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Syracuse University

Rooting for the story: Institutional sports journalism in the digital age

Abstract

dc:description.abstract

<p>This dissertation examines contemporary daily sports journalism through the lenses of media sociology and new institutional theory. In-depth interviews with 25 sports journalists (reporters and editors) identified the institutionalized norms, values, practices and routines of American sports journalism, demonstrated how that institutionalization affects story selection, and showed how the profession is changing due to digital and social media. The interviews show that although traditional sports journalism is highly institutionalized, digital sports journalism is far less so. Traditional sports journalism is still centered around a story, and digital sports journalism follows Robinson's (2011) journalism-as-process model. The journalists interviewed are expected to perform acts of both traditional and digital journalism during the same work day, which leads to tension in how they do their jobs.</p>

Degree

thesis:*
Name thesis:degree_name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Level thesis:degree_level
Dissertation
Discipline thesis:degree_discipline
Mass Communications
Year
2014

Author and committee

dc:creator, dc:contributor.*
Author dc:creator
  • Moritz, Brian Peter
Contributors dc:contributor
  • Carol M. Liebler

Subjects

dc:subject × 7

Identifiers

dc:identifier.*
Repository record dc:identifier
https://surface.syr.edu/etd/171
OAI identifier oai:identifier
oai:surface.syr.edu:etd-1171

Chain of custody

source
Harvested from
Syracuse University
Base URL
surface.syr.edu/do/oai/
Last updated
2026-07-24
Source record
OAI-PMH GetRecord
citation

Moritz, Brian Peter. Rooting for the story: Institutional sports journalism in the digital age. Dissertation thesis, 2014. https://surface.syr.edu/etd/171