literature review. This section entails information from related literature that provide relevant data about the subject matter under investigation. Methodology section follows the literature review; the section outlines the strategies, tools as well as methods that the researcher adopted while answering the research question. The following sections then contain the results and their analysis upon which conclusions and recommendations are drawn.
2.0 Literature Review
2.1 Introduction
The literature review focuses on semiotics of photography. The chapter not only reflects on the materiality and technological specifics of photography in entirety but describes the relationship between images and narrative. One of the key issues brought is on the aspect of ‘pregnant moment’, as explored by Barthes (1977). In quoting Barthes (1977), a ‘pregnant moment’ is depicted as the extent to which a photographer can choose their target well, focus and capture an image since they only have an instant at their disposal. Failure to take advantage of the situation would mean they miss the moment and fail to tell the actual story as it happened at the time. Barthes (1977) further reiterates that the moment must be able to tell the story as it is while reflecting totality. The photographer needs to take advantage of the fact that the image can stand to tell the story by itself. In summary, the chapter argues that in sports journalism, the interest lies in a photographer being able to capture the pregnant moment and let the visual images tell the narrative as it is without having to add words.
The chapter will further explore the concept of aesthetics of sports photography and assess whether it can be determined while considering the relationship that it has with other elements of journalistic reporting of sporting news. In particular, the idea is to highlight the coverage, interrogate the nature of the content and amount of space given to images and texts related to a sports event. In particular, the idea is to evaluate the degree of prominence, given to captured images and corresponding narratives told of the sports event. Also, the discourse taken by sports photography is equally highlighted. Despite the limited amount of scholarly literature on the subject, valuable insights can be drawn from principal authors, including Markus Stauff’s argument. According to Stauff (2018), even though sports can provide dramatic scenes that can be utilized to highlight photography’s ability to freeze a moment and condense meaning to a given image, it can provide a critical method of communication through journalism. Regardless, sports photography is entangled in cross-media practice, which supports and complicates the referentiality of a given image in the evaluation of athletic performance and experience.
2.2 Sports, Journalism, and Photography
Sports journalism entails a form of writing which reports on topics focusing on sporting activities and competition. According to English (2016), sports journalism has a history of providing results, analysis and opinion on matters sport to broad and specialized audiences. The technological advancements witnessed in recent decades requires the need for adaption of sports journalism to the changing trends. However, English (2016) does not illustrate the actual process involved in the collection of the data. Further, the researcher does not indicate what part photography plays in influencing the aspect of sports journalism. Instead, English (2016) only explains the composition of sports journalism. Nevertheless, the value of sports journalism cannot be underestimated because of the significant value contributed by the concept of improving knowledge about sporting activities. Further, sports journalism has established itself as a critical part of the sport-media complex globally (Hutchins and Rowe, 2012).
Sports and sports journalism has evolved over the years, and so is the process through which the sports images are captured, transmitted and published. Photography plays a critical role in defining the concept of sports journalism. Sports photography has come to define the way sports is viewed in general. According to Kordic (2017), sports photography provided one of the most influential images in the year 2016 as the world’s fastest man, Usain Bolt, stormed past his opponents during the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro as shown in figure 1. The iconic shot, taken by Getty Images became popular. Indeed, the sentiments reported by Kordic (2017) are critical in providing direction of the dissertation since it illustrates the critical role played by photography in influencing modern-day sports journalism. It is possible to understand the impact of photography on sports journalism using real-life examples.
Figure 1: Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.
Source: Kordic (2017)
Over time, a significant percentage of sports photographers have been instrumental in building impressive legacies by taking snapshots of professional athletes, spectators, capturing the zeal, passion and sacrifices made in the course of a sporting event. Artists involved in capturing the images have endured training and learning to focus their eye on the subject to ensure the provision of proper images through proper photography. Behind the photographic lens, the focus has been on ensuring the attainment of quality images that would enhance the concept of sports journalism.
In photography, the artist finds themselves exposed to a variety of spontaneous moments, thereby providing full surprises and unexpected developments. In journalism, it is an individual’s fundamental concern to ensure that they capture moments that one can build a story. The concept of journalism is pegged on the idea of giving readers and the audience something to discuss. Here, photography plays a crucial role in ensuring the promotion of the vice by capturing them in unique images as depicted in the image below by Giuseppe Pino Fama from the RBS Six Nations who captured a match between Italy and Wales are shown in figure 2 below.
Figure 2: A rugby match between Italy and Wales.
Courtesy: Giuseppe Pino Fama
The dynamic nature of sporting activities coupled with increased levels of spontaneity makes it challenging for anyone to capture pictures in the right moment. However, with the advancement of technology, photographers can utilize long lenses, telephoto lenses which can autofocus performance for clarity and detail-filled shots. Further, the use of shutter speed technology has enhanced the ability of photographers to catch sports moments in insanely intense situations. Indeed, this has positively influenced the concept of sports journalism.
Photojournalism employs the use of images to narrate a news story. Mainly, it involves the collection, editing and presentation of news material for use in publishing or broadcasting with the use of images to give meaning to a story. Photos used in sports journalism provide a complete story using an image. Journalism, on the hand, focuses on written articles or the reporting of events, relies on dissemination of information with images. In sports journalism, photography is critical since it upholds the concept of timeliness (Weedon and Wilson, 2017). In sports journalism, the aspect of timely coverage of events is essential. For example, international games take place at specific times of the year or after a given duration of time.
The images taken in the course of a given sporting event are relevant to that moment. For instance, the FIFA World Cup tournament was last held in Russia the year 2018. Currently, journalists covering the story needed to take relevant approaches that would guarantee the fact that images captured were specific to that moment. The essentiality of photography is heavily dependent on its ability to ensure timeliness in coverage of a given sporting event (McEnnis, 2016). Figure 3 below shows the image taken below was captured when the Russia men’s football team kicked off the tournament. The image captured is relevant to the event and tells a story by itself. Indeed, the photo itself tells a narrative based on the events taking place at that time of the year. Consequently, it is vital to embrace the overall understanding of the impact of photography in enhancing sports journalism.
Figure 3: Russia men’s football team in the world cup tournament.
Courtesy: FOX Sports
Sports journalism has further been promoted by the understanding that a photographer needs to have a comprehensive knowledge of the kind of sport which they are covering. Ideally, even though a specific moment may require a simple reaction, a photographer needs to anticipate and predict the next course in the sporting event. The image below derived from Google depicts a commentator discussing football. The commentator must depict a detailed understanding of the sport they are covering, as illustrated in the picture in figure 4. Mainly, this can be done by learning more about the rules of the game, moves by individual players, and by doing so, prepare themselves to capture unique moments through the lens, and this will live to tell the story to the broader audience (Horky and Pelka, 2017). Such measures are instrumental in promoting the overall concept of sports journalism.
The impact of photography on sports journalism can widely be embedded in the concept of semiotics. As indicated in Barthes (1977), a photographer can successfully tell a narrative if they can capture a specific moment and pin it to a story. Here, it is the role of the photographer to choose the best moment, focus and capture an image that will be used to build upon the story. The ‘pregnant moment’ can shape the entire story and illustrate the happenings at a given moment. Indeed, the image needs to describe the given moment with ease, without the need to alter the narrative. Consequently, it is at this stage is when the photographic element defines sports journalism.
The audience is interested in knowing what happened. For example, for those who may have missed the sports activity, the image as it has been shown should be able to tell the narrative by itself. Consequently, this can be achieved using photography and the art of capturing the images. The article supports the notion that photography is vital in defining the overall concept of sports by telling the actual happening now. The statement is further illustrated by Kordic (2017) who reminds of an image captured of Usain Bolt as he captured the world record. At the time, the image was captured at the right moment. The photograph can then be used to develop a story that can be read by the audience. The evidence depicts the usefulness of photography, through semiotics to promote sports journalism.
Fondevila-Gascón et al. (2016) identify photography as the most widely used media resource. Similarly, Kordic (2017), the researchers define the role of photography in defining sports journalism and how it has become an essential resource in multiple media platforms. Indeed, the impact of photography in sports journalism cannot be underestimated. Journalism focuses on providing a story. Through photojournalism, readers could connect the events and ensure they get a comprehensive understanding of the happenings, even when they were physically absent. In the same study, it was shown that the utilization of multimedia resources within Spanish newspapers had grown and photography contributed to about 80% of the elements which were used. The large proportion is further confirmation of the fact that sports journalism has grown, and this can largely be attributed to the role played by photography.
Further, photographs have been adopted in all news units, affirming its place in sports journalism. Mainly, regarding digital sports journalism, the utilization of photography is abundant. With photographs, the audience could interrogate the pictures and the information provided, establishing a following for the given sports activity in play. Lambert (2018) reiterates the role of photography in sports journalism by reiterating that it is about the need to embrace data. Photography ensures that exciting images are captured at any given moment, and this allows for information to be reviewed in detail. Through photography, a story is left where the audience can engage more while at the same time embodying the passion from the fans. In Szylko-Kwas (2019), photography has been identified as having the ability to create new knowledge while providing the recipient with a visual code. The statement is a confirmation of the contribution of photography to sports journalism.
2.3 Changing role of the journalistic sporting photograph in an age of Instagram and social media.
Technological advancements in recent years have been depicted by the development of social networking sites including Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. As sports journalists, there is a need to adapt accordingly to the face of photojournalism in the current age of Instagram and social media. Byrd and Denney (2018) explored the aspect of Instagram within the confines of photography. In the research, the authors sought to explore the uses, outcomes and incorporation of Instagram in journalism. Findings of the study show that Instagram was essential in helping hone an individual’s journalistic skills in photography while promoting their interviewing skills. An example is a photo posted by Jacob Granger on how photography links with Instagram in enhancing photojournalism.
The role of journalistic sporting photography is evolving as social media is being utilized to report news and gather information. For example, when covering a sports event, a photojournalist takes shots and videos of the sports activity to inform the people on the actual happenings. Similarly, it was depicted that social networking sites played a critical role in the dissemination of content as the sites had many followers who were sports enthusiasts. Mainly, social media has been viewed as a platform for storytelling. Greenwood et al. (2016) report that 62% and 28% of adults across the utilized Facebook and Instagram, respectively. Gottfried and Shearer (2016) report a similar percentage indicating that 62% got information from social networking sites. The increased use of social networking sites including Facebook, Twitter and Instagram a source of news presents a unique opportunity for sporting photography. Mainly, sports journalists can cover sports stories, take multiple pictures and share them across social networking sites, including Instagram for viewership.
Romney and Johnson (2018) identify social media as an emerging space for communication with shared images accompanying the messages becoming a critical factor toward increasing the engagement of audiences. The sentiments are a confirmation of how social media and photography are evolving to communicate to the masses. While photography provides images, social media provides a platform for passing the message to the masses. Studies by the researchers indicated that sports photography was essential in generating images which promoted increased engagement among social media audiences. Sports images posted on Instagram can generate significant interest and engagement among social networking sites as it equally creates a story to tell.
The goal of any journalist is to ensure that they can elicit a discussion on the content which they post. Therefore, through social networking sites such as Instagram, Facebook and Twitter, masses can discuss a story based on the image which has been posted online. In contrast, Palmer (2017) provides a different perspective with a critical role of photojournalism, that it evokes powerful emotional reactions among individuals. Indeed, it is vital to look at the role of photography from varied angles, and one of them is demonstrating its influence on the basics of sports journalism. Sports is about passion and support for a team, personality or type of sport. By posting the images in social networking platforms, it creates an avenue for discussion, with those supporting the team giving their views on the sport, the performance or expectations. Here, the role played by sports journalism, in the changing age of social media is profoundly manifested.
Tulloch and Ramon (2017) illustrate the concept of sports journalism within the confine of the multimedia platform. According to the researchers, sports reporting can be enhanced with photography in social networking sites. Lee (2015) examined the utilization of social media by journalists through in-depth interviews with eleven participants. The results of the researchers reveal the need for journalists to engage with their audiences on social media. Further, those interviewed indicated that they utilized Twitter as the main channel for their news work in communicating with other journalists and audiences. The statement is a further affirmation of the changing role of sports journalism in the era of social media. Journalists are embracing the use of social networking sites as an elaborate platform where they can engage with the audience.
Wright (2017) indicates growth in the use of mobile reporting via social media tools. In a study conducted by the researchers, they showed that 75% of journalists admitted to the use of Twitter at least 2 hours a day. The study is essential in illustrating the aspect of photography in the changing era of social media. Therefore, the findings are vital in furthering the understanding of the importance of photography in sports journalism. Through social networking sites, it would be possible to capture images of an event and determine the actual happenings in each sports setting. Overall, the discussion has been instrumental in illustrating the fundamental concept of photojournalism in the era of social media. Therefore, as the growth of social networking sites continues to grow, there is a need to explore the opportunities which exist for photojournalists and the role played by artistic photography in further promoting the sports culture.
2.4 Summary
The role of photography in sports journalism is described as critical. “A photograph is worth a thousand words.” First, using photography, a journalist can paint a picture of a previous event to the audience who were not part of the sporting activity. Therefore, the audience can know what happened if they are interested. In such a case, the journalist should ensure that the portrayed image tells the narrative by itself. Second, photography in journalism helps simplify and communicate complex situation concerning sporting activities such as individual performance of players, or their performance on a selected occasion and the emotions generated after a competitive sporting activity for example frustrations after losing a sporting activity and excitement as a result of emerging victorious in a sporting event. Photography is important.
Photography provides sports journalists with an opportunity to showcase their professionalism and skills. A sports journalist should ensure to promote objectivity and fairness when reporting images, voice or texts. The journalist should ensure that the reporting is authentic, truthful and can be confirmed as such by other news agencies. A reported should always ensure to carry themselves with the highest standards of professional conduct and standards during their reporting. This section has, however, highlighted the role of technology, especially social media, in sports photojournalism. Social media has modified sports journalism; these platforms have changed how reporting is done. Besides, the platforms being able to act as tools for collecting and disseminating news elements, they provide the audience with the power to interact, critique and comment on the posted images and photos real time.
It is evident that data presented in this study reveals that unprofessionalism and lack proper reporting skills among sports photojournalists has sometimes caused challenges within the journalism industry. Too many research works are not prepared for the level of rigour sports photojournalism requires. The demand for highly skilled and professional sports reporters in the future will be great for the industry. If the stakeholders do not establish a means of effectively and efficiently retraining the current brand of sports journalists, the fear of fake, less objective, bias and insensitive news will be the order of the day. This scenario will work against the role of sports in bringing the world together to enhance peaceful coexistence.
The next chapter delves into the methods, tools and methodologies of gathering data from secondary sources to answer the study question.
3.0 Methodology
3.1 Introduction
The primary objective of the current research is to evaluate the role of photography in sports journalism and media. Accordingly, this section provides a detailed methodology on how research data was obtained, where we obtained, and the process of inclusion and exclusion provides reasons for such actions. This sections also explain how the researcher ensured the authenticity and validity of the selection criteria. It also outlines how reliability and suitability of the selected material were ensured. This section covers the literature search, study selection and displays the search strategy matrix.
3.2 Research Design, Strategy and Philosophy
In order to answer the research question, the study adopted an analysis of peer-reviewed literature as a strategy. These approaches were motivated by the fact that there as limited time and resources for the research and a review of secondary sources would provide a cheaper but reliable research strategy (Heaton 2008). The researcher, therefore, collected data from secondary sources, selected the suitable studies using the outlined inclusion and exclusion criteria, analyzed the data and provided results and recommendation. The design and strategy of the researcher were grounded on the philosophy of interpretivism (Willis, 2007).
3.3 Literature Search
Literature was obtained from databases including EBSCOhost, ProQuest and PLOS One. The search for peer-reviewed literature was done based on identified keywords, ‘photography’ and ‘sports journalism’, ‘photography, sports, discrimination’, and ‘sports journalism and social media’. Articles which had the keyword were selected and used for further exploration. However, the abstracts of each article were first scanned to ensure that they contain information that was relevant and addressed the primary topic, which was determining the role of photography in sports journalism. Additionally, the researcher used Google Scholar to search for articles involving sports photojournalism existing on the internet but not part of the indexed databases. Articles that failed to meet the inclusion criteria were rejected and could not be used further. Subsequently, a structural explanation of findings in the research articles was provided.
Validity and Reliability
The researcher also verified to ensure that the created reference list did not overlook any studies. The researcher used an independent reviewer to confirm the suitability of the included studies. The researcher also used the independent review to test the reliability of the review process; the independent reviewer reviewed 12% of the articles that formed part of the final data set. The results showed a 100% agreement concerning inclusion.
3.4 Inclusion and Exclusion Criteria
The researcher used document type, dates of publication, Language and population type to determine whether an article was included or on. Studies were included if they were published between 1970 and 2019 if they that were citable studies if they were in the English language and if they concerned human. Contrarily, studies were excluded if they were published in a language other than English, was not a published article, for example, dissertations, book chapters or conference abstracts, and if it was published before 1970 as shown in the table below.
Table 1: Inclusion and Exclusion Criteria
| CRITERIA | INCLUDED | EXCLUDED |
| Document type | Citable studies; Peer-reviewed literature
| Presentations/abstracts; Editorials; Work in progress or drafts |
| Dates | Between 1970 to 2019 | Before 1970 |
| Language | English | Non-English |
3.5 Study Selection
A total of 105 articles were generated from the initial search strategy. After a review of the publications’ 20 potentially met the criteria of eligibility. The researcher then paid closed attention to the article text and further eliminated seven publications were eliminated because of the following reasons: a literature review (n=2), qualitative study (n=3), no association with photojournalism (n=2). Therefore, ten articles were adopted for subsequent analysis for meeting the established criteria (Appendix). Table 2 below illustrates the search strategy, results and the database utilized. Figure 4, on the other hand, describes the Prisma table for the study selection process.
Table 2: Search strategy matrix
| Database | Search Strategy | Results |
| ProQuest | Search field: All fields; photography, sports journalism, discrimination, social media Filters: full-text, articles, publication dates, | 30 |
| EBSCOhost | Search field: All areas; photography, sports journalism, discrimination, social media Filters: full-text articles, publication dates | 20 |
| Google Scholar | Search field: Topic; photography, sports journalism, discrimination, social media Filters: date, relevance | 50 |
| PLOS One | Search field: All fields; photography, sports journalism, discrimination, social media Filters: article type, publication dates | 5 |
Figure 4: Prisma Table
4.0 Results and Discussion
The purpose of this study was to answer the following questions
1) What is the role of photography in sports journalism?
2) What are some of the challenges faced while implementing photography in sports journalism
3) What is the place of social media and technology in sports photojournalism?
The study results were, therefore organized into two main themes: Role of photography in sports journalism challenges faced while using photography for sports reporting and the role of social media technology in sports photojournalism.
Theme 1: Role of photography in sports journalism
4.1 Tells a story out of an event.
The study has shown that a sports journalist can build a narrative on a perfectly captured moment called the “pregnant moment.” During this time, the right image can be captured, which the photographer can use to develop a story that can be read by the audience. The photographer, therefore, needs to identify and choose the right moment, to focus and capture the image. Such an image can be used to easily illustrate the happenings of the moments, shaping the story in its entirety without the need to alter the narrative. This concept can be achieved through skilled photography, coupled with the art of image capture. Consequently, any audience needing to know the happenings of a previous sporting event can read and understand the occurrence in the sporting event without any difficulties using the captured image and a supportive narrative. It is at this stage is when the photographic element defines sports journalism. This article, therefore, supports the notion that photography is vital in defining the overall concept of sports by telling the actual happening. This evidence depicts the usefulness of photography, through semiotics to promote sports journalism (Greenwood, Perrin, & Duggan, 2016).
4.2 Communicating Complex Situations
The definition of good journalism is based on the ability of a reporter to retell or illustrate a sporting event took place in the best way possible irrespective of the complexity of the situation. A good sports journalist can capture an image that provides information regarding the performance of individual players on a specific occasion. For a journalist to be able to carry out such a task, the journalist should underscore the importance of understanding aesthetic experience as well as athletic performance in a sporting activity (Stauff, 2018)). As such the photographer can define the audience perception on a key player or a sporting activity using the provision offered by photography: the ability to provide an artistic view necessary for building up a specific sporting event. For instance, the photograph by Getty Images, where Australia conquered Diamonds in the Commonwealth Games (Appendix 2). In the image, the picture illustrates athletes who is excited about their victory while the opponents are in shock. Indeed, there is not much to be illustrated in the image since the photograph itself tells the story. The sports journalist, in this case, chose to focus on the excitement and zeal exhibited by the victors rather than the frustrated opponents. As a matter of fact, this piece is a confirmation that photography is a critical part of sports journalism.
4.3 Promotes objectivity in sports Coverage
Primarily, a sports journalist should ensure the tone and content of images implying a sporting event is devoid of bias and misrepresentation. The journalist should cover sporting activities objectively ensuring that the reported information is authentic, truthful and can be confirmed by other news agencies taking part in the same event are correct (Weedon and Wilson, 2017). Therefore, photography not only serves to tell a story about a given sporting event but ensures that there is authenticity in the reporting that is done. This scenario is possible with the help of other elements forming part of the image, creating the possibility of creating facts relatable to viewers or readers at different capacities. Sports journalists have the choice to either report the images independently without the texts; in this case, the image left to narrate the story of the events which they depict.
On the other hand, it can be depicted, accompanied by explanations via text. Furthermore, a sports journalist should conduct themselves with the highest professional standards. A reporter should not use of photography in ways that are otherwise degrading or humiliating, not only to the audience or to the specific athlete (Keats et al., 2013). For instance, the sexualization of content in the form of images which have been captured is not professional. As such, the role of photography in sports journalism should be based on ensuring the realization of positive attributes of the information and encouraging readers to understand more about the given event. The use of photography has equally come under sharp criticism regarding the aspects of discrimination based on gender and racism (Wille, and Cernaianu, 2017).
Sports knows no borders. Therefore, sports journalism is a powerful tool that can be useful to shape the perception of the world in the minds of its audience. Their pursuit should define media personalities who partake in sports reporting for the realization of a more cohesive world through sports journalism (Stauff, 2018). These journalists can use photography prudently; they can promote good practice by capturing images definitive of sportsmanship and not images directed toward the dissemination of hate towards, other persons, groups, cultures or races. As such, these reporters should focus on activities that promote good vices and equality while keeping away from racial exploits and gender discrimination like the cases where players of African origin being racially abused shown by instances where bananas are thrown inside the pitch by racists.
According to the literature review, a professional journalist should shun away from reporting such information and any other antisocial behaviour that would otherwise spur divisions, promote unhealthy behaviour and hatred. Sadly, some rogue reporters have occasionally captured such racial content in photographs and wrote such stories in their publications. However, all sports journalists should realize that they owe it to their audience to act professionally and to always ensure good practice in their work while condemning bad practice not only in words but by their good reporting. The focus of photography should be on the appreciation of a sporting event and the emotions it builds among the participants and the viewers. An example of such a racist stunt and failure of photography is illustrated in an image captured by a Sky Sports journalist where a banana was thrown to a pitch in a match between Arsenal and Tottenham (Appendix 3).
Theme 2: Challenges faced while using photography for sport reporting
In order to adhere to the professional code by sports journalists, reporters in this industry should realize that they need to take the necessary measures in order to uphold good social values while reporting. Reporters should always adhere to the accepted social values while capturing images in a sporting activity; for example, the challenges of football as a sporting activity. There have been reports of racial abuses, religious discrimination elements directed towards players by fans amidst the continued advocacy to sanitize football as a sporting activity. Also, new issues continue to emerge, and some of these have had adverse effects on sports activities (Szylko-Kwas, 2019). For example, there is the issue of Islamophobia and hostility toward certain groups of people. Sports photojournalism should, therefore, work to ensure that such challenges do not damage or hurt football or other sporting activities through capturing images that reflect the desire to live as a united people and the urge for togetherness.
Unprofessional reporting has also been witnessed concerning unequal coverage provided to sportswomen by sporting images compared to sportsmen. These women have been discriminated based on their gender. Major sports activities including football, rugby, boxing and volleyball have not received the same level of attention as that participated by men. For instance, the world knows very little about FIFA World Cup Women. The industry, therefore, needs to self-evaluate and correct such prejudices by moving from the recently reported 5% coverage for women as reported by International Press in the year 2005 to a similar or near like the coverage for men in sports (Wille, and Cernaianu, 2017). Such setbacks are a revelation of the failure of some sports photojournalists in the role of photography in boosting sports journalism has failed when it comes to gender equality with a focus on women, abuse against the sportsmen and women of African descent and religious discriminations.
The literature review has revealed that the mentioned challenges can be solved in several ways, first, concerning the discrimination of sportswomen, journalists can ensure that they capture images which depict the successes realized by women when participating in sporting events, avoid reporting racial discrimination on players of African descent and religious discrimination elements. Second, the industry should also endeavour to train and involve more women as sports photojournalists (Stauff, 2018). This technique will ensure that gender parity is achieved in the industry, and it may go a long way in improving the parity of coverage for sportswomen through women editors and photojournalists. These media personalities would be instrumental in advancing efforts toward the attainment of better coverage for sports activities on women. The decision to have many women get actively involved in sports journalism as photographers would help deal with the issue of gender discrimination in sports.
Theme 3: Role of Social media technology on sports photojournalism
Lastly, in the wake of social media and the growth of its influence on people’s lives, photography has become a critical factor in enhancing sports journalism. Ideally, social networking sites provide a platform where journalists can post sports content and allow for debate on the subject. Photography has been instrumental in adjusting accordingly and ensuring that it harnesses the power of social media. Social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram have become critical tools in ensuring that information is relayed to the public while allowing for open channels on the discussion on all matter’s sports. Fortunately, through social networking sites, photojournalists can capture moments and share them, and this can be accessed in different parts of the world. As a result, many audiences around the globe can be able to conveniently access and contribute openly regarding an image of a sporting event (Geurin-Eagleman et al., 2016).
The conversation, therefore, should shift to how sports reporting can leverage the benefits provided by technology and social media to enhance coverage while promoting professional sports photojournalism. It is, however, important to mention that photojournalism, to some extent, has embraced social media and utilized the same to improve on the aspect of sports journalism. Journalists can now capture content and disseminate through social media platforms (Byrd and Denney, 2018). The platforms also provide the possibility of critiquing the posted photos and content. Photojournalism has also been transformed through Technology. For example, the design of photographic cameras conforms to the latest technologies, and this makes it possible to stay at par with such advancements (Ferguson and Greer, 2018). The benefit is an improvement in the overall way sports is viewed.
The literature review confirms the highlighted themes obtained from the primary sources, for instance, Barthes (1977), reminds readers of the need for a sports photojournalism to grasp the opportunity of capturing the pregnant moment of a sporting event. He underpins the fact that a well-captured image can tell a story by itself. Second, secondary sources confirm that photography can be used to communicate in a simple manner. The reported must capture the emotions of players and the reactions of fans (Lambert, 2018). The review also reiterates the need for high standards of professionalism during reporting. Fondevila-Gascón et al. (2016) describe photography as the primary tool for sports photojournalism, the literature reviews, therefore. Byrd and Denney (2018) while arguing covering the role of social media technology in sports photojournalism, confirms that social media can be used to collect, analyse and report data, therefore being a vital tool in sports photojournalism.
5.0 Conclusion
The primary purpose of the research was to establish the role of photography in sports journalism, the challenges faced by sports photojournalism and the place of social media technology in sports photojournalism. This section, therefore, offers the summary of the answers to the main study question, recommendations and suggestion for future studies. According to the study, photography is diverse and serves as a vital medium in the advancement of photojournalism; it also helps the reports in communicating complex situations regarding spotting events. The study has also revealed that professional sports photojournalism is characterized by fair reporting, non-humiliating and should be authentic. However, in the recent past, many rogue reports have promoted racism, religious discrimination and gender inequality through illicit photography while reporting on sports news. Lastly, social media technology has been identified as essential tools that will be vital in enhancing sports photojournalism.
The study, therefore, suggests that many women should be included as sports journalism as it would be an effort towards achieving more coverage for sportswomen. The study also recommends the retraining of the rogue reporters to enable them to maintain ethical and professional standards in sports reporting and most importantly, the journalism industry should always educate both sportspersons and the fans. This advocacy can be achieved through the media on the need to decent from racial and religious discriminations and how such actions would make sports great entertainment that will make the world more united. It is the view of the study that all the themes discussed to answer the study question. Therefore, to attain the objective of the research. The researcher suggests that focus should be to view photography as a vital tool that can help address social evils which are evident in society; this can serve as a basis for future research investigations.
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APPENDICES
Appendix 1: Table 3: Selected Studies
| Full citation of the selected article | Article #1 | Article #2 | Article #3 | Article #4 | Article #5 |
| Barthes, R. (1977). Image-Music-Text. Translated by S. Heath. London: Fontana.
| English, P., 2016. Mapping the sports journalism field: Bourdieu and broadsheet newsrooms. Journalism, 17(8), pp.1001-1017.
| Weedon, G. and Wilson, B., 2017. Textbook journalism? Objectivity, education and the professionalization of sports reporting. Journalism, p.1464884917716503.
| Stauff, M. (2018) ‘The Pregnant-Moment Photograph: The 1908 London Marathon and the Cross-Media Evaluation of Sports Performances’, Historical Social Research / Historische Sozialforschung, 43(2 (164)), pp. 203–219. | McEnnis, S., 2016. Following the action: How to live bloggers are reimagining the professional ideology of sports journalism: Journalism Practice, 10(8), pp.967-982.
| |
| Why you chose this article | Relates to the topic in question on photography and imaging and their relation to sports journalism | . Relates to the topic in question
| . Relevant to objectives in question
| Relates to the topic of sports journalism and photography . | Describes sports journalism, it’s ideology and imaging.
|
| Brief description of the aims article | Compare the relation between text and image. | Explain the idea of mapping sports journalism | Looks at objectivity in photography | Describe sports in different media platforms. | Define the concept of sports journalism |
| Full citation of selected article | Article #6 | Article #7 | Article #8 | Article #9 | Article #10 |
| Szylko-Kwas, J., 2019. Photography as a statement of journalism-variety of genres. Media Studies, 76(1).
| Horky, T. and Pelka, P., 2017. Data Visualisation in Sports Journalism: Opportunities and challenges of data-driven journalism in German football. Digital Journalism, 5(5), pp.587-606. | Byrd, R.D. and Denney, P., 2018. ” Using Their Own Voice”: Learning to Tell Stories with Instagram. Teaching Journalism & Mass Communication, 8(2), pp.47-55.
| Wille, F. and Cernaianu, S., 2017. Social responsibility of sports journalists in expressions of diversity. Sport and Discrimination, p.215.
| Greenwood, S., Perrin, A., & Duggan, M. (2016, 11 November). Social media update 2016. Pew Research Centre. Retrieved from http://www.pewinternet.org/2016/11/11/social-media-up-date-2016/ | |
| Why you chose this article | Specific to the research topic and questions. | . Relevance to study and contribution.
| . Links to the topic and provides scholarly evidence | . Addresses parts of the question on discrimination
| Specific to the research topic and questions.
|
| Brief description of the aims article | To link photography and sports journalism | Evaluates challenges of sports journalism | Describe sports journalism, photography in the age of social media | To describe the role of sports journalism, on social responsibility | Describe social media within the context of sports journalism |
Appendix 2: Australia conquered Diamonds in the Commonwealth Games
Source: Getty Images
Appendix 3: A match between Arsenal and Tottenham
Source: Sky Sports
