Just Copy and Paste? Usage and Patterns of Social Media Sources in Online Articles on Sport

Abstract

Information sourcing in sports journalism changes with the process of news curation on the internet. In particular, social media is an important source for sports reporters, as athletes and organizations post content on a regular basis. Although how sports journalists use social media in their daily work routines has already been investigated, there is little knowledge on how social media is used as a source in sports reporting. However, with regard to a possible copy-and-paste trend and an impeding loss of relevance of journalistic content, results pertaining to the use of social media as a source would be helpful to evaluate journalistic output. By conducting a quantitative content analysis of 3,150 online articles of three German sports news providers, this author investigated the number and patterns of social media sources in journalistic articles. The results reveal, inter alia, that social media is crucial for human interest stories on athletes.

La influencia de Twitter en las rutinas productivas de los periodistas deportivos en España

“…Se aprecia, asimismo, que en el actual periodismo deportivo el uso de las redes sociales como fuente de información para los periodistas, especialmente para las historias de interés humano (Oelrichs, 2022) y la cobertura de eventos deportivos (Grimmer y Horky, 2018), ejerciendo como mediador entre la fuente y la audiencia (Perreault y Bell, 2022; Osorio y Rodríguez, 2022).…”

Social Media and Sport Studies (2014–2023): A Critical Review

“…Finally, media-oriented studies investigated social media in the context of journalism, as a media outlet, or as a communication medium. Oelrichs (2022) studied the use of social media as a source in sports reporting, while Boehmer (2016) examined whether social media has rivaled traditional media in the realm of sports. Another example is a study by Li et al (2017) which explored the impact of social media on Chinese sports journalists.…”

Social Media Publishing Strategies of German Newspapers: Content Analysis of Sports Reporting on Social Networks by German Newspapers—Results of the 2021 Social Media International Sports Press Survey

“…The theory of agenda-setting in the field of social networks has also been examined several times in relation to sports (Abeza and Sanderson 2022). In contrast to athletes, clubs, or associations, media organizations have rarely been the focus of attention (Oelrichs 2022).…”

“…Another shift in contemporary media is that journalists-and sports journalists-have become an important target group for social media content, especially in relation to human interest stories on athletes (Oelrichs 2022). Sportspeople are a key component of sports coverage (see Horky and Nieland 2013;Rowe 2013;Schultz-Jorgensen 2005), and with their increased presence on social media-and, in some nations, reduced traditional media appearances-their posts can be repurposed as news content, with social media becoming a source (Oelrichs 2022). Abisaid and Li (2020) note how social media is a more relaxed style of communication by journalists, especially compared with the more rigid rules based on objectivity in traditional sports media.…”

“…Twitter has been found to be a popular and effective tool for reporting in sports journalism, with the platform's ability to break news quickly, providing commentary and opinion being quickly recognized by journalists (see Abisaid and Li 2020;English 2016;Nölleke et al 2017;Schultz and Sheffer 2010;Oelrichs 2020Oelrichs , 2022. Ju et al (2014) examined the social media accounts of 66 American newspapers, finding Twitter to be the most influential social media network, with a greater audience reach than Facebook.…”