Sports Journalists and Their Source of Information: A Conflict of Interests and Its Resolution

Abstract

The sociocultural context of sports journalists, comprising journalism on the one hand and the sports spectacle on the other, induces a conflict of interests. Journalists must endeavor to gain and maintain a minimum of professional credibility and sustain a close relationship with the source of information. This article presents two resolutive practices used by sports journalists as a means of dealing with this conflict. The first is the sports journalises ambivalent behavior toward the source of information. The second is the sports journalises use of a sociodramatic narrative feeding a loss-of-control scenario. These practices, respectively interactive and discursive, are discussed as well as their relationship to the sports journalise’s conflict of interests.