Rumours, responsibility and sports journalism ethics. The coverage of Ye Shiwen at the London 2012 Olympics in the British, American and Spanish quality press

Authors

  • Xavier Ramon Universitat Pompeu Fabra

Keywords:

London 2012 Olympics, journalism ethics, rumours, responsibility, sources.

Abstract

At the London 2012 Olympics, the Chinese swimmer Ye Shiwen achieved a remarkable milestone, winning the gold medal in the 400 m individual medley. However, The Guardian became the first medium to give voice to a senior American coach, John Leonard, who cast doubts on her performance. The subsequent doping controversy posed key ethical challenges referring to 1) the use of rumour in sports journalism; 2) the selection and balancing of sources, and 3) the confrontation between freedom of expression and the social responsibility of the media. By triangulation of the qualitative content analysis technique and semi-structured interviews, this article explores Shiwen’s portrayal in six quality newspapers: The Guardian / The Telegraph (United Kingdom); The New York Times / The Washington Post (United States); and El País / La Vanguardia (Spain). The research also examines the media compliance with the major national and transnational codes of journalism ethics.

Keywords: London 2012 Olympics, journalism ethics, rumours, responsibility, sources.

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Issue

Núm. 16 (2014-2015) : Qualitat informativa i ètica periodística

Section

Articles

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