Sport for Development and Peace: Framing the Global Conversation

Abstract

To explore the role of sports journalism in communicating complex social issues, we seek to understand how sport for development and peace (SDP) programs are covered by newspapers around the world. To achieve this goal, we conducted an exploratory content analysis of 284 English-language articles from 2013 to 2016 using Iyengar’s (1991) thematic and episodic frames and Semetko and Valkenburg’s (2000) five generic news frames. Results indicate that coverage of SDP is often episodically framed, attributed to wire reports rather than individuals, and emphasizes responsibility and human interest. These frames may provide limited understanding of SDP issues in the general public and show that sport journalists still need to embrace their role as sport journalists for good. Recommendations are made for journalists covering this topic globally.