Sports News, Commentary and Interviews, From the Other Side: Journalists Seen Through the Eyes of Athletes

Abstract

This study explores how professional athletes perceive sports journalists and the role of the media. They acknowledge that communication with journalists is an essential part of their profession and appreciate the verified information, knowledge, and dutiful preparation. They consider the main role of media as monitorial. In some cases, they cast doubt on journalists’ ability to evaluate athletic performance accurately, and they are also critical of errors in interviews, however they acknowledgethat there are good, and possibly excellent journalists as well.