Introduction
This paper presents a dissertation plan for an investigation into print media methods and their obsession with athletes’ personal lives as a means to sell newspapers. The proposed study is motivated by the fact that print media outlets are increasingly reporting on the personal lives of athletes. Czarnota (2011) demonstrates that tabloid newspapers are obsessed with reporting on the personal lives of athletes, including activities that have no impact on their performance or professionalism in athletics. The main argument of the proposed study project is that print media is obsessed with the personal lives of athletes because it is a means of increasing sales.
Background of the Problem
The media pays huge attention to sporting stars, which culminates in reports on the private lives and behaviors of athletes. For example, many print media publications in the UK often focus their reporting on the personal lives and behaviors of athletes that are likely to be condemned by the public (Packer et al., 2014). Notably, the media relies on the provisions of Article 10 of the Human Rights Act 1998 in their reporting because it protects their right to freedom of expression. Therefore, print media outlets feel that they are entitled to report freely on the actions of sports stars. Czarnota (2011) argues that print media companies consider it okay to provide full details on the personal lives of athletes as long as they adhere to the provisions of media law.
Statement of the Problem
Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) provides that all individuals have a right to privacy. This means that athletes have a right to respect for their personal and family lives. The problem is that print media outlets exercise their right to freedom of expression without considering the right to respect for the personal lives of athletes.
Purpose of the Study
The purpose of the proposed study is to demonstrate that print media methods of reporting on athletics are motivated by the need to increase newspaper sales. The study will focus on indicating that, as much as print media companies exercise their freedom of expression, they should act ethically by respecting the privacy of athletes. Through the proposed study, the motive of print media to increase sales through reporting on the private lives of athletes will be determined.
Research Questions
1. What motivates reporting on the personal lives of athletes by print media outlets in the UK?
2. Are the rights of athletes to privacy upheld by print media companies in the UK?
3. Does the right to freedom of expression justify reporting on the personal lives of athletes by the print media?
4. How do print media methods influence the perceptions of the public on athletes?
Significance of the Study
The proposed study is important because it will provide insights into possible violations of the rights of athletes to privacy by print media companies. The study will also indicate whether or not print media methods effectively serve the interests of athletes and the public. Additionally, findings from the proposed study would inform court injunctions about the reporting of the personal lives of athletes by print media companies in the UK. The research project is significant to professional practice in athletics because print media methods affect the commercial interests of athletes, such as getting lucrative sponsorship agreements (Packer et al., 2014).
Theoretical Framework
The proposed study will be based on the postulates of the framing theory. This theory suggests that the media designs its stories with a goal of influencing the manner in which the public thinks about what is reported (Borah, 2011). According to the framing theory, the media draws the attention of the public to specific aspects of a story to influence the perceptions of the audience (Entman, 2010). The framing theory is applicable in the proposed study because print media focuses on the personal lives of athletes and determines how the public thinks about sports stars. The selected theory will be used to demonstrate that print media influences the public’s moral interpretations of the behaviors of athletes through methods that are designed to frame constructs of social reality pertaining to sports.
Methodology
The secondary research method will be applied in conducting the proposed study. This method will allow for examination of print media reports on athletes with a goal of determining how they influence both public perceptions and newspaper sales. Secondary research is appropriate for the proposed study because there is adequate information within print media publications to inform the study.
Research Design
The study will be based on the qualitative research design because it is appropriate for determining how social construction influences the perceptions of the public (Taylor, Bogda, n.d., and DeVault, 2015). Therefore, qualitative data will be collected from print media publications for analysis of patterns, such as reporting on athletes’ personal lives and the construction of perceptions of the public on the behaviors of athletes.
Procedures and Measures
The study will begin with the collection of print media reports on athletics in five tabloid newspapers in the UK, including the Daily Mail, Sunday Express, Daily Express, The Sun, and Daily Mirror. The focus of the study will be the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. The publications will be collected mainly from relevant print media companies and public libraries. Copies of selected publications will be made for the study. The frequency with which the selected tabloid newspapers reported on the private lives of athletes during the 2012 Summer Olympics will be measured. Information on the sales of the newspapers during the 2012 Summer Olympics will also be measured and presented for analysis.
Data Analysis
Content analysis will be used to analyze data from the proposed study. This data analysis method is appropriate for the examination of communication artifacts and analysis of meaningful patterns in texts (Vaismoradi, Turunen, and Bondas, 2013). During the study, the patterns and methods of reporting the 2012 Summer Olympics by the selected tabloid newspapers will be analyzed. Content related to reporting on the personal lives of athletes will also be examined in the context of sensationalism and the framing of print media stories.
Timeline
The timeline of the main research activities is outlined on the Gantt chart in Figure 1 below.
References
Borah, P., 2011. Conceptual issues in framing theory: A systematic examination of a decade's literature. Journal of Communication, 61(2), pp.246-263.
Czarnota, P.A., 2011. Athlete Privacy Rights and Endorsement Contracts: An Analysis of US, UK, and Australian Law. Va. Sports & Ent. LJ, 11, p.460.
Entman, R., 2010. Framing media power. Doing news framing analysis: Empirical and theoretical perspectives, pp.331-355.
Packer, C., Geh, D.J., Goulden, O.W., Jordan, A.M., Withers, G.K., Wagstaff, A.J., Bellwood, R.A., Binmore, C.L., and Webster, C.L., 2014. No lasting legacy: no change in reporting of women's sports in the British print media with the London 2012 Olympics and Paralympics. Journal of Public Health, 37(1), pp.50-56.
Taylor, S.J., Bogdan, R. and DeVault, M., 2015. Introduction to qualitative research methods: A guidebook and resource. John Wiley & Sons.
Vaismoradi, M., Turunen, H. and Bondas, T., 2013. Content analysis and thematic analysis: Implications for conducting a qualitative descriptive study. Nursing & health sciences, 15(3), pp.398-405.
