A conceptual model of gender in media coverage of the 2020 Tokyo and 2016 Rio Olympics(Case study: Iran Sports newspaper)

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
Sedigheh Rezaeipasha 1
Farideh Sharififar 2
Mahmoud Sharepour 3
Aliasghar Kia 4
1 Department of Sociology of Sport , Faculty of Sciences of Sport, Islamic Azad University South Tehran Branch, Tehran, Iran.
2 Department of Management of Sport,, Faculty of Sciences of Sport, Islamic Azad University South Tehran Branch, Tehran, Iran.
3 Department of Sociology, Faculty of Social and Humanetic sciences,University of Mazandaran, Babolsar, Iran.
4 Department of Journalism and Media Management, Faculty of Communication Sciences, Allameh Tabatabaei University, Tehran, Iran.
10.22034/jcsc.2023.563041.2608
Abstract
Given the limited and few conceptual models of gender presented in media coverage, the aim of this article is to develop a conceptual model regarding the position of gender in the media coverage of the Tokyo 2020 and Rio 2016 Olympics. This model can serve as a framework for analyzing existing conditions and striving for an ideal situation. This research employs a qualitative approach based on thematic analysis. The statistical population includes all articles from the Iran Sports newspaper in the years 2016 and 2021. The sampling was conducted purposefully, including 212 textual data (news, reports, interviews, and articles) from the Iran Sports newspaper during the time frame of each of the mentioned Olympics (August 6 to 22, 2016, and July 23 to August 8, 2021). For data analysis, a three-stage coding method was used: descriptive coding, interpretive coding, and integration. Based on the results of the coding, five primary themes, three secondary themes, and one overarching theme emerged. A comparison of the results indicates that in most cases, the coverage was influenced by the discourse of gender bias and the newspaper's approach regarding the concepts of "hegemony," "sports metaphors," and "hyperreality." Notably, in the concept of "hegemony," the coverage of news in this theme was conducted for both genders, with the difference that media support for women primarily highlighted their infrastructural deprivations.

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Cultural Studies & Communication
Volume 20, Issue 76
Autumn 2024
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