Date of Graduation
8-2016
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts in Journalism (MA)
Degree Level
Graduate
Department
Journalism
Advisor/Mentor
Jan Wicks
Committee Member
Patsy Watkins
Second Committee Member
Stephen Dittmore
Keywords
Philosophy, religion and theology, Social sciences, Communication and the arts, Content analysis, ESPN, Sports
Abstract
The purpose of this exploratory study was to compare sports coverage provided by the male-centric website ESPN.com and its affiliated female-centric website ESPNW.com. The amount and type of coverage provided for female athletes was the primary focus of this study. Results suggest that ESPNW.com provides an outlet for increased coverage of women’s sports, but the type of coverage provided to female athletes is not equivalent to that of their male counterparts. These results supported findings in previous studies on mass media coverage of women’s sports, specifically coverage on the emerging field of Internet coverage.
Citation
Caldwell, R. (2016). Leveling the Playing Field? A Content Analysis of ESPN.com and ESPNW.com’s Online Coverage. Graduate Theses and Dissertations Retrieved from https://scholarworks.uark.edu/etd/1640