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Presented at the 5th Summit on Communication and Sport, Bradley University, March 30, 2012
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BRIAN MORITZPh.D. STUDENT • S.I. NEWHOUSE SCHOOL OF PUBLIC COMMUNICATIONS • SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY
FIFTH SUMMIT OF COMMUNICATIONS AND SPORT • BRADLEY UNIVERSITY • MARCH 30, 2012
‘Without access, favor or discretion’:The gatekeeping practices of
BRIAN MORITZ • ‘WITHOUT ACCESS, FAVOR OR DISCRETION’ •The gatekeeping practices of DeadspinSYRACUSE UNIVERSITY
INTRODUCTION
“Because no one reads the newspaper, and SportsCenter’s anchors are too perky for this early in the morning, Deadspin combs the best of the broadsheets and internets to bring you everything you need to know to start your day.”
BRIAN MORITZ • ‘WITHOUT ACCESS, FAVOR OR DISCRETION’ •The gatekeeping practices of DeadspinSYRACUSE UNIVERSITY
GATEKEEPING
BRIAN MORITZ • ‘WITHOUT ACCESS, FAVOR OR DISCRETION’ •The gatekeeping practices of DeadspinSYRACUSE UNIVERSITY
WHY WE’RE HEREPurpose statement
Identify the types of stories that appear on Deadspin.
How those stories are framed by editors and contributors.
BRIAN MORITZ • ‘WITHOUT ACCESS, FAVOR OR DISCRETION’ •The gatekeeping practices of DeadspinSYRACUSE UNIVERSITY
THEORYA look at Deadspin
Founded on Aug. 30, 2005, by Will Leitch.
Top sports blog of 2000s — Sports Illustrated.
1.9 million monthly readers. Most visited sports blog.
Seen as an alternative news source to ESPN and other traditional media (Nolan, 2007).
BRIAN MORITZ • ‘WITHOUT ACCESS, FAVOR OR DISCRETION’ •The gatekeeping practices of DeadspinSYRACUSE UNIVERSITY
THEORYDeadspin’s greatest hits
BRIAN MORITZ • ‘WITHOUT ACCESS, FAVOR OR DISCRETION’ •The gatekeeping practices of DeadspinSYRACUSE UNIVERSITY
THEORYAbout Deadspin
“One of the exciting things about Deadspin ... is that kind of wall used to be there. Now we (fans) decide what we want to know. We don’t always need that wall anymore ... people react to sports as entertainment because that’s what it is. Whatever fans find entertaining is what counts.”
- Will Leitch (Sports Illustrated, 2008).
BRIAN MORITZ • ‘WITHOUT ACCESS, FAVOR OR DISCRETION’ •The gatekeeping practices of DeadspinSYRACUSE UNIVERSITY
GATEKEEPING
THEORY
BRIAN MORITZ • ‘WITHOUT ACCESS, FAVOR OR DISCRETION’ •The gatekeeping practices of DeadspinSYRACUSE UNIVERSITY
THEORY
FRAMING
BRIAN MORITZ • ‘WITHOUT ACCESS, FAVOR OR DISCRETION’ •The gatekeeping practices of DeadspinSYRACUSE UNIVERSITY
THEORY
JOURNALISTS’ ROLES
BRIAN MORITZ • ‘WITHOUT ACCESS, FAVOR OR DISCRETION’ •The gatekeeping practices of DeadspinSYRACUSE UNIVERSITY
HYPOTHESES
H1: Posts to Deadspin drawn from non-mainstream media sources are more likely to consist of off-field news items than posts drawn from mainstream media sources.
H2: Posts to Deadspin drawn from non-mainstream media sources are more likely to be negative in valance than posts drawn from mainstream media sources.
H3: Posts to Deadspin drawn from non-mainstream media sources are more likely to be representative of a critical frame and a celebrity frame than posts drawn from mainstream sources.
BRIAN MORITZ • ‘WITHOUT ACCESS, FAVOR OR DISCRETION’ •The gatekeeping practices of DeadspinSYRACUSE UNIVERSITY
HOW WE DID ITMethods
• May, 2010 Month chosen for sample
• 200 Posts picked at random
•SOURCE, TOPIC, FRAME, VALENCE Codes
BRIAN MORITZ • ‘WITHOUT ACCESS, FAVOR OR DISCRETION’ •The gatekeeping practices of DeadspinSYRACUSE UNIVERSITY
RESULTSDescriptive statistics
Of the 200 posts studied ...
102 from mainstream sources
129 off-field stories
78 negative valence 82 neutral 40 positive
Critical (72) Straightforward/Statistical (65)
BRIAN MORITZ • ‘WITHOUT ACCESS, FAVOR OR DISCRETION’ •The gatekeeping practices of DeadspinSYRACUSE UNIVERSITY
HYPOTHESIS 1 RESULTSPosts to Deadspin drawn from non-mainstream media sources are more likely to consist of off -field news items than posts drawn from mainstream media sources.
BRIAN MORITZ • ‘WITHOUT ACCESS, FAVOR OR DISCRETION’ •The gatekeeping practices of DeadspinSYRACUSE UNIVERSITY
HYPOTHESIS 2 RESULTSPosts to Deadspin drawn from non-mainstream media sources are more likely to be negative in valance than posts drawn from mainstream media sources.
BRIAN MORITZ • ‘WITHOUT ACCESS, FAVOR OR DISCRETION’ •The gatekeeping practices of DeadspinSYRACUSE UNIVERSITY
HYPOTHESIS 3 RESULTSPosts to Deadspin drawn from non-mainstream media sources are more likely to be representative of a critical frame and a celebrity frame than posts drawn from mainstream sources.
BRIAN MORITZ • ‘WITHOUT ACCESS, FAVOR OR DISCRETION’ •The gatekeeping practices of DeadspinSYRACUSE UNIVERSITY
IF YOU’RE SCORING AT HOME
Hypothesis 1: Supported
Hypothesis 2: Not supported, no significant relationship
Hypothesis 3: Not supported
BRIAN MORITZ • ‘WITHOUT ACCESS, FAVOR OR DISCRETION’ •The gatekeeping practices of DeadspinSYRACUSE UNIVERSITY
SO WHAT?
BRIAN MORITZ • ‘WITHOUT ACCESS, FAVOR OR DISCRETION’ •The gatekeeping practices of DeadspinSYRACUSE UNIVERSITY
DISCUSSION
For all the hype, Deadspin is a fairly well-rounded blog.
BRIAN MORITZ • ‘WITHOUT ACCESS, FAVOR OR DISCRETION’ •The gatekeeping practices of DeadspinSYRACUSE UNIVERSITY
BY THE NUMBERSDiscussion section
129 posts dealt with off-field incidents
81.6% non-mainstream stories on off-field incidents
BRIAN MORITZ • ‘WITHOUT ACCESS, FAVOR OR DISCRETION’ •The gatekeeping practices of DeadspinSYRACUSE UNIVERSITY
DISCUSSION
Deadspin editors (and sometimes, the readers themselves) are reinterpreting the messages from mainstream media sources – or, in some instances, finding new stories not covered by the more traditional media outlets.
BRIAN MORITZ • ‘WITHOUT ACCESS, FAVOR OR DISCRETION’ •The gatekeeping practices of DeadspinSYRACUSE UNIVERSITY
DEADSPIN IS NOT
Solely a source of sex, sleaze and sophomoric humor.
Completely the alternative source of sports news.
BRIAN MORITZ • ‘WITHOUT ACCESS, FAVOR OR DISCRETION’ •The gatekeeping practices of DeadspinSYRACUSE UNIVERSITY
DEADSPIN IS ...
A second-level gatekeeper.
A prime example of second-guessing theory.
A site that takes stories already are in the marketplace of ideas and reinterprets them in an entertaining way.
BRIAN MORITZ • ‘WITHOUT ACCESS, FAVOR OR DISCRETION’ •The gatekeeping practices of DeadspinSYRACUSE UNIVERSITY
BRIAN MORITZ Ph.D. STUDENT S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications Syracuse University
about.me/brianmoritz @bpmoritz 607.341.5029
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