The image of professional wrestling: a case study of the Chris Benoit double murder-suicide

<p>This study investigates the media's role in influencing public perception of the professional wrestling industry following the Chris Benoit double murder-suicide. The researcher sought to understand the manner in which newspapers portrayed the professional wrestling industry and whether media coverage in general played a role in forming the public's opinion of the industry.</p> <p>Through a content analysis of articles and headlines in The New York Times and The Miami Herald, the researcher evaluated the tone of the media coverage of the professional wrestling industry. Intercept studies conducted at two southern New Jersey sports bars revealed where people received their information about the Benoit incident, whether they found the media accounts believable and how the reports made them feel about the professional wrestling industry.</p> <p>It was found that the media covered professional wrestling in a mostly neutral manner following the Benoit incident. Surveyed respondents also had a neutral attitude toward the professional wrestling industry and their opinions were not changed by media coverage.</p>

Name thesis:degree_name

M.A. in Public Relations

Level thesis:degree_level

Thesis

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Public Relations & Advertising

Year dc:date.available

2008

Author dc:creator

• Borenstein, Neil

Contributors dc:contributor

• FitzGerald, Suzanne Sparks

• Professional sports--Public relations; Wrestling--Press coverage
• Public Relations and Advertising

Repository record dc:identifier

https://rdw.rowan.edu/etd/687

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:rdw.rowan.edu:etd-1686