Xavier Ramon, professor and researcher at UPF’s Department of Communication read his doctoral thesis on 20 May entitled Sports journalism ethics and quality of information. The coverage of the London 2012 Olympics in the British, American and Spanish press, supervised by  Salvador Alsius and carried out with an international mention in the framework of the doctorate in Communication of UPF RD99/2011.

The thesis examined the extent to which six prestigious newspapers from three different national and international communication contexts, in their coverage of the London 2012 Olympic Games fulfilled the fundamental principles of journalistic ethics: truth, justice and responsibility.

The thesis panel was chaired by Professor Monica Figueras (UPF), professor Emilio Fernández Peña (UAB) as secretary, and professor Raymond Boyle (University of Glasgow, United Kingdom) who acted as a panel member, who awarded the thesis Excellent Cum Laude. 

The sample analysis was carried out on The Guardian, The Observer, The Daily Telegraph and The Sunday Telegraph (UK); The New York Times and The Washington Post (USA), and El País and La Vanguardia, from Spain.

First, as Xavier Ramon comments: “analysis of the content of 6,552 pieces, the contrast with the main codes of ethics and the 41 interviews held with experts, professionals and representatives of the International Olympic Committee revealed that in many areas the coverage dispels the ingrained notion of sports journalism as a “toy department” of the media”.

Content analysis identifies significant strengths in the use of a wide range of information sources, comprehensive analysis of the contextual aspects of the London 2012 Olympic Games, the recognition of errors and the fight against discrimination. However, “the research highlights that in other essential aspects, such as the diversity of the sports agenda, sensationalism, GENDER stereotypes or the use of the belligerent language, there is ample room for improvement”, explains the author of the work.

The members of the panel noted the quality of the work, its interdisciplinary approach and its ability to transfer knowledge among scholars, students, professionals and citizens. The discussion with the doctoral student allowed going into greater depth on  issues such as the existence of different cultures in sports journalism; the weight of rumour and speculation in this area of information; and the internal and external conditioning factors that most affect the quality of the journalistic products.

Future lines of research that are opened in this field of study

In his postdoctoral research, Ramon will address the treatment of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games in the international press and he will do so focusing on various issues related to ethics and the quality of information, in particular with regard to the treatment of women, the use of belligerent language and the coverage of the refugee athletes who will be competing in Rio 2016 under the Olympic flag. To date, he has examined the treatment of relevant contexts of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games during the run-up to the event. The results of this research that he has been carrying out since 2015 together with professor Christopher Tulloch (UPF) will be presented at the congress of the International Association for Media and Communication Research (IAMCR) to be held from27 to 31 July in Leicester (United Kingdom): “The Run-up to Rio. Framing the build up to the 2016 Olympic Games in The New York Times, The Guardian, Le Monde and El País”.

In addition, he is working on the monitoring of the instruments of accountability of sports information (codes, style manuals, press ombudsman, etc.) and also in the field of multimedia innovation in sports journalism.

Further related information:

Review of the doctoral thesis by Xavier Ramon published on the blog of José Luis Rojas, professor at the University of Seville, in his article “Periodismo Deportivo de Calidad”, 20 May 2016.

Reference work:

Xavier Ramon (2016), Sports journalism ethics and quality of information. The coverage of the London 2012 Olympics in the British, American and Spanish press, unpublished doctoral thesis read on 20 May at Pompeu Fabra University, supervised by professor Salvador Alsius.