University of New South Wales Journalism and Media Research Centre

and Media Monitors joint research for the Australian Sports Commission

Towards a Level Playing Field:

sport and gender in Australian media
January 2008July 2009
Last updated January 2014

Principal researchers:
Professor Catharine Lumby, Director, Journalism and
Media Research Centre, University of New South Wales
Dr Helen Caple, Research Associate, Journalism and
Media Research Centre, University of New South Wales
Dr Kate Greenwood, Senior Portfolio Analyst, Media Monitors
ii Towards a Level Playing Field: sport and gender in Australian media CONTENTS iii

Acknowledgments
Many people assisted in the production of this research. Thank you to Dr Petra Nolan for providing
excellent assistance in the project management and editing of the Journalism and Media Research Centre
section of the report, and Ciara Ward for her care in editing the Media Monitors sections of the final
document. A significant debt of gratitude is owed to Hope Clutterham and Carly Logan at Media Monitors
for their invaluable input into the conception and execution, respectively, of Sections Two to Six. Particular
acknowledgment goes to Sareh Aminian for her contribution to Section Two, David Vallence for outstanding
work on Section Five, and Iain Wright and Peter Prior for Section Six. Special thanks to Peter Hannagan,
Bill Hawker, Dayne Smith and Ilse Steyn for their painstaking research assistance, and Lilla Smee for her
excellent data analysis.
Contents
Executive summary............................................................................................................................................................................................. vii
Introduction .............................................................................................................................................................................................................. ix
Section One: Quantitative figures and qualitative media analysis of press coverage,
25 November8 December 2008....................................................................................................................................................................... 1
Volume of stories by publication date ........................................................................................................................................................2
Media format, publication date and publication type ........................................................................................................................2
Volume of stories by publication type.........................................................................................................................................................2
Publication type ......................................................................................................................................................................................................3
Analysis according to sport ..............................................................................................................................................................................5
Qualitative findings: media coverage, sport and gender ..................................................................................................................6
The state of media game: stakeholder interviews ...........................................................................................................................16

Section Two: Qualitative and quantitative media analysis, October 2008July 2009 ...................................... 19
Key metrics ............................................................................................................................................................................................................20
The Australian Sports Commission is the Australian Government agency that develops, supports and
Gender overview ..................................................................................................................................................................................................20
invests in sport at all levels. It was established in 1985 and operates under the Australian Sports
Commission Act 1989. The Commissions national leadership role is achieved through three operational Share of voice.......................................................................................................................................................................................................21
areas: the Australian Institute of Sport, Participation & Sustainable Sports, and Corporate Operations. The
Story order..............................................................................................................................................................................................................22
Australian Sports Commission forms part of the Health portfolio.
Primary story focus ............................................................................................................................................................................................24
Australian Sports Commission 2014
Nationality of athletes ......................................................................................................................................................................................24
ISSN 0186-3448
Text type...................................................................................................................................................................................................................25
Ownership of intellectual property rights in this publication Narrative frame ....................................................................................................................................................................................................25
Unless otherwise noted, copyright (and any other intellectual property rights, if any) in this publication is Visual analysis studio backdrop ..........................................................................................................................................................27
owned by the Australian Sports Commission.
Linguistic analysis studio introduction .............................................................................................................................................29
Creative Commons licence Visual analysis overall ...............................................................................................................................................................................33
With the exception of the Commonwealth Coat of Arms and photographic images, this publication is Linguistic analysis overall........................................................................................................................................................................36
licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Australia Licence.
Leading issues .....................................................................................................................................................................................................40
Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Australia Licence is a standard form license agreement that allows you
Leading messages .............................................................................................................................................................................................43
to copy, distribute, transmit and adapt this publication provided that you attribute the work.
Leading spokespeople .....................................................................................................................................................................................44
A summary of the licence terms is available from
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/au/deed.en. Leading media ......................................................................................................................................................................................................46
The full licence terms are available from Leading by-lines and comperes...................................................................................................................................................................46
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/au/legalcode.
Placement ...............................................................................................................................................................................................................48
The Australian Sports Commissions preference is that you attribute this publication (and any material Trend analysis .......................................................................................................................................................................................................48
sourced from it) using the following wording Source: Licensed from the Australian Sports Commission
under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Australia Licence.

Produced by Australian Sports Commission Content & Online Engagement staff

For general enquiries:

Tel: (02) 6214 1111
Fax: (02) 6214 1836
Email: asc@ausport.gov.au
Website: ausport.gov.au
iv Towards a Level Playing Field: sport and gender in Australian media CONTENTS v

Section Three: Qualitative and quantitative analysis of the Beijing Olympic Games, August 2008 ..... 51
Key metrics ............................................................................................................................................................................................................52
Gender overview ..................................................................................................................................................................................................52
Share of voice.......................................................................................................................................................................................................53
Primary story focus ............................................................................................................................................................................................53
Nationality of athletes ......................................................................................................................................................................................54
Text type...................................................................................................................................................................................................................54
Narrative frame ....................................................................................................................................................................................................54
Visual analysis studio backdrop ..........................................................................................................................................................55
Linguistic analysis studio introduction .............................................................................................................................................56
Visual analysis overall ...............................................................................................................................................................................60
Section Five: Quantitative media analysis, JanuaryDecember 2008 ............................................................................ 97
Key findings............................................................................................................................................................................................................98
Share of voice.......................................................................................................................................................................................................98
Media type ..............................................................................................................................................................................................................99
State breakdown ..............................................................................................................................................................................................100
Leading media ...................................................................................................................................................................................................103
Leading by-lines ................................................................................................................................................................................................106
Leading radio comperes ..............................................................................................................................................................................107
Leading television comperes.....................................................................................................................................................................108
Section Six: Quantitative analysis of non-news television coverage, JanuaryDecember 2008............109

Linguistic analysis overall........................................................................................................................................................................62 Key findings.........................................................................................................................................................................................................110

Leading issues .....................................................................................................................................................................................................66 Competitor comparison ................................................................................................................................................................................111
Leading messages .............................................................................................................................................................................................68 Share of voice....................................................................................................................................................................................................112
Leading spokespeople .....................................................................................................................................................................................69 Audience demographics ...............................................................................................................................................................................114
Leading media ......................................................................................................................................................................................................70 Leading stations...............................................................................................................................................................................................114
Leading by-lines and comperes...................................................................................................................................................................72 Leading sports by competitor ...................................................................................................................................................................115
Placement ...............................................................................................................................................................................................................72 Leading sports by station ...........................................................................................................................................................................119
Trend analysis .......................................................................................................................................................................................................73
Appendix A: CARMAmethodology ..........................................................................................................................................................131
Section Four: Qualitative and quantitative analysis of the Beijing Paralympic Games,
September 2008........................................................................................................................................................................................................... 75 References......................................................................................................................................................................................................................133
Key metrics ............................................................................................................................................................................................................76
Gender overview ..................................................................................................................................................................................................76
Share of voice.......................................................................................................................................................................................................77
Primary story focus ............................................................................................................................................................................................77
Nationality of Athletes......................................................................................................................................................................................78
Visual Analysis studio backdrop ..........................................................................................................................................................79
Linguistic analysis studio introduction .............................................................................................................................................80
Visual analysis overall ...............................................................................................................................................................................85
Linguistic analysis overall........................................................................................................................................................................85
Leading issues .....................................................................................................................................................................................................89
Event results and preparation .....................................................................................................................................................................90
Corporate ................................................................................................................................................................................................................90
Leading messages .............................................................................................................................................................................................91
Leading spokespeople .....................................................................................................................................................................................92
Leading media ......................................................................................................................................................................................................93
Trend analysis .......................................................................................................................................................................................................94

Executive summary
The promotion of women in sport has been identified by
the Australian Government as a key focus area for the
future development of sport in Australia. The Australian
Sports Commission (ASC) is working towards achieving
greater recognition of womens sport and female athletes
in the media, and improving leadership opportunities.
The ASC engaged the Journalism and Media Research
Centre at the University of NSW and Media Monitors Pty
Ltd to undertake research that would provide a broad and
rich picture of how much coverage there is of womens
sport and female athletes in radio, television and print
media relative to the coverage of male sport, male
athletes and mixed sport. The research also focused on
how womens sport and female athletes are portrayed:
whether female athletes are routinely stereotyped,
sexualised or trivialised in the media, and how they are
depicted relative to male athletes.
Key findings
Volume of media
Towards a Level Playing Field: Sport and gender in
Australian media confirms that female sport and
male sport receive starkly disproportionate amounts
of coverage on Australian television, despite the
ongoing successes and strong participation levels of
women in sport:
Coverage of women in sport made up 9% of all sports
coverage in Australian television news media, while
7% of non-news programming content on television
was devoted to female sport. Male sport, on the
other hand, occupied 81% of television news
reporting, and 86% of non-news programming on
television (see Section Six, Chart 138).
Television news reports on female sport had the
lowest average duration of all the types of sport
analysed, with reports on male sport having an
average duration of 30 seconds longer than reports
on female sport. To put this into context, horseracing
received more air time than womens sport in
Table 1: Television news coverage of Australian sport by sport type (per cent)
Gender Overall ABC1
Male sport 81.1 80.7
Female sport 8.7 11.2
Other 7.4 5.1
Mixed sport 2.8 3.0
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY vii
Australian television news (see Section Two, Table 38).
The relatively low volume of reporting and comparatively
low duration of air time given to female sport when
compared to womens success and participation rates
implicitly give male sports more significance than female
sports in Australian television.
The ABCs above-average representation of women in
sport should be noted: female sport was the focus
of 11% of television news coverage on ABC1 Sydney
and Melbourne (see Table 1), while in non-news
programming in the Sydney market, ABC1 and ABC2
were the only stations with more female sport than
male sport coverage by duration (see Section Six,
charts 145 and 146). In television news coverage,
Channel Nine Sydney and Channel Ten Melbourne
were at the lower end of the spectrum, with 6% of all
sports coverage on these stations devoted to female
sport (see Section Two, Chart 40).
Tone and theme of coverage
Despite the extreme disparity in the amount of focus
on male and female sport across all media surveyed,
it is important to note that the tone and content of
reports on female athletes and female sport have
markedly improved when compared to previous
studies. In the print and television commentary
and reporting, analysed in depth in this research,
there was a remarkable absence of stereotyping
of female athletes. They were very rarely portrayed
in a sexual way and most frequently portrayed as
competitive and successful. Glamourised shots of
female athletes (for example, the swimmer Stephanie
Rice) were concentrated in entertainment media and
were balanced by equally glamourised shots of male
athletes (for example, cricketer Michael Clarke).
Coverage of female sport was more favourable than
coverage of male sport, both in year-round coverage
and reporting on the Olympics. This can largely be
attributed to unfavourable coverage focusing on
the behaviour of some male athletes in year-round
coverage, and the medias presentation of female
Olympians as more successful (or at least, less
SBS Channel 7 Channel Nine Channel Ten
84.8 81.4 78.9 80.9
8.9 7.8 7.4 8.6
3.5 8.6 9.4 7.9
2.7 2.2 4.2 2.6
viii Towards a Level Playing Field: sport and gender in Australian media
unsuccessful) than their male counterparts. However,
the comparatively favourable tone of media coverage
of womens sport is a double-edged sword, as it
also reflects the fact that female athletes need to
win in order to secure media coverage, whereas
male athletes tend to be discussed in media
coverage regardless of their success. Although the
media presented some male sport unfavourably,
it should be noted that the medias interest in the
questionable behaviour of some male athletes, both
on and off the field, stems from an acknowledgment
of them as sporting professionals (and therefore
role models) in a way that was not as apparent in
coverage of female athletes.
Reinforcing the male dominance of sporting culture in
Australia, in both coverage of the Olympics and year-
round television news reporting on sport, the media
is more likely to present men as having something
interesting to say about sport than women (male
sport, female sport or the administrative side of
sport). Furthermore, the proportion of men speaking
about female sport was in both cases greater than
the proportion of female spokespeople quoted
discussing male sport.
Gender stereotyping in press and television coverage
of womens sport was minimal; in fact, coverage
of sport in Australia would appear to challenge
key aspects of both male and female gender
stereotypes. Female athletes were more often
presented as actively pursuing their goals, as driven
and ambitious (thereby challenging the stereotype
of women as passive); meanwhile, analysis of
television news reporting showed that male athletes
were more frequently described or depicted as
displaying negative emotions, such as sadness and
disappointment (thereby challenging the stereotype
that females are more prone to emotional displays,
while males are more stoic).
While gender-based stereotypes in news reporting on
sport were rare, sport in Australia was represented
as a traditionally male culture that draws on a rich
spectrum of narratives, with female sport as its
less-complex, more-novel other. Television news
coverage of male athletes was multi-faceted, in that
it was subject to more consistent levels of reporting
year round, with journalists and networks exhibiting
a more sustained interest in the activities of male
athletes between games, and even between seasons.
Coverage of female athletes was comparatively one-
dimensional, in that it was largely event-driven and
confined to the reporting of results. Male athletes
were more often framed domestically (for example,
pictured with their families) or as subjects of
discipline, and male sport was much more likely to be
discussed as a professional industry.
Coverage during the Olympics
The analysis of television news coverage of the
Olympics shows coverage of the Games to be an
example of how equal year-round sporting coverage
could be, quantitatively and qualitatively. Unlike year-
round coverage of sport, the two genders received
an equal proportion of time in television coverage,
and women were more likely to be discussed in
women. The promotion of women in sport has been
contexts beyond simply results (such as training and
preparation, and in a sporting industry context).
Coverage during the Paralympics
The analysis of television news coverage of the
Paralympics shows coverage of female athletes
coverage of womens sport by all media and the
competing at the Games (23%) to be greater
than year round coverage (9%). When comparing
television news coverage of the 2008 Paralympics
and Olympic Games a disparity in the proportion of
female sport was reported.
Range of coverage
The range of female sports mentioned in television
news coverage was comparatively narrow, and
primarily extended to the individual sports of tennis
(where women were discussed almost as frequently
as men), surfing, cycling and golf, as well as the
team-based sport of netball. The research confirms
that, in non-news programming, tennis had the most
equal gender split in terms of both participants and
audiences. This is unsurprising given the expense of
team sports and the infrastructure they require, both
of which are more readily available for male sports,
given the core male audience for sport. Individual
sports can subsist on the talent of few individuals
which, when proven, can lead to sponsorship and
other forms of funding.
Journalists reporting on female sport
of an archive or raw figures meant that it was not
250 television journalists reported on male sport,
while only 82 journalists reported on female sport.
This is, in part, a reflection of the fact that male
sport tends to more readily spill over into the main
news section of an evening news report, as opposed
to being confined to the sports section. It also
reflects that more journalists are better equipped
and commissioned to report on male sport. While
individual stations have clear specialists on male
sport (for example, Channel Nines Danny Weidler
can be expected to report on rugby league, and
ABC1s Duncan Huntsdale can be relied on to
report on cricket), there are fewer journalists
who are specialists on female sports, with the
attendant historical and statistical knowledge such
specialisation brings.
INTRODUCTION ix
Introduction
Background coding and analysis, to ensure that future studies in the
area can be benchmarked against this report.
The ASC, is working towards achieving greater
recognition of womens sport and female athletes in The research was done by two organisations the
the media, and improving leadership opportunities for JMRC at UNSW and Media Monitors and divided
on the basis of relevant expertise and infrastructure.
identified by the Australian Government as a key focus Cognate methodologies were used and the key
area for the future development of sport in Australia. researchers from each organisation collaborated on this
final report. Section One was conducted by the JMRC
The 2006 Senate Estimates Committee inquiry into
at UNSW, and lays out the qualitative methodology that
women in sport and recreation in Australia reported that
Sections Two and Four follow. Section One covers a two-
the committee is disappointed at the continuing poor
week period from 25 November to 8 December 2008.
Quantitative figures are provided for all media types and
committee suggests that the ASC undertake an
in-depth qualitative analysis was conducted on press
annual survey of coverage of womens sports. The
coverage. Sections Two, Three and Four, which were
inquiry recommended that the government fund the
conducted by Media Monitors, complement and extend
Australian Sports Commission to replicate in 200809
on Section One by focusing on television coverage of
surveys and analysis performed in the 1996 report An
female sport. Section Five provides top-line quantitative
Illusory Image.
analysis across press, radio and television for the 2008
Following this recommendation, the ASC commissioned calendar year, while Section Six provides quantitative
the Journalism and Media Research Centre (JMRC) at details of volume and proportion of
the University of New South Wales (UNSW) and Media non-news sports broadcasting on television in Australia,
Monitors to undertake qualitative research and identify and the audiences watching this content.
new initiatives to address the promotion of womens
Sections One to Four find that there has been a
sport, particularly in the media. The research project
notable improvement in the tone, scope and balance
presented here is the first study commissioned by
of media coverage of female athletes and women
the ASC since the 1996 study. It extends and refines
in sport since the 1996 study commissioned by the
the methodology used in the 1996 study in line with
ASC. Improvements noted include a stronger focus on
contemporary scholarly approaches and industry best
womens athleticism and performance on the field, a
practice in the fields of media studies and media
general absence of gender stereotyping in reporting,
content analysis.
and coverage of a wider range of sports associated with
The 1996 report focused on the percentage of media female athletes.
coverage of female sport versus male sport and was
This study finds that the coverage of womens sport
largely quantitative in its analysis. No raw figures were
on television in Australia, while scant, is more
offered, only percentages, and there is no available
favourable than that of mens sport, and that the
archive of stories gathered for the report. The absence
tenor of both press and television coverage of womens
sport is a positive basis for growth. The research also
possible to fully benchmark this current study against
finds, however, that while there is significant evidence
the 1996 study in any detail. A decision was taken
that the tone, scope and balance of media coverage
to focus on the qualitative aspects of coverage of
of female athletes and womens sport have improved
female athletes and female sport, with a view to
over the past decade, there remains much work to be
understanding the texture, tone and overall quality of
done to achieve a level playing field for media coverage
the coverage. Anecdotally, it is well known that women
of womens sport versus male sport. Male sport and
receive, quantitatively, far less coverage than men in
athletes still receive a disproportionately large amount
sport. While having the quantitative data to support
of media coverage when national and international
this is extremely valuable, it is equally valuable to
success, spectatorship and participation rates are
understand the quality of that coverage, its tenor and
taken into account.
mood. Sections One to Four of this report, therefore,
investigate not only the amount of media coverage of
female athletes in a given period, but also looks in
depth at the content, tone and focus of this coverage.
These sections include visual as well as textual
analyses and a full explanation of the methods of
x Towards a Level Playing Field: sport and gender in Australian media
Methodology
Section One
Section One was conducted using a mixed methodology
approach, combining the following four methods:
a literature review
a quantitative analysis of media coverage of
womens sport in newspapers, magazines and on
television (including pay television)
a qualitative analysis of media coverage that
contextualises and analyses the focus of the
coverage and enables a comparison with relevant
coverage of male sport
interviews with key stakeholders in the sport and
media sectors.
Four mass media outlets were examined during a
two-week period, from 25 November to 8 December
2008. They were selected according to media tracking
lists provided by the media monitoring service Slice
Media. The media outlets were surveyed on a national,
metropolitan and regional level and included:
newspapers (national, capital city daily and
regional daily)
magazines (lifestyle)
radio (national and state/territory-based
metropolitan stations)
television (national, including pay television, and
state/territory-based metropolitan stations).
The sample period did not overlap with any major
international sporting tournaments. However, the
announcement, on 8 December 2008, of the death of
marathon runner Kerryn McCann did inflate the numbers
for sports reporting covering athletics and the figures for
radio reporting, as that was where the story first broke
in the media. There were no newspaper reports on this
news event as the sample period ended on 8 December
(the day of the announcement).
The data was collected using keyword search strings
(which allow for this study to be replicated in future),
that were distributed among several tracking folders.
Information about the stories collected for analysis
in this research project was stored in an electronic
relational database management system.
Given budgetary constraints, only the print media
items in the archive could be analysed in a qualitative
manner. Information collected on radio and television
broadcasts formed part of the general quantitative
content analysis. The archive was, however, checked
manually to ensure that irrelevant stories were not
counted in the final analysis.
Section Two
This section is a qualitative analysis of television
news coverage of sport on the five free-to-air television
stations in the Sydney and Melbourne markets (in order
to achieve a balance between AFL and NRL dominated
markets), and national markets where appropriate.
The following stations and programs were analysed:
Two also:
ABC1: ABC News from the Sydney and
Melbourne markets
Channel 7: Seven News from the Sydney and
Melbourne markets
Channel Nine: National Nine News from the Sydney
and Melbourne markets
SBS: World News Australia, which is broadcast
nationally
Channel Ten: Ten News from the Sydney and
Melbourne markets, as well as Sports Tonight early
edition and Late News with Sports Tonight, which are
broadcast nationally.
Given budgetary constraints, sampling was required
and, therefore, the relevant news reports from the above
programs were selected from the first six days of each
month, from October 2008 to July 2009. A total of 3424
reports were analysed.
In order to provide consistency with Section One, this
qualitative analysis adopts much of the linguistic
and visual analysis framework used in that section.
Where Section One analyses an articles headline and
accompanying still images, Section Two examines the
first sentence of television news reporting and any
imagery in the studio backdrop. More than simply
allowing continuity with Section One, however, analysis
of these components of television news reporting is
important as they can, to a certain extent, predispose
the viewer to a particular opinion.
Section Two extends on Section One by applying the
same linguistic and visual analysis framework to
television reports in their entirety, in order to identify
any further trends. It should be noted that, as many
of these approaches were designed to analyse written
as opposed to spoken language (for example, Martin
and White [2005] on whose work the framework for
emotion lexis used in Section One was partly based
concentrate on print journalism and other instances
of the written word), minor modifications in approach
have been made. For example, pronouns (gendered and
gender-neutral) were analysed in Section One but have
not been tracked in the analysis of television sports
reports in their entirety, conducted in Section Two, as
pronouns are a basic unit of spoken language and, while
it is useful to examine their use in headlines, they are a
necessary part of English grammar.
As a more medium-specific framework, Section
Two also included analysis of the narrative frames
deployed in television coverage of sport, following
the work of Vande Berg and Projansky (2003), who
analysed television coverage of womens and mens
US professional basketball games in 199697.
Beyond these categories of discourse analysis, Section
timed the duration of each news report
tracked the sports and specific leagues mentioned
in coverage
analysed a range of issues related to event training
and preparation (including training, fitness, results
and drug testing) and the corporate side of sport
(including management and sponsorship) in order
to identify any gender-specific trends in the finer
details of sports reports on television
included a story order analysis for the same
set of television news programs for the period
110 March 2009, in order to identify the
privileging, or otherwise, of particular sports
news reports in the evening news line-up
in line with the CARMAmethodology used
by Media Monitors, tracked favourable and
unfavourable messages about sports and athletes,
noted all spokespeople quoted in coverage, and
provided a measure of favourability. For a more
detailed description of the CARMAmethodology,
see Appendix A.
Section Three
Section Three is a qualitative and quantitative media
analysis of the television news coverage of the Beijing
2008 Olympic Games in the Melbourne market. The
scope of this analysis was limited to the evening news
on ABC1, SBS and Channels 7, Nine and Ten over the
period 126 August 2008.
This section adopts the same methodology as outlined
for Section Two, with the special study on the Beijing
Olympics designed to explore the variances in gender
representation at an international event where
commercial interests (in terms of sponsorship) are
less dominant.
Section Four
Section Four is a qualitative and quantitative media
analysis of the television news coverage of the Beijing
2008 Paralympic Games in the Melbourne market. The
scope of this analysis was limited to the evening news
on ABC1, SBS and Channels 7, Nine and Ten over the
period 617 September 2008.
INTRODUCTION xi
This section adopts the same methodology as outlined
for Section Two, with the special study on the Beijing
Paralympics designed to explore the variances in
gender representation at an international event where
commercial interests (in terms of sponsorship) are
less dominant.
Section Five
This section provides quantitative media analysis of
coverage appearing in press, radio and television in
Australia for the period 1 January31 December 2008,
providing a top-line analysis of female sport and women
in sport using general sport as a reference point.
This analysis identifies and quantifies reports about
female athletes and teams as a proportion of all
sports-related coverage in the Australian media over
the period.
Reports about female athletes and teams have
been identified using sets of female-related terms
in proximity to sports-related terms. Sports-related
terms by themselves were then used to measure total
sports coverage. Results are therefore indicative of
actual results; this approach is not intended to account
for every individual report, but is a transparent and
replicable method of characterising coverage as a whole.
Note that although the broadcast charts provide data
for general sports coverage as well as female-related
sports coverage, press charts (and associated tables)
in Section Five present female-related data only. This is
due to different retrospective searching methodologies
used for each media type as well as the prohibitive scale
of total press data available. Note also that syndicated
broadcast data have not been included in this analysis.
Section Six
This section provides a quantitative media analysis of
all non-news programming of sports on Channels 7,
Nine and Ten; ABC1 and ABC2; SBS; and Fox Sports
1, 2 and 3 over the period 1 January31 December
2008 in the Sydney and Melbourne markets (although
it should be noted that the duration figures for ABC2
and Fox Sports 1, 2 and 3 can be considered national).
This component analyses all sports coverage on
these channels that is not considered sports news
or current affairs. This does not include television
news, magazine-style programming and the like
(which may have featured activities around sport,
such as interviews, but did not primarily display
sports competitions or matches).
The sport gender type indicates which gender was
the focus of the television coverage. As with Sections
Two and Three, the mixed category has been used
for sports in which men and women were competing
 SECTION ONE

with or against each other (for example, team tennis)

or in which they were likely to have appeared to be
competing in the same event at the same time (for
example, marathon). All other sports, where possible,
have been classified according to program details (a
small proportion were indeterminate and have been
labelled as such). In some cases where the gender of
participants was not clear, historical data for male and
female coverage of the given sport have been applied.

In addition to providing a breakdown of the air time

devoted to mens versus womens sport on these
stations, Section Six also provides information about
the audience watching these sports in the Sydney and
Melbourne markets.

All data used in Section Six were obtained from

OzTAM Australia.

SECTION ONE
Quantitative figures and qualitative
media analysis of press coverage
25 November8 December 2008
2 Towards a Level Playing Field: sport and gender in Australian media SECTION ONE 3

The categories capital city daily and regional daily Table 6: Story count by reporter*
Volume of stories by publication date Media format, publication date and were applied to newspapers, so, for example, The Name of reporter # of stories
Table 2: Number of stories by publication date* publication type Sydney Morning Herald was classified as a capital
Unattributed 120
city daily, while The Morning Bulletin (Rockhampton)
Publication date # of stories Table 3: Number of stories by media format and AAP (Australian Associated Press) 12
publication date
was classified as a regional daily. There was one
November 19 1 Merryn Sherwood 12
national newspaper recorded in this study, which was
21 1 Publication date Newspapers Magazines Radio Television The Australian. Magazines were classified as national. Paul Malone 7
24 1 November 19 1 Radio and television stations were classified as either Chris Roots 5
25 8 21 1 metro or national. All television stations were Andrew Aloila 4
26 45 24 1 assigned the category metro, as they were all identified
Dan Silkstone 4
27 32 25 5 3
by location (state capital) in the media tracking files.
Ellen Whinnett 4
For example, Fox Sports News was classified a metro
28 30 26 37 8 Josh Leeson 4
television station as it identified Sydney as its broadcast
29 42 27 21 8 3 Nicole Jeffrey 4
location. Only two radio broadcasters were defined as
30 40 28 22 6 2 national. These were Triple J and Radio National, both AAP and John Salvado 3
December 1 35 29 42 of which are ABC radio stations. Jackie Epstein 3
2 26 30 26 10 4 Jesse Hogan 3
3 25 December 1 31 3 1 Kristen Burrows 3
4 33 2 25 1 Publication type Linda Pearce 3
5 25 3 7 1 17
Newspapers * Table 6 shows the top 15 reporters. Of these stories, 48.4% were
6 25 4 30 3 in general news and 44.6% were located in the sports pages.
7 33 5 24 1 In the following section, general analyses of newspapers
8** 96 6 25 are offered in terms of the major publications in which Magazines
stories were published (Table 5).
13 1 7 31 2 Only eight stories in the whole corpus were sourced
15 1 8 23 54 19 Table 5: Story count by newspaper from magazines. The following table summarises the
Total 500 13 1 data collected on magazine stories. Seven of the eight
Publication # of stories % of corpus
15 1 magazine articles made use of photographs in their
* Media monitoring took place between Tuesday 25 November Syndicated copy 35 10.2 stories. The one story that did not use an image was
and Monday 8 December 2008. A few stories fell outside these Total 344 8 116 32
The Canberra Times 25 7.3 the news report on the death of an Indigenous netballer
media monitoring dates as the publication times for magazine
stories were either weekly or monthly. The Age 22 6.4 in the Koori Mail.
Table 3 shows the total number of stories, by
** The announcement of the death of marathon runner Kerryn publication date, produced by the major news media The Courier-Mail 17 5.0
Table 7: Story count by magazine
McCann distorts the figures for this date. of print newspapers and magazines, and broadcast Herald Sun 16 4.7
radio and television. Newspaper stories dominated the The Sunday Mail 12 3.5 Publication # of stories % of corpus
sample period with a total of 343 stories collected. The Sunshine Coast Daily 11 3.2 The Australian Jewish News 1 12.5
The Slice Media monitoring service also provided The Australian 11 3.2 Koori Mail 2 25.0
information on the types of publications (across all LOTL 1 12.5
The Newcastle Herald 10 2.9
media) categorised by region, and this is summarised TV Week 1 12.5
Illawarra Mercury 10 2.9
in Table 4.
Who Weekly 1 12.5
Of all of the reporters in the archive, female journalist Womans Day 1 12.5
Merryn Sherwood, who writes for The Canberra Times, ZOO Weekly 1 12.5
Volume of stories by publication type produced the largest number of stories (12). She Total 8 100
Table 4: Volume of stories by publication type was followed by Paul Malone (seven stories), who is
a renowned sports reporter currently writing for The
Publication type # of stories % of total corpus Radio
Courier-Mail (Brisbane). Of the top 13 named reporters,
Capital city daily 179 35.8 seven of them were female. A total of 76 stories in the A total of 116 stories were collected from radio
Regional daily 154 30.8 print newspaper and magazine corpus were written by broadcasters. Tables 8 and 9 present the general
Metro 146 29.2 named female journalists. analysis of data collected on radio programs. In contrast
National 21 4.2 to the newspaper reporting on sportswomen (which
Total 500 100 tended to include quite long stories), nearly 60% of
radio stories were short, that is, less than one minute
in duration. Furthermore, only seven female presenters
were identified as participating in any radio discussion.
4 Towards a Level Playing Field: sport and gender in Australian media SECTION ONE 5

Table 8: Story count by radio station Table 9: Story count by radio program Other general information Sport # of stories % of corpus
Station # of stories % of corpus Program # of stories % of corpus Total number of stories about sportswomen with Basketball 1 0.2
3AW 10 8.6 News 80 69.0 disability: 5 Gay Games 1 0.2
2GB 8 6.9 Morning 6 5.2 Gymnastics 1 0.2
Total number of stories about Indigenous sports
2UE 6 5.2 Morning Glory 5 4.3 Polo 1 0.2
and/or sportswomen: 2
4BC 6 5.2 Breakfast 4 3.4 Youth Olympic Games 1 0.2
ABC 702 Sydney 6 5.2 Sports Today 4 3.4 Total number of stories about regional or amateur Sailing 1 0.2
sports: 5
SEN 6 5.2 Afternoons 2 1.7 Water polo 1 0.2
2SM 5 4.3 Burning Down the House 2 1.7 Total number of stories with a specific focus on Windsurfing 1 0.2
Mix FM 5 4.3 The Big Sports Breakfast 1 0.9 gender issues: 10 Total 498 100
Nova 5 4.3 Drive 1 0.9
* 62 of these stories concern the death of marathon runner
6PR 4 3.4 Grandstand 1 0.9 Kerryn McCann.
6RTR 4 3.4 Nightline 1 0.9
Analysis according to sport
The reason for two separate football (soccer)
ABC 666 Canberra 4 3.4 Nights 1 0.9 A total of 500 stories were analysed according to the
categories is due to some stories being about football
ABC 774 Melbourne 4 3.4 Sport Central 1 0.9 sports on which they reported. Table 12 lists all the
in general, for example, the Homeless World Cup
sports and the number of stories on each. The number
ABC 936 Hobart 4 3.4 The Sports Factor 1 0.9 held in Melbourne, while others were reporting on the
of stories on athletics was inflated by the death of
5AA 3 2.6 Sports Show 1 0.9 Australian womens national soccer competition (the
marathon runner Kerryn McCann, which attracted
98.5 Sonshine FM 3 2.6 Steve Gordon 1 0.9 W-League). The same reason applies to the use of
62 news reports in one day.
ABC 612 Brisbane 3 2.6 The Good Life 1 0.9 Womens National Basketball League and basketball.
Table 12: Story count by sport The category all was used when news reports were
ABC 891 Adelaide 3 2.6 The Run Home 1 0.9
discussing sports in general, with or without specific
SEA FM 3 2.6 Today 1 0.9 Sport # of stories % of corpus
reference to particular sports, or when sportswomen
4KQ 2 1.7 Weekend Wireless 1 0.9 Athletics 105* 21.0 across several sporting disciplines were discussed in
ABC 720 Perth 2 1.7 Total 116 100 Surfing 51 10.2 the same news item.
Cruise 2 1.7 Swimming 45 9.0
The following tables show the distribution of the sports
Curtin FM 2 1.7 Television All 39 7.8
across each of the publication types.
GOLD FM 104.3 2 1.7 Cricket 37 7.4
A total of 32 news items relating to female sport
Heart FM 2 1.7 Tennis 35 7.0 Table 13: Story count in newspapers by sport
were retrieved from television stations during the
HOFM 2 1.7 Netball 28 5.6 Sport # of stories % of corpus
sample period.
Triple M 2 1.7 Cycling 27 5.4 Athletics 38 11.1
2KY 1 0.9 Table 10: Story count by television station W-League football (soccer) 26 5.2 Surfing 38 11.1
Channel 9 1 0.9 Station # of stories % of corpus Football (soccer) 15 3.0 Cricket 35 10.2
FM104.7 1 0.9 Channel Ten 8 25.0 Golf 15 3.0 Swimming 29 8.5
JOY 94.9FM 1 0.9 Channel 7 7 21.9 Womens National Basketball All 26 7.6
11 2.2
Radio National 1 0.9 League/basketball
ABC1 6 18.8 Tennis 26 7.6
Sport 927 1 0.9 Hockey 7 1.4
Fox Sports 5 15.6 W-League football (soccer) 25 7.3
Triple J 1 0.9 Softball 6 1.2
Sky News Australia 4 12.5 Golf 15 4.4
WS FM 1 0.9 Squash 6 1.2
Channel Nine 2 6.3 Netball 15 4.4
Total 116 100 Ironwoman 5 1.0
Total 32 100 Cycling 13 3.8
Rugby union 5 1.0
Football (soccer) 11 3.2
Australian rules football 5 1.0
Womens National
Table 11: Story count by television program Triathlon 4 0.8 11 3.2
Basketball League
Program # of stories % of corpus Diving 3 0.6 Hockey 7 2.0
News 26 81.3 Rowing 3 0.6 Softball 6 1.7
Sunrise 3 9.4 Boxing 3 0.6 Squash 6 1.7
Early News 1 3.1 Sports industry 3 0.6 Australian rules football 5 1.5
Sports Tonight 1 3.1 Motor sports 2 0.4 Ironwoman 5 1.5
Today 1 3.1 Rugby league 2 0.4 Rugby union 5 1.5
Total 32 100 Canoeing 1 0.2 Triathlon 4 1.2
Roller derby 1 0.2 Rowing 3 0.9

continued over
6 Towards a Level Playing Field: sport and gender in Australian media SECTION ONE 7

Sport # of stories % of corpus Table 16: Story count in television by sport Jones (2003:108) also suggests that gender Table 17: Classification of sports according to gender
Sport # of stories % of corpus
stereotypes have been reinforced in the media by Female Male Gender % of
Boxing 2 0.6
restricting media coverage to appropriate female sport, Sport appropriate appropriate neutral corpus
Diving 2 0.6 Athletics 18 56.3
and by portraying women athletes according to the sex- Archery
Motor sports 2 0.6 Swimming 8 25.0
appropriateness of their sports. This is supported by
Athletics 21.0
Rugby league 2 0.6 Netball 4 12.5 a study of the The Newcastle Herald that found that the
Australian rules
Sports industry 2 0.6 Cycling 1 3.1 female sports of tennis, golf and swimming accounted football
1.0
Basketball 1 0.3 Surfing 1 3.1 for almost half of the sports coverage for women
Baseball
Canoeing 1 0.3 Total 32 100 (Brown 1995:28). Coverage of both the 1992 and
Basketball 2.4
1996 Olympic Games featured women participating in
Gymnastics 1 0.3 Beach volleyball
physically attractive sports, such as diving, swimming
Olympics (general) 1 0.3 Boxing 0.6
and gymnastics, rather than hard contact sports
Polo 1 0.3 Qualitative findings: media coverage, (such as judo) and sports involving explosive strength Canoeing 0.2
Roller derby 1 0.3 and physical power (Higgs and Weiller 1994:235;
sport and gender Cricket 7.4
Sailing 1 0.3 Tuggle and Owen 1999:5; see also Kinnick 1998 and Cycling 5.4
There are ample studies available that have Daddario 1998).
Water polo 1 0.3 Diving 0.6
investigated the extent to which sports can be
Youth Olympic Games 1 0.3 Another issue that has been noted in research on the Equestrian
considered gender-specific or gender-neutral (see Jones
Total 342 100 2003:10811 for an overview of the research on the Olympic Games is that there is considerable disparity Football (soccer) 8.2
gender appropriateness of sports). Decisions about between the number of medals that women win and the Golf 3.0
Table 14: Story count in magazines by sport the gender appropriateness of sports are based on amount of coverage they receive in the media. As Jones Gymnastics
traditional concepts of what is deemed appropriate (2003) notes: Hockey 1.4
Sport # of stories % of corpus
female behaviour (Kane and Greendorfer 1994; Jones, Ice skating
All 2 25.0 In rowing, US women won two medals to the one for
Murrell and Jackson 1999). This means that sports Ironman
Swimming 2 25.0 US men, yet received less than one third as much
that emphasise power, physical strength and contact
coverage. NBC broadcast nearly 24 minutes of mens Ironwoman 1.0
Gay Games 1 12.5 are considered male-appropriate sports, since they
weightlifting, although no US men gained a medal. By Judo
Netball 1 12.5 require active, aggressive and autonomous behaviour,
comparison, two US women weightlifters won a gold Motor sports 0.4
Soccer 1 12.5 while female-appropriate sports are said to emphasise
and a bronze medal, but their success warranted no
aesthetics and beauty and discourage physicality Mountain biking
Tennis 1 12.5 prime time coverage (Tuggle, Huffman and Rosengard
(Jones, Murrell and Jackson 1999:12). Daddario Netball 5.6
Total 8 100 2002:372, cited in Jones 2003:109).
(1998) offers the following guidelines for determining Polo 0.2
the gender appropriateness of sports: In line with this research, this study has summarised Roller derby 0.2
Table 15: Story count in radio by sport the classification of sport by gender in Table 17. The Rowing 0.6
Inappropriate sports [for women] are those requiring
Sport # of stories % of corpus contents of this table were then compared to the
bodily contact, conflict, or face-to-face opposition, or Rugby league 0.4
Athletics 49 42.2 sports that were identified in our research project on
those requiring heavy equipment, padded uniforms, Rugby union 1.0
the coverage of womens sports in the media. Sports
Cycling 13 11.2 or protective armor. Feminine sports include those Sailing 0.2
in our study that were identified and reported on in the
Surfing 12 10.3 that depict females in aesthetically pleasing motions Shooting
media with specific reference to female participation are
All 11 9.5 and poses, often emphasizing the erotic physicality of Softball 1.2
shaded in the table. The percentage of coverage in the
Netball 8 6.9 the female body [and include] gymnastics, swimming,
current study is given in the final column. As the table Squash 1.2
tennis, golf and diving. Unlike sex-inappropriate
Tennis 8 6.9 indicates, the Australian media coverage of women Surfing 10.2
sports, these also give the appearance of posing
Swimming 6 5.2 participating in sport covers a wide range of sports of Swimming 9.0
little physical risk and being unlikely to cause bodily
Football (soccer) 3 2.6 which, research would suggest, most are deemed not Synchronised
injury to the athlete. Sex-differentiated sports [have
appropriate for females. Only five of the sports covered Swimming
Cricket 2 1.7 been identified] not only according to their required
in the current research would be termed female Taekwondo
Diving 1 0.9 levels of strength, risk, and aggression, but according
appropriate, and two are gender-neutral sports. Tennis 7.0
Sports industry 1 0.9 to their competitive orientation. Masculine sports
tend to be team-oriented, with athletes competing Trampolining
Windsurfing 1 0.9
directly against others in a challenge for power Triathlon 0.8
W-League football (soccer) 1 0.9
and control. By contrast, feminine sports tend to Volleyball
Total 116 100
be individual-oriented, where an athlete competes Water polo 0.2
against herself or a pre-set standard of excellence, Windsurfing 0.2
such as a personal best, world record, or an
opponents score (Daddario 1998:1112). Compiled from studies by Jones 2003; Jones, Murrell and Jackson
1999; Daddario 1998.
The shaded areas indicate the sports that were covered in
the current research project.
8 Towards a Level Playing Field: sport and gender in Australian media SECTION ONE 9

Text type analysis
We analysed our media archive according to genre,
to see whether media coverage of womens sports
was located primarily in sports news, general news, or
feature or opinion pieces. For the purposes of analysis,
we broke these four categories down further, into news
reports and briefs; comment and opinion; human
interest, features and profiles; advertising, quizzes and
gossip; and match reports and previews. In the analysis
of this sports story corpus, a total of 15 text types
were identified. Table 18 summarises these text types
according to the categories outlined above.
Image analysis
The media monitoring service used for this research
project allowed for the capture of images from print
publications only. No moving or still images were
available from the television stories. The total number
of print stories that made use of photographs was 174.
This meant that 49% of newspaper stories included a
photograph of a sportswoman and 88% of magazine
stories included photographic images, as shown in
Table 19. One magazine story did not include any
photographs (#476). This was a story that appeared
in the Koori Mail, and concerned the death of an
Indigenous netballer. The vast majority (87%) of all
images were in colour.
Table 18: Text type categorisation
General to all
Text type
news reporting sports reporting
News report (event and
issues)
News brief
Comment/opinion
Interview
Gossip
Book review
Human interest
Feature
Profile
Advertising
Quiz
How to
Match report
Match preview
Research suggests that the photographic representation
of sportswomen in the media is relatively rare (Kachgal
2001) and, when it does occur, a substantial proportion
of it is actually derogatory or focused exclusively on
the sportswomans physical appearance (Donohoe
2003:4). Alternatively, it focuses on women competing
in so-called feminine sports, such as gymnastics
or diving, which emphasise the aesthetics or beauty
of performance, rather than the physicality of the
sport (Kane 1996; Lumpkin and Williams 1991).
Heavy gender bias in sports photography has also
been noted by Duncan (1990) who suggests that
this can be seen in excessive focus on the physical
appearance of women, showing them in poses with
sexual connotations, the excessive use of images with
emotional display, such as tears, and by portraying
women as passive participants in sports while men
are depicted as active competitors (see also Lumpkin
and Williams 1991; Hardin et al. 2002). In order to
test this notion of female passivity in photographs,
Jones (2006) examined the use of images of female
athletes competing in the 2004 Olympic Games on
the website of Australias national public broadcaster,
ABC News Online. She defined subjects as passive
if they were photographed motionless, photographed
from the neck up, posing for the camera or celebrating
(Jones 2006:116). Active subjects, she suggested,
were clearly doing something; that is, they were shown
Specific to
Timebound Less timebound Objective Subjective
competing in or about to compete in their sport Table 20: Image count by action versus posed shot type
(Jones 2006:116). From a total of 80 images of Publication
Action shots Posed shots Posed action shots
female athletes, she found that 48 (60%) displayed
# % # % # %
women actively participating in their sports and
Newspapers 66 40 90 54 11 7
32 (40%) in passive roles.
Magazines 3 43 4 57
In line with Joness research, the photographs of
sportswomen in this research project were also As far as poses with sexual connotations are
analysed with respect to activity or passivity. The concerned, very few of the images that appeared
results are displayed in Table 20. A further category of in the newspapers in this study could be said to be
posed action shots was added in this study since a glamorised or sexualised (although there will always be
small number of photographs included sportswomen debate about which images belong in either category).
performing certain actions for the camera. For Magazines were the main source of glamorised or
example, Story #64 showed a Canberra United soccer sexualised images. The results are shown in Tables
player demonstrating the football skill of heading 21 and 22. One thing that should be noted, however,
the ball. If we include the posed action shots in the is that Stephanie Rice was consistently photographed
action category, then we can see an almost even split in glamorous poses. There was one special case in
between images showing sportswomen in active and the use of overtly sexualised images in the magazine
passive poses. ZOO Weekly.
Table 21: Image count by use of glamour/fashion shots
Figure 1: Example of action/posed shot Publication # of images % of corpus
Newspapers 13 8
Magazines 3 43
Table 22: Image count by sexualised and glamour shots
Publication # of images % of corpus
Newspapers 2 1
Magazines 2 29
The 1996 ASC report on the media coverage and
portrayal of womens sport in Australia suggested that
female athletes tend to be photographed with their
families (Phillips 1996). In the current 2008 study,
only six images showed sportswomen in relationship
photographs and, in each of these instances, the focus
of the story was actually on that aspect of their lives, for
example, having a baby (#70), or wanting to say thank
you for the support of family members (#290).
Action shot [#229]

Table 19: Image count by publication

Publication # of images % of image corpus % of print corpus
Newspapers 167 96 49
Magazines 7 4 88
10 Towards a Level Playing Field: sport and gender in Australian media SECTION ONE 11

Figure 2: Example shots of athletes in We also looked at the relationship that images Figure 3: Examples of social distance
family/relationship context shots potentially set up with the viewer on the basis of
research (Kress and van Leeuwen 2006; Hall 1964,
1966), which suggests we each carry with us a set
of invisible boundaries that determine the distance
we keep from others (for a fuller explanation of these
sensory configurations see Kress and van Leeuwen
2006:1245). In terms of press photography, a close-up
shot allows a more intimate relationship with the person
photographed. A mid shot, usually cut off around waist
level, enacts a social relationship, while a long shot
is seen as enacting a public relationship between the
viewer and represented participant.

Of course, there are many other visual conventions that

affect the way we understand an image. For example,
Moonia Gerrard with her brother [#367] some sexualised images show the body from a distance
(Nick Cubbin/Fairfax photos)
and may include the woman or man averting their
eyes to encourage the viewer to feel comfortable with
gazing at their body. In our survey then, the measure
Close-up shot enacting an intimate relationship [#20]
of social distance from the viewer is only presented as (Newspix/Aaron Francis)
a general measure of the intimacy with which viewers
are encouraged to engage with female athletes, not as
a definitive test. Our qualitative analysis of images of
female athletes also relied on a wider range of visual
conventions that gave us a more contextual sense of
whether a woman was being sexualised or set apart for
her physical attributes.

In our archive, nearly 90% of all images were shot from

either a public or social distance, which means that
female athletes were usually photographed from either
the waist up or showing their full body. Few images
Tamsyn Lewis with her dog [#286] (Newspix/Aaron Francis)
(13%) were close-up shots. Table 23 summarises the
results for social distance analysis.

Table 23: Image count by social distance Mid-length shot enacting a social relationship [#141]
Social distance # of images % of corpus (Orlando Chiodo/Fairfax photos)

Public 65 37
Social 87 50
Intimate 22 13

The majority of mid to full-length shots of female sports

players did not focus in any particular way on their
bodies. The only images that might be understood
as glamorising and/or sexualising were published in
Heather Langman with her father [#290]
(Newspix/Justin Sanson)
magazines and the majority of these were published
in contexts where male athletes also appeared in
similar poses. The trend towards glamorising and
sexualising star athletes appears to work across
gender boundaries.

Long shot enacting a public relationship [#111]

12 Towards a Level Playing Field: sport and gender in Australian media SECTION ONE 13

We also looked at images to understand how female Table 26: Analysis of posed shots Table 27: Analysis of emotional display according to sport
athletes are depicted when it comes to expressions Genre # of stories % Sport Happy Focused Aggressive Enthusiastic Relieved Serious Shock
of emotion (see Martin and Rose 2003; Martin and
Human interest 25 24 All 11 2 1
White 2005). The 1996 report found that the majority
Profile 21 20 Athletics 12 4 1 3 1
of females were portrayed as smiling or happy. Our
findings, perhaps not surprisingly, were that the emotion Feature 17 17 Australian rules football 2 2
depicted depended very much on the setting in which News report 15 15 Basketball 1
the image was taken. Women photographed in action Boxing 1
Match preview 6 6
tended to be focused and women who were posed Canoeing 1
tended to be smiling or looking happy. News brief 5 5
Cricket 9 7
Match report 5 5
Table 24: Analysis of emotional display in relation to action Cycling 4 1
Issues based 5 5
versus posed images Diving 1
Interview 1 1
Emotion In action Posed Posed action
How to 1 1
# % # % # %
Gossip column 1 1
Happy 9 5 87 48 6 55 Headline analysis This is reinforced by the fact that in the gender-neutral
Focused 55 30 2 18 Comment/opinion 1 1 naming analysis only five age references are made,
In analysing the reporting on sportswomen, we were to either teen/ager or young. The female athletes
Serious 1 1 6 3 2 18
interested to see to what extent stories drew attention referred to in our study are rarely identified in relation to
Aggressive 1 1 Figure 4: Displays of facial affect
to gender and away from performance as athletes. their age. There are only three instances of abbreviating
Enthusiastic 1 1 1 9 One of the simplest and most obvious ways of drawing a sportswomans name in the corpus. Other diminutives
Relieved 1 1 attention to gender is through the use of gendered are not used at all. Furthermore, there is no evidence of
Shock 1 1 naming devices, such as first names (for example the use of other constructions of gender identity such
Stephanie and Libby), pronouns (she and her) as the use of objects (old bag), animals (bitch), or
The use of action versus posed shots in relation to text or other gendered noun phrases (woman, girl and food (peach and tart). There is one story (#117) that
type is shown in Tables 25 and 26. Other combinations sister). Placing these references in a headline draws frames a male athlete (Chris Rawlinson) in terms of his
of image analysis with sports and emotional display are attention to the fact that the story is about female relationship with his partner (Jana Rawlinson), also an
Happy [#4] Focused [#118] sports players. It should be noted, of course, that use of
offered in Table 27. athlete, referring to him as Janas hubby/husband.
a first name can also be a sign that the player is seen
Table 25: Analysis of action shots as popular with readers and instantly recognisable. As far as the analysis of headlines for gender-neutral
naming devices is concerned, female athletes were most
Genre # of stories % Our analysis found that gendered naming devices were commonly named by their family name only. The next
Match report 23 29 used in 105 headlines. This means that only 25% of most common method of naming women was to use
News report 16 20 all headlines made any explicit reference to the female other gender-neutral noun phrases such as sporting
gender. Examples of gendered naming devices are given star, champion, hero or guns, which all have positive
Feature 10 13
in Table 28, along with the number of instances of each. evaluative meanings. Table 29 summarises the findings
Profile 8 10
regarding the use of gender-neutral naming devices.
Match preview 7 9 Serious [#20] Aggressive [#95] Table 28: Use of gendered naming devices
(Newspix/Aaron Francis) (Newspix/Peter Ward)
Human interest 7 9 Gendered naming device Example # Table 29: Use of gender-neutral naming devices
News brief 2 3 First name only Amy, Leisel, Susie Q, 54 Gender-neutral
Jessica naming device Example #
Advertising feature 2 3
Abbreviated first name Steph, Em, Jess 3 Family name Dokic, Gerrard, Gilmore, 184
Issues based 1 1
Pronoun her 4 Beachley
Interview 1 1
Other noun phrases women, sister, fairer sex, 37 Other noun phrases sporting stars, heroes, champs, 64
How to 1 1 mother, girl guns, ace, sensation
Comment/opinion 1 1 Team name Bendigo Spirit, Canberra United, 30
Book review 1 1 Enthusiastic [#21] Relieved [#96] It is interesting to note that there were only six Pride, Jets
(Newspix/Kevin Bull) instances of girl or girls in the headlines, which Position judge, player, runner, Olympian, 16
goes against previous suggestions that sportswomen rookie, goalie
are always girls in sporting parlance (Tebbel Sport/competition name netball, Twenty20, World Cup 16
2000:135). Furthermore, three of these instances
Nationality Kenyan, Aussie 6
combine girls with golden or glory (as in the Perth
W-League football team), which suggests that the use Pronoun they, we, I 6
of girls may have more to do with alliterative effects, Age reference teen, youngster 5
rather than an attempt (deliberate or otherwise) to State/country name Qld, NSW, Australia 5
frame sportswomen as young or softer than their
Shock [#72] male counterparts (Sigley and Holmes 2002:143).
(Newspix/AFP Valery Hache)
14 Towards a Level Playing Field: sport and gender in Australian media
We also note that the frequent use of family names, and
occasionally first names, to identify sportswomen in the
headlines, without further identifying reference to their
sports, carries with it the assumption that the reader is
already familiar with the person or the sport in question.
Headlines can also hint at very specific knowledge of
sporting terminology, for example, in the headline Sally
gets sponsor, joins the big league, reference is made
to the US$1 million IAAF Golden League series, which is
commonly termed big league athletics. Sally McLellan
is an Australian Olympic athlete.
We also looked at headlines to see how they portrayed
the athlete or team in emotional terms. Stereotypes
have it that women express more emotions than men
(Galasinski 2004:12), but in the sporting arena a
highly emotional and stressful context emotions
clearly run high. The 1996 ASC report suggested that
emotion was stressed in the coverage of sportswomen,
while sportsmen displayed little emotion; rather, they
were applauded for their toughness.
For the purpose of this study, the expression of
emotions was classified as either positive, as in
happy, enjoy or enthusiastic; or negative, as in
sad, disappointed or scared (for a comprehensive
categorisation of emotion lexis see Martin and White
2005; Bednarek 2008). As can be seen in Table 30,
there were relatively few instances across the entire
corpus of the use of emotion lexis in the headlines,
with slightly more positive emotion words appearing
than negative emotion words.
Table 30: Use of emotion lexis
Emotion lexis Example
Positive enjoy, having a ball, happy, joy
Negative fear, scare, sad, blues, irks, sorry
We also looked at emotivity, which is concerned with
the journalists, news actors or sources evaluation
of events, things, people, activities or other evaluated
entities as good or bad, positive or negative, that
is, with the expression of approval or disapproval
(Bednarek forthcoming). In terms of sports reporting,
such evaluations would encompass the preparations
and performance of sportswomen in the sporting
arena, their skills and abilities, and their behaviour/
conduct both on and off the field. For example, the
following headlines (Story #6) appeared in newspapers
following an incident at the Reef Hawaiian Pro that cost
Australian surfer Layne Beachley the opportunity to win
the surfing title:
Tour judge applauds Beachley
Beachley praised for keeping cool after drop in
Layne cool with Cocos final heave-ho
Beachleys reaction wins praise
Beachley praised for not making waves over gaffe
Layne hailed
Praise for Beachley
Beachley praised for sportsmanship
Beachley good sport
Beachley not making waves
In each of these headlines, Layne Beachley is being
positively evaluated for her conduct over the incident
with Coco Ho. They document her demonstrating
poise, calmness and good sportsmanship, all of which
are positive attributes in any sports player. Negative
evaluations also appeared in this corpus, however, there
were very few in comparison to positive evaluations of
emotivity. Again, they related mostly to performance
and conduct in the sporting arena. Table 31 shows
the distribution of positive and negative emotivity in
the headlines in this news story corpus. As the table
indicates, in this corpus the instances of evaluation
of positive emotivity far outweigh the instances of
evaluation of negative emotivity.
Table 31: Use of emotivity
Emotivity Example
Positive gets set, poised, an ambassador,
shines, breaks injury cycle
Negative unlucky, falls short, blows chance,
forced to graft
From Table 31, there appears to be very little negative
evaluation of sportswomen. Whether this comes as a
result of general good conduct/performance is open to
# question and would require more detailed analysis of
17 the body text of these stories. However, from looking
12 at the headlines alone, there appears to be an overall
positive stance taken on female athletes, on their
professional conduct, on their fitness, and on their skills
and abilities.
Tied in with the notion of emotivity are the analyses
of the source and the target of the evaluation. For
example, the source (the doer) of an evaluation can
be the journalist (as in the headline Beachley not
making waves), another named source (as in Tour
judge applauds Beachley, in which it is the tour judge
evaluating Beachley positively) or another external
source that is not identifiable from the headline alone
(as in Beachley praised for not making waves over
gaffe, in which the passive structure does not explicitly
tell us the source of the evaluation). In this corpus,
the target of the evaluation that is, what/who is
evaluated can be a news actor (as in the example
above with surfer Layne Beachley), a team, an event or
a sport.
Table 32: Source of evaluation
Source of evaluation # Use of volition
Journalist 157
Named source (tour judge, NSW Sports Institute,
11
Beachley)
Source not identifiable from headline alone
From Table 32 we can see, at least as far as female
sports reporting is concerned, journalists appear
to stand as experts, in that they have the licence
to evaluate news actors themselves. This is an
interesting result that warrants further investigation
as to whether these are male or female journalists
evaluating female athletes.
Table 33: Target of evaluation
Target of evaluation Example
Named person Dokic, Beachley, Gilmore
sporting stars, goalie, champ,
Unidentified sportsperson
teen
Team Glory, Spirit, Lynx, Mariners
Event games, match, netball
Other fathers, mother
# News actor outside sport Obama
163
Again, it is interesting to note that the target of
14 evaluation in this corpus is predominantly the individual
rather than the team as a whole. When this evaluation
is overwhelmingly positive, it can serve to boost the
targeted individual. However, when very negative, it can
prove quite damaging to the individual.
The third parameter of evaluative meaning examined
in our research was the extent to which the
sportswomen identified in the headlines were seen
to be acting in accordance with their own wishes
or intentions, or if they were being compelled to
do something against their will. This subcategory
of evaluative meaning has been termed volition
(Bednarek forthcoming). In the corpus there were 59
instances of sportswomen acting according to their
own wishes/intentions and only one instance in which
a sportswoman was forced to do something. Table 34
summarises the results for volition.
SECTION ONE 15
Table 34: Use of volition
Example #
Volition aiming for, wants 59
Non-volition forced to 1
9 It is worth looking at volition in more detail since it has
important implications regarding the evaluative stance
of the newspaper towards the news event (Bednarek
forthcoming). One story (#5) concerned tennis player
Jelena Dokic. This was a syndicated story that appeared
in 17 different publications on the same day. The body
text remained consistent across all stories and only
the headlines changed slightly. As can be seen in the
following examples, Dokic is framed as actively pursuing
a berth at the Australian Open for 2009; that is, she
is acting of her own volition to secure a spot in the
tournament. She has control of her situation and she
#
is acting on her own intentions. However, one headline
113
in this group of texts reads Dokic forced to graft Open
31 entry. The use of forced to suggests non-volition on
the part of Dokic, and consequently puts her in a less
20
powerful position indeed the situation appears to be
6
beyond her control. These are two very different ways
6 of framing Dokic and result in quite different meanings
1 being made at the beginning of these texts.
One final category of analysis of the headline corpus
involved the notion of agency. In this study, we took
the concept of agency to mean the one who is actively
involved in the doing of something in the headline text;
that is, an agent is the doer of the activity. There are
217 instances of female athletes or teams involved as
agents in the doing of something in the headline text,
as the examples below demonstrate.
Table 35: Use of agency
Story Headline
#13 Mwangi beats Gillard to the top
#14 Carswell defeats Bailey in open singles title at Glenorchy
#15 Dokic determined
#17 Sykes unlucky not to find back of net
#20 Henry rules out a comeback in Rome
#114 Women fight for World Cup spots
#153 Girls hone cricket skills at Vic Spirit camp
#131 Rookie rips in
#181 Olympic legends line up for our Great Run
#217 Sports stars ready to tackle the next level
#243 Rebels encounter Eagles
#244 Darwin Suns out-shine the Foxes
#299 NSW cruises
#360 Spirit closes in on top five position
16 Towards a Level Playing Field: sport and gender in Australian media
The state of media game:
stakeholder interviews
We conducted interviews with nine key figures in
sports management, promotion and journalism, and
asked them about their view of the current state of
media coverage, what worked and what did not work
in promoting female athletes and women in sport. We
asked them to nominate initiatives that would support
better media coverage in the future.
There was general (although not universal) agreement
that female athletes and womens sport now got
broader and less stereotyped coverage than might have
been the case a decade or more ago. At the same
time, many of those interviewed qualified their positive
remarks by noting that there was still an overwhelming
bias towards covering male sport, and this coverage
was not necessarily a reflection of the quality of the
athleticism on display or the popularity of the sport
with spectators.
Exemplifying this perspective, Shelley Maher, president
of Womens Lacrosse Australia, said:
There is a better breadth of sports being exposed
and a stronger focus on quality of athletes. So its
not simply the exploitation of female bodies versus
them being recognised as athletes in their own right.
But its still not satisfactory and not enough. The ABC
has probably given the greatest ongoing support for
womens sport.
Maher went on to note:
From a minor sport perspective [such as lacrosse],
Australia is number one in the world in womens
lacrosse and yet a very small percentage of the
population would even know about our sport, let
alone that we were champions.
Jacquelin Magnay, a senior sports journalist at
The Sydney Morning Herald, believes she has been
consistent in her approach to covering womens sport
in the past ten years but notes that, on an anecdotal
basis, she thinks there is slightly less coverage of
womens sport today.
As a very experienced sports reporter, Magnay offered
some important insights into this process, which can
influence news judgment on a day-to-day basis. On one
hand, she noted:
I think its very much a cultural thing that is driven
from the top. Its driven by the editor and in
particular the sports editor and he can determine
whether a journalist covers certain events and how
they cover them. I say he because there are no
female sports editors.
On the other hand, she acknowledged that news values
are framed around well-known individuals who are able
to brand themselves for an interested public: [There
needs to be a] realisation that sport is a business and
people are more interested in sportspeople and their
lives rather than just the sport itself.
A strong dissenting voice was that of Carrie Graf,
coach of the Canberra Capitals and Australian Opals.
Of current media coverage, she said: I think [the
media coverage of womens sport] is still substandard
and its poor, where literally dogs and horses get
outrageously more coverage on the sports pages
than women in sport.
An important issue that arose spontaneously in
our interviews was the pressure that female sports
reporters feel to represent female athletes, or
advocate for the inclusion of female sports in coverage.
Magnay was particularly aware of this issue:
There is this assumption that because youre a
female journalist in sport that its our role that we
should be promoting womens sport and thats not
our job at all. I have an interest in womens sport
and Im keen to see womens sport in the paper but
I am not going to cover womens sport because Im
female. The cricket writer should be writing about
womens cricket.
In a similar vein, Dr Sue Brown, a lecturer in sport
management at the University of Ballarat, observed:
The other area of improvement is we definitely have
more women as sports commentators but Im not
really convinced that they are in a position to talk up
or promote women. Theyre doing their job. Most of
them are commentating on their sport of expertise,
but they keep it very gender neutral. Theyre not
being employed to speak about womens sport
and talk it up.
A key concern about the coverage of womens sport
that has been frequently raised in academic and
popular literature is the perception that female athletes
are routinely trivialised, patronised and, in particular,
sexualised in media coverage. It was interesting to
note that none of the stakeholders we interviewed
believed this was a substantial issue when it came to
the coverage of womens sport. On the contrary, many
of those we interviewed, including female journalists
and sports management executives, observed that
the appetite for glamorous and visually appealing
depictions of individuals now applied across sporting
contexts and genders.
SECTION ONE 17
Advocates of female athletes argued that, if anything, In terms of changing the extent of media coverage
the media appeal of healthy and fit young women of womens sport, the sponsorship of it, and the
playing sport, if appropriately positioned, could be an breadth of interest in watching or reading about it,
opportunity to promote media coverage, rather than a all participants in our interviews were in agreement
regressive step. As Graf noted: that although substantial strides have been made
there is much more to be done. There was general
All sports market sport with some sort of sex appeal.
agreement that, outside media training initiatives for
Male sports do it too. Of course they do. Athletes,
female athletes and womens sporting organisations,
male and female, have wonderful bodies and they are
the real focus has to be on changing social attitudes
great to look at from an artistic point of view or sex
to womens athletic capacities and the capacity of
appeal or whatever. So I think there is an element
womens sport to be as exciting to watch as
you can use to market [your sport] in the media.
male sport.
Chris Giannopolou, the director of client management at
IMG Australia, who has represented Cathy Freeman and
Karrie Webb, observed: The aesthetic part of female
sport can attract viewers, sponsors and spectators
alike and the interest from sponsors and media
partners has increased.
In relation to media coverage, there was general
consensus that celebrity and/or appealing looks
would no longer elevate a female athlete to
star media status and that, for both genders,
performance was primary. As Giannopolou
said: First and foremost it comes back to their
performance in their field of endeavour.
Reinforcing this view, Bonita Mersiades, head of
corporate and public affairs at the Football Federation
Australia, noted:
More than anything else I think success gets
coverage. We noticed when our national womens
team, the Matildas, made the womens World Cup
and did better than people expected in the 2007
World Cup it did get coverage.
A key theme that emerged in interviews with those
involved in sports management was the importance of
promoting womens sport through more general media.
As Mersiades observed:
We do actively try to get womens football in non-
football media such as Womens Weekly, Womens
Health and New Idea, not least because we think
its also good for mums and girls to see female
athletes doing something healthy and hopefully to
encourage more young people to play sport, any
sport [Its] much better value having a story on
breakfast television than having a third back page
in the sports section in terms of where your core
audience comes from.
 SECTION ONE

SECTION TWO
Qualitative and quantitative media analysis
October 2008July 2009
20 Towards a Level Playing Field: sport and gender in Australian media SECTION TWO 21

Chart 2: Share of voice by volume and sport type

Key metrics Share of voice
Mixed sport
Table 36: Key metrics, quantative media analysis, October 2008July 2009 Charts 2 and 3 show the share of voice of each sport Other sport 3%
type by volume and duration. While there were clearly 7%
Key metrics Female sport Male sport Mixed sport Other sport
more individual reports mentioning female sports than
Total volume of media reports 316 2931 103 266 Female sport
other sports, more air time was given to coverage of 9%
Average favourability 53.4 51.4 52.0 53.8 other sports. Table 38 shows that reports on female
Leading story focus (reports) Athlete performance (248) Athlete performance Athlete performance (49) Athlete performance (102) sport had the lowest average duration of all the types
(1619) of sport analysed, with reports on male sport having an
Leading message (mentions) Athletes are successful Athletes are successful Athletes are successful; Athletes are successful average duration of 30 seconds longer than reports on
(65) (319) athletes are driven and/or (56) female sport.
ambitious (5 each)
Leading spokesperson Serena Williams, tennis Ricky Ponting, Australian John Coates, Australian Bart Cummings, horse Augmenting the disparity in average duration, in some
(mentions) player (26) cricket team captain (140) Olympic Committee (6) trainer (47) instances reporting on female competitions was added
Leading media (number of Channel Ten national (54) Channel Ten national Channel Ten national (16) Channel Ten Melbourne on to the end of more prominent reports about the
reports) (424) (53) corresponding male competition. For example:
Male sport
Channel 7 Melbournes Seven News, on 4 July 2009, 81%
discussed the mens Wimbledon tennis tournament
semifinal results for 64 seconds before wrapping
Gender overview up with an 11-second mention of results in the Chart 3: Share of voice by duration and sport type
womens draw.
Chart 1: Volume of coverage by sport type Mixed sport
Female sport 2%
Channel Nine Sydneys National Nine News, on 6%
4 000 70.0
4 April 2009, reported on male cricketer Philip Other sport
Hughess win of the Steve Waugh Medal, with a 8%
duration of 26 seconds. The final three seconds of
2 931 60.0
3 000 this report noted that female cricketer Leah Poulton
312
53.8
had won the Belinda Clark Medal.
53.4

Favourability
51.4 52.0
Volume

Channel Ten Sydney and Melbournes Ten News,

2 000 50.0
as well as Late News with Sports Tonight (national),
1 957 reported on the athletics meet in Melbourne in
March 2009, giving 78 seconds to previews of
1 000 40.0 events including male athletes Asafa Powell, Craig
Mottram and Steve Hooker, and only 13 seconds to
316 266 female athlete Sally McClelland.
662
192 103 Male sport
188
0 122 30.0 84%
While they were relatively isolated, these instances
Male sport Female sport Other sport Mixed sport
served to contribute to the disparity in duration of
Favourable Neutral Unfavourable Average favourability
coverage between male and female sport, and to
implicitly give male sport more significance than Table 37: Share of voice by total duration and sport type
female sport in Australian media. Sport type Duration (hh:mm:ss)
In line with Section One and the 1996 ASC study, The majority of coverage of all gender combinations
Male sport 66:36:14
throughout this analysis male sport denotes was neutral in tone as a result of reports presenting a
Other sport 6:23:00
activities only men participate in (for example, balanced view of successful and unsuccessful athletes,
or coverage simply reporting on the facts in a neutral Female sport 4:29:06
mens tennis), female sport refers to activities
only women participate in (for example, womens fashion. However, coverage of male sport was the least Mixed sport 1:57:10
tennis), mixed sport includes activities in which both favourable on average. This can be mostly attributed Total 79:25:30
females and males participate in (for example, mixed to coverage of male athlete behaviour, which will be
doubles tennis) and other includes sports where discussed further in this report. The two unfavourable Table 38: Share of voice by average duration and sport type
the primary participants are not people (for example, reports on mixed sport focused on Pat Rafter and John
Newcombes critique of Lleyton Hewitts performance Sport type Average duration
horseracing indeed, horseracing made up the vast
majority of this coverage and, throughout this report, at the Hopman Cup, a mixed tennis event. There was Other sport 0:01:26
other can be read to refer almost exclusively to the negligible unfavourable coverage of female or other Male sport 0:01:22
horseracing industry). sport, and this coverage was more favourable overall Mixed sport 0:01:08
than male sport or mixed sport. Female sport 0:00:51
22 Towards a Level Playing Field: sport and gender in Australian media SECTION TWO 23

All nine breaking news reports on NRL were broadcast Chart 5: Male sport sports coverage
Story order between 7 and 10 March 2009 and focused on the
Volume
Charts 4 and 5 show the volume and breakdown of allegations of sexual assault against Manly Sea Eagles
sports by the order in which they appeared in the 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
player Brett Stewart. Channel Nine included this as the
sporting news section (on Channels 7, Nine and Ten, first news report most often, while ABC1 did not report
Sport 1 70 3 7 5 3 1 89
and SBS and ABC1 evening news bulletins) between this topic as the leading news story at all.
1 and 10 March 2009, for female and male sport,
These two topics international terrorism and Sport 2 35 9 20 11 6 2 3 1 1 88
respectively. Chart 6 shows the running order of male
sports-related news reports when they appeared in sexual assault unarguably locate these stories
Sport 3 13 14 12 11 4 3 11 2 3 73
the main news section of the evening news bulletin. outside the realm of traditional sports reporting and
It is significant that no reports on female sport were within the realm of newsworthiness. However, despite Sport 4 11 13 5 9 6 5 6 4 11 4 65
included in the main news section. the complexity of the decisions made by producers
to include these topics as leading stories, it is not Sport 5 4 9 2 7 6 7 3 3 4 5 2 1 53
Cricket and NRL were the dominant male sports that unreasonable to assume that had they not involved
were reported on in the first four reports of an evening. sporting identities they would not have been accorded Sport 6 3 7 1 5 5 4 2 3 1 3 1 1 36
All 22 breaking news reports on cricket aired between the same degree of prominence. That none of these
3 and 6 March 2009, in the wake of the terrorist items involved female athletes, teams or officials Sport 7 1 2 1 4 1 4 4 1 3 1 1 23

attack on cricketers and officials in Lahore. Channel Ten compounds the finding made in relation to duration
most frequently included this report first in the main Sport 8 1 2 2 1 3 4 2 1 2 18
(page 21) that female sport appears to occupy a blind
news bulletin (eight reports), followed by Channel 7 spot in the news on Australian television.
Sport 9 1 1 2 1 4 2 11
(five reports). ABC1 only reported this news as the
first item once.
Sport 10 2 1 1 11 1 7

Cricket Football (soccer) NRL AFL Basketball Golf Rugby union Motor sports
Athletics Surfing Tennis Rowing Diving American football Cycling
Chart 4: Female sport sports coverage

Volume
Chart 6: Male sport news coverage
0 1 2 3 4 5
Volume
Sport 1 0 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35

News 1 22 9 31
Sport 2 3 3

News 2 18 6 24

Sport 3 3 3
News 3 11 1 12

Sport 4 3 1 4
News 4 4 3 7

Sport 5 2 2 News 5 1 2 1 1 5

News 6 3 1 1 5
Sport 6 2 1 3

News 7 1 2 3

Sport 7 0
News 8 4 2 6

Sport 8 1 1 2
News 9 1 3 4

Sport 9 1 1 2 News 10 2 1 1 4

Surfing Cricket Golf Netball Cricket NRL Football (soccer) AFL Motor sports Basketball
24 Towards a Level Playing Field: sport and gender in Australian media SECTION TWO 25

Primary story focus
Chart 7 shows the main focus of the television reports
analysed, giving the overall context in which sport was
discussed. Each report has only one story focus, but
may discuss a number of different individual topics.
As can be expected, athlete performance was the main
focus of television coverage of both male and female
sport. Highlighting that coverage of female sport tends to
be more results-driven whereas coverage of male sport is
more constant across the sporting event cycle, male sport
was comparatively over-represented in coverage focusing
on training and preparation (this made up 21% of coverage
of male sport, but only 13% of coverage of female sport).
Similarly, female sport was comparatively
under-represented in coverage focusing on the
sporting industry, suggesting that female sport is
not discussed in its commercial context in television
coverage as much as horseracing (which made up
almost all other sport) and mixed sport (3% of
coverage of female sport focused on the sporting
industry, compared to 12% for male sport, 35% for
other sport and 33% for mixed sport).
Chart 7: Primary focus of television report by sport type
2 000
1 619
1 500
The greatest proportion of athlete behaviour-focused
reports discussed male sport (8%, compared to 2%
Text type
for female sport), with this coverage being least The categorisations of text type have been adapted from
favourable overall. Section One, and Table 39 shows the volume of each
included in this analysis. For the purposes of analysing
television, news briefs denoted the 30-second reports
Nationality of athletes that provide a rapid round-up of results across a range
of sports in quick succession, and feature referred to
The reports analysed were designated as fitting in one reports with a long duration.
of two categories: Australian or other (see Chart 8).
All reports that had a reference to an Australian athlete
(no matter how brief) were included as Australian, while
all reports referring exclusively to athletes of another
Narrative frame
nationality were included as other. Chart 9 shows the narrative frames deployed in
television news reporting on sport, following the six
While 16% of coverage of male sport focused exclusively
frames identified by Vande Berg and Projansky (2003).
on the exploits of international athletes and teams, 24%
Each report was allocated at least one narrative frame,
of coverage of female sport focused on the performance
although, if appropriate, more than one narrative frame
of athletes of a nationality other than Australian. This
could be chosen.
would suggest that not only are female sports under-
represented in Australian television news, but Australian From the outset it should be noted that Vande Berg and
female sports are particularly under-represented. Projansky (2003) devised these frames for an analysis
of sporting commentary rather than news reporting,
Table 39: Text type by sport type
Text type Male sport Female sport
Match report 1 207
70.0
News report 1 022
Match preview 581
Profile 56
60.0 Human interest 27
News brief 23
which is a different kind of text with different norms
and conventions. Moreover, their analysis was of US
basketball, rather than a range of sporting disciplines
across television news media in Australia. The cultural
and sport-specific differences in the coverage selected
for this analysis should be taken into account; all
departures from Vande Berg and Projanskys findings
made here are not intended to undermine their
approach but rather are the inevitable product of
applying a framework designed for a particular text in a
particular culture to a different text in a different culture.
The other narrative frame has been introduced for this
analysis to avoid characterising reports inaccurately.
These reports covered a variety of issues, including the
terrorist attack on Sri Lankan cricketers in Pakistan,
the commercial aspects of the sporting industry, the
involvement of fans in sport and the involvement of
sporting identities in charities.
Athletic prowess was the most prominent narrative
frame, and was used in 70% of coverage of male sport
and 90% of coverage of female sport. While this could
Mixed sport Other sport Total
221 66 96 1 550
49 20 91 1 182
39 8 62 690
2 1 8 67
1 4 2 34
2 2 27

Favourability
Comment/opinion 3 1 1 5 10
Volume

1 000 50.0 Interview 7 1 2 10

Feature 5 1 6

617

500 40.0 Chart 9: Narrative frames used in television reports by sport type
351
Volume
248 233
0 500 1 000 1 500 2 000 2 500
102 92 111
49 41 58 34
17 11 6 6 2 10 8 1
0 30.0 Athletic prowess 2 066 286 62 2 414
Athlete Training and Sporting industry Athlete behaviour Athlete profile
performance preparation
Other 635 688
Volume male sport Volume female sport Volume other sport Volume mixed sport
Average favourability male sport Average favourability female sport
Average favourability other sport Average favourability mixed sport Agency 519 64 602

Chart 8: Coverage of nationality of athletes by sport type Discipline 266 272

Volume
0 500 1 000 1 500 2 000 2 500 3 000 Adversity 258 285

Australian 2 470 240 90 2 800 Diaspora 54 57

Other 461 76 550 Domestic role 43 50

Male sport Female sport Mixed sport Male sport Female sport Mixed sport
26 Towards a Level Playing Field: sport and gender in Australian media
suggest that female athletes and teams are more
likely than their male counterparts to be presented as
heroes whose outstanding ability, expertise, courage,
perseverance, dedication to goals, creativity, versatility
and spectacular ability to perform under pressure
enables them to succeed in winning competitions
(Vande Berg and Projansky 2003:29) than their male
counterparts, more likely it shows that the repertoire of
television news reporting on female sport in Australia
is quite limited to results. The data also suggest that
women need to participate in events successfully in order
to be deemed newsworthy, while their male counterparts
receive much more sustained coverage of a range of
training and preparation-related topics, as well as topics
only loosely connected to their sporting lives.
Examples of agency were invariably reports on a team
or individuals ability to determine their own success,
and this narrative frame was used almost equally in
reporting on both male and female sport (20% and 21%,
respectively). The narrative frame of agency covers
the same ground as volition, as used in Section One
as a measure of the agency, or lack thereof, accorded
to the athlete or team (see page 15). Examples of
reporting that portrayed athletes or teams in a position
of agency included:
Having spent most of his career fighting for
attention, now Victor Darchinyan wants to cash in
on his world title success. The ArmenianAustralian
returned home today as the first man to collect all
three belts in the super flyweight division, but he is
hungry for more I can fight any weight division.
I feel my power, my power coming from every fight.
Im ready for any champion Im not going to sit
and defend my title. I wanna fight more berths. I
want my name to become higher, [says Darchinyan]
(Late News with Sports Tonight, Channel Ten national,
5 November 2008).
While Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal ready
themselves for tonights mens finals, our womens
champion Serena Williams has already flown out,
vowing to return and go back to back. Her fourth
Australian Open title and tennis slam in total came
almost too easily last night, disposing of Dinara
Safina in under an hour Williams had her way in
a 20-minute wipe out the demolition got done in
just 59 minutes (Seven News, Channel 7 Melbourne,
1 February 2009).
Injuries were a common topic of sports reporting,
and many of the reports deploying a narrative frame
of adversity, for both genders, did so through the
context of injury and individuals pushing through pain
and injury to succeed. However, other examples of
adversity included unexpected wins and the trials of
young athletes emerging into fields of elite athletes,
for example:
[Compere:] After sending the Swans a DVD of his
playing talents just last year, former Canadian
rugby player Mike Pyke will complete a remarkable
achievement at the SCG on Sunday.
[Paul Roos, Sydney Swans coach:] Injury forced Mike
Pyke to quit rugby union, he was looking for a new
sport and a new challenge; it is a fantastic effort
from Mike to be playing his first senior game so early
in his development as an AFL footballer (Ten News,
Channel Ten Sydney, 1 May 2009).
Vande Berg and Projansky argued that discipline as a
narrative frame is used by US basketball commentators
to depict female athletes as subservient order-takers,
which was not seen in coverage of male basketball
(2003:28, 34). However, Chart 9 shows that in
Australian television news coverage, male athletes
were much more likely to be described by reporters
as children who need to be scolded, disciplined,
and given orders by expert adults (Vande Berg and
Projansky 2003:34) than their female counterparts
(9% of coverage of male sport used this frame, where
only 0.3% of coverage of female sport or one report
described the athletes in these terms). This was
the result of widespread reporting on the behaviour
of Australian male athletes both on and off the field.
Examples included, but were not limited to:
the problematic drinking culture of AFL clubs and the
AFL Players Associations efforts to develop policy
to address this
the uncertain future of cricketer Andrew Symonds
following a series of alcohol-related incidents
allegations of sexual assault against a group of
players from the Balmain Ryde Eastwood Tigers, with
club officials and police taking action
claims of violence against women levelled against
NRL player Greg Bird
disciplinary action taken against the Brisbane Lionss
Jared Brennan for head-butting another player
NRL player Nate Myless suspension for six matches
following behaviour described by Channel Ten
newsreader Sandra Sully as bizarre and sickening
(Late News with Sports Tonight, Channel Ten national,
6 July 2009).
Similarly, Vande Berg and Projansky (2003) argued that
diaspora (the necessity for athletes to move overseas in
order to further their professional careers) and domestic
narratives are exclusively used in commentary of female
basketball in the United States. As with discipline, it
would seem that Australian television news reporting of
sport challenges this trend: Chart 9 shows that a low
volume of coverage described male athletes as needing
to go overseas to further their careers, and that male
athletes are presented in their domestic context (with
friends and families) more frequently than their female
counterparts. Examples of diaspora included references
to various NRL players considering playing in Japan or
Europe in order to earn more money, while many male
athletes were pictured with their families (see Figure 5).
Figure 5: Examples of male athletes presented in a
domestic context
Lewis Hamilton as a child with his father (World News Australia,
SBS national, 3 November 2008)
Sea Eagles centre Steve Bell spends his grand final
preparation time with his family (Seven News, Channel 7
Sydney, 3 October 2008)
SECTION TWO 27
Visual analysis studio backdrop
Charts 1012 show the qualitative content and
social distance of imagery accompanying the studio
introduction to television news reports on sport,
adapting the categories used to analyse print media
imagery in Section One.
As in Section One, both the studio backdrop in the
introduction to television reports and the images in the
reports themselves were analysed based on whether
they were action, posed, glamour or domestic shots.
Reinforcing the finding that television news coverage
of female sport is more closely focused on events and
results (as opposed to preparation or the lives of the
athletes beyond sport), a higher proportion of studio
backdrop imagery presented female athletes in an
action shot compared to their male counterparts
(31% and 25%, respectively).
The series of facial affects presented in Chart 12 can
be understood as existing along a spectrum, with the
more neutral serious and focused at one end, and
the more intense aggressive, sad or despondent,
and happy at the other end. Female athletes were
more likely to be presented as happy (14%) or
focused (17%) than male athletes (11% and 10%,
respectively). Male athletes were more often presented
as sad or despondent (no reports showed female
athletes looking sad or despondent in the studio
introduction), and twice as likely to be shown displaying
serious facial affect (7% of male sport coverage
compared to 3% of coverage of female sport). These
findings undermine the stereotype that women are more
prone to emotional displays than men (as discussed
in Section One, page 14), at least in the use of visual
content in framing television news reports on sport.
28 Towards a Level Playing Field: sport and gender in Australian media SECTION TWO 29

Chart 10: Image analysis studio backdrop, by sport type Figure 6: Examples of gendered noun phrases in
Linguistic analysis studio introduction studio backdrop
Volume
Charts 1319 show the results of discourse analysis
0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800 900
of the first sentence spoken by a journalist in television
news reporting on sports. The various tools used have
719 98 35 852
Action shot been adapted directly from Section One.

In Section One, naming devices were analysed to

Posed shot 334 19 361
identify to what extent stories drew attention to the
gender of athletes and away from their performance
Relationship/domestic shot 13 (pages 1314).

Only 8% of the total coverage analysed for this report

Posed action shot
Glamour/fashion shot
Chart 11: Social distance of image studio backdrop, by sport type
0 100
12 contained gendered pronouns in the first sentence,
although it is interesting to note that this was slightly
skewed towards discussions of female sport (11%, King Roger (Seven News, Channel 7 Melbourne, 6 July 2009)
5
compared to 8% for male athletes). This tendency
to more frequently identify the gender of female
Male sport Female sport Mixed sport athletes or competitions than that of male athletes or
competitions in the opening sentence reinforces the
notion that male sport is seen as normal and female
sport as a novel exception. However, the majority of
Volume introductory sentences referred to gender-neutral sport
200 300 400 500 600 700 or competition (see Chart 14), or mentioned individual
athletes using their full names.

Social 573 64 18 655 Diminutive noun phrases (girls, boys and lads, for
example) were hardly ever used in the first sentence of
Intimate 438 35 11 484
television coverage, although they were more likely to
appear in coverage of female sport than coverage of Woman winner (National Nine News, Channel Nine Sydney,
1 November 2009)
male sport (0.3% of male sport, 2% of female sport).
Public 314 33 22 369

Male sport Female sport Mixed sport

Chart 13: Gendered naming devices studio introduction, by sport type

Volume
Chart 12: Emotional display studio backdrop, by sport type
0 50 100 150 200 250 300
800 70.0
Gendered pronoun 240 34 277

600 60.0
Other noun phrase 37 34 73
55.7 55.0
54.4 54.1 54.0 54.2
Favourability

53.4
52.1 52.5
51.6
Volume

50.0 49.5
400 50.0 First name only 18 14 33
333
33 293

217 40.0 Diminutive noun phrase 10 5 16

172 40.0
200 180 49

124
128 43 53 Abbreviated first name 5 7
86 29 22
9 6 44 10 6 3 1
28 30.0
0
Male Female Mixed Male Female Mixed Male Female Mixed Male Female Mixed Male
sport sport sport sport sport sport sport sport sport sport sport sport sport
Male sport Female sport Mixed sport
Happy Focused Serious Aggressive Sad/
despon-
dent
Favourable Neutral Unfavourable Average favourability
30 Towards a Level Playing Field: sport and gender in Australian media SECTION TWO 31

It was more common for gender-neutral naming devices
to be used in studio introductions than gendered
naming devices, with the sport or competition name,
team name or players position the most frequently
used. Examples of other gender-neutral noun phrases
used included champions, movers and shakers and
marquee names.
As introduced in Section One, emotion lexis is a
measure of the emotions (positive or negative)
displayed by, or attributed to, athletes and other
sporting agents in media coverage. Accordingly, emotion
lexis can serve as a linguistic (rather than visual)
measure of the stereotype that women are more prone
to emotional displays than men (page 14).
The majority of emotion lexis used to describe Its been a sad 24 hours for the New Zealand Melbourne footballer Nathan Jones says hes angry
athletes behaviour in studio introductions was Warriors the NRL club is in shock after rising and disappointed by a weekend bashing at the
positive. As with the analysis of visual emotional league star Sonny Fai was swept out to sea MCG thats left his father with a broken nose and
display, this skewed towards coverage of female rather yesterday evening (World News Australia, SBS, ribs (National Nine News, Channel Nine Melbourne,
than male sport (25% and 16%, respectively). By 5 January 2009). 6 April 2009).
contrast, examples of negative emotion lexis, while
lower in volume, skewed towards coverage of male
Chart 16: Emotivity studio introduction, by sport type
sport (7%, compared to 3% of coverage of female
sport). While negative emotion was not particularly 1 200 70.0
common, coverage of mens sport was more often
framed in terms of the anguish of male athletes.
Examples (with emotive language bolded) included: 925
900 60.0
Disappointment for the Western Force today,
beaten convincingly by the Chiefs in New Zealand 53.9 54.2

Favourability
(Sports Tonight late edition, Channel Ten national, 52.2

Volume
50.7 50.6
6 March 2009). 600
571
50.0
45.5

Chart 14: Gender-neutral naming devices studio introduction, by sport type 477

Volume 163

0 500 1 000 1 500 2 000 2 500 300 40.0

Sport/competition name 336 117 246

1 903 188 2 148
68 30 14 9
48 46
Team name 1 415 1 459 0 30.0
Male sport Female sport Mixed sport Male sport Female sport Mixed sport
Positive Negative
Position 535 556
Favourable Neutral Unfavourable Average favourability

State/country name 497 536

Nationality 422 69 501

Chart 17: Source of evaluation studio introduction, by sport type

1 600 70.0
Other noun phrase 176 191

Age reference 72 83 1 288

1 200 159 60.0

Gender-neutral pronoun 57 62
54.0

Favourability
52.0 51.8

Volume
Family name only 45 60
800 50.0
48.9 45.0
764
Male sport Female sport Mixed sport

400 40.0
Chart 15: Emotion lexis studio introduction, by sport type
365 128
Volume
39 67
76
1
0 100 200 300 400 500 600 0 51 30.0
Male sport Female sport Mixed sport Male sport Female sport
Journalist Named source
Positive 465 80 18 563
Favourable Neutral Unfavourable Average favourability

Negative 219 84 231

Male sport Female sport Mixed sport

32 Towards a Level Playing Field: sport and gender in Australian media SECTION TWO 33

Chart 18: Target of evaluation studio introduction, by sport type Chart 19: Volition studio introduction, by sport type

800 70.0 800 70.0

702

97 622
59.2
600 559
60.0 600 23 60.0
55.7 55.6
57 55.0
53.7 53.3 53.4 53.8 54.4

Favourability
52.6 53.5

Favourability
51.8 51.3
Volume

50.8 50.6

Volume
50.0
49.2
400 371 48.0 50.0
400 47.9 50.0
387
359

237 43.3

40.0 219
200
137 200 40.0
95
234 82
143 45 50 40 212 90
49 26 18
7 8 83 29 8 6 88
32 29 1 54
0 30.0 24
36 36 3 2
Male Female Mixed Male Female Mixed Male Female Mixed Male Female Mixed Male Female 0 30.0
sport sport sport sport sport sport sport sport sport sport sport sport sport sport Male sport Female sport Mixed sport Male sport Mixed sport Female sport
Named person Team Event Other Unidentified Volition Non-volition
sport
Favourable Neutral Unfavourable Average favourability
Favourable Neutral Unfavourable Average favourability

As introduced in Section One, emotivity is a measure
of whether an article evaluates, or presents a view
evaluating, an object (including events, people and
teams) as good or bad (page 14). Vital components
of the notion of emotivity are the source (who said it?)
and the target (who/what did they say it about?) of
the evaluation.
Discussion of female sport in the first sentence had a
higher proportion of positive emotivity; moreover, male
sport had a higher proportion of negative emotivity
(16% compared to 4% of female sport). In all sport, the
majority of first-sentence evaluations were made by the
journalists and were towards a named person or team.
Cricketer Andrew Symonds was among the more frequent
targets of negative emotivity. Examples included:
Cricketer Andrew Symonds is considering his
future in the sport after returning home from
England in disgrace (Seven News, Channel 7
Sydney, 6 June 2009).
Troubled cricketer Andrew Symonds has returned
home staying tight-lipped about his latest
indiscretion after being sent packing from England
(National Nine News, Channel Nine Melbourne,
6 June 2009).
Although there are debates about the value of this
kind of reporting for male sport, the use of negative
evaluation to discuss male sport is further evidence
that Australian television news employs a wider range
of ways to discuss male sport. While it is undeniably
sensationalist, audience interest in this information
stems from an investment in the careers of people,
such as Symonds, and concern about how their
behaviour can impact on them (and their teams)
in a professional context. This investment in the
professions of male athletes does not appear to
extend to female athletes.
Following Section One, the third measure of evaluation
traced in this analysis was volition, understood as a
measure of agency or lack thereof (page 14). As noted
in the discussion of narrative frames (pages 2527),
volition has a direct affinity with the narrative frame
of agency, while non-volition tends to accompany
reports framing athletes as the subject of discipline.
The majority of examples of volition in television news
coverage of sport were positive for both female and
male sport, although despite both genders receiving
similar proportions of coverage, female athletes were
more often reported as acting of their own wishes and
aiming for strong results (28%, compared to 21% for
male athletes), and were less likely to be presented
in a position of non-volition than male athletes in the
studio introductions (1%, compared to 7%). It is likely
that this reflects the greater use of the narrative frame
of discipline for discussions of male sport, which by
extension, presents male athletes as subject to the
discipline and regulation of a higher power (such as the
police or a leagues tribunal).
First-sentence coverage of male and female athletes in
a position of agency (bolded) included:
Australian Samantha Stosur will be aiming for a
spot in the French Open semifinals when she takes
on Romanian teenager Sorana Cirstea tonight
(ABC News, ABC1 Sydney, 3 June 2009).
In just over an hours time, the Socceroos will
be fighting for World Cup qualification against
Uzbekistan at the same stadium where their last
World Cup dream came true (Seven News,
Channel 7 Melbourne, 1 April 2009).
The Australian test cricket team suddenly seems
like a formidable force again (National Nine News,
Channel Nine Sydney, 3 March 2009).
Meanwhile, examples of coverage depicting male
athletes in a position of non-volition (bolded) in the first
sentence included:
Manly will be praying test fullback Brett Stewart
is cleared to return this week from a four-game
ban for drunken behaviour after slumping to their
fourth straight loss (Seven News, Channel 7 Sydney,
5 April 2009).
The future of Parramattas rugby league team
is under a cloud tonight with their boss Dennis
Fitzgerald saying he cant guarantee their survival
(National Nine News, Channel Nine Sydney,
4 April 2009).
Well the initial response was subdued, but Michael
Phelps is now paying a hefty price for that infamous
photo showing him smoking marijuana (Ten News,
Channel Ten Sydney, 6 February 2009).
The AFL match review panel has sent Sydney player
Brett Kirk straight to the tribunal, charged with
making reckless contact with an umpire (Seven
News, Channel 7 Melbourne, 6 April 2009).
Visual analysis overall
Charts 2022 show the qualitative content and social
distance of imagery accompanying television news
reports on sport, adapting the categories used to
analyse print media imagery in Section One.
Almost all reports showed at least two different
social distances of images. This is to be expected
in television, where the head shot (intimate) is the
standard shot for media conferences and interviews,
while public and social distances lend themselves to
action footage.
Reinforcing the observation made in the discussion
of narrative frames earlier in this section, it was
not uncommon for male athletes to be pictured in a
domestic context, while the majority of coverage of
both male and female athletes included some form of
action sequence.
34 Towards a Level Playing Field: sport and gender in Australian media SECTION TWO 35

Chart 20: Image analysis overall, by sport type While the continuous nature of television imagery
makes it less sound to place much emphasis on the
Volume
emotional displays of athletes presented in overall
0 500 1 000 1 500 2 000 2 500 3 000
reporting (as opposed to the studio backdrop, where
images are more carefully and deliberately selected),
Action sequence 2 433 271 90 2 794
a higher proportion of coverage pictured female athletes
as happy or focused (53% and 49%, respectively,
Posed sequence 709 65 795 compared to 48% and 40% for male athletes), while
male athletes were more often shown as serious
Relationship/domestic sequence 82 85 (32%, compared to 24% for female athletes).

In the analysis of footage overall, displays of

Posed action sequence
Glamour/fashion sequence
49 Action shot of surfer Stephanie Gilmore (Sports Tonight late
aggression were not as specific to male sport as
edition, Channel Ten national, 6 March 2009)
might have been expected (with about 7% of coverage
19 of each gender including such a display).

Figure 7: Examples of imagery accompanying television

Sexualised sequence 6 news reports

Male sport Female sport Mixed sport

Chart 21: Social distance of image overall, by sport type

Volume
0 500 1 000 1 500 2 000 2 500 3 000 A serious Greg Bird walks to court (National Nine News,
Channel Nine Sydney, 6 July 2009)
Social 2 348 240 76 2 664

Public 2 272 247 86 2 605

Serena Williams looking aggressive (ABC News,
ABC1 Melbourne, 5 July 2009)
Intimate 1 771 164 61 1 996

Male sport Female sport Mixed sport

Chart 22: Emotional display overall, by sport type Australian rugby league players celebrate their win at the
World Cup (Seven News, Channel 7 Sydney, 3 November 2008)
2 800 70.0
65.0

58.5 60.0 Boxer Victor Darchinyan in a domestic context

2 100
57.8 (Ten News, Channel Ten Melbourne, 5 November 2008)
56.1
54.7 54.4 54.0 54.0
Favourability

52.7 52.6 52.6 52.8

Volume

50.7 50.9 50.7

1 398
1 400 88 50.0
1 183
87
931
883 149
700 743 40.0
583
281
168 196
427 156 167
83 52 353 79 30 77 29
199 17 9 100 19 4
84 77 101 30.0
0
Male Female Mixed Male Female Mixed Male Female Mixed Male Female Mixed Male Female Mixed
sport sport sport sport sport sport sport sport sport sport sport sport sport sport sport Intimate shot of golfer Anna Rawson (Ten News, Channel Ten
Melbourne, 5 February 2009)
Happy Focused Serious Enthusiastic Aggresive An upset Adelaide United player (ABC News, ABC1
Sydney, 6 November 2008)
Favourable Neutral Unfavourable Average favourability
36 Towards a Level Playing Field: sport and gender in Australian media SECTION TWO 37

Linguistic analysis overall
Charts 2329 show the results of discourse analysis
of television news reporting on sport. The various tools
used have been adapted directly from Section One.
In overall coverage of female sport, a higher proportion
of coverage mentioned female athletes by their first
name only, compared to overall coverage of male sport.
This can be accounted for, at least in part, by the
frequent references to Serena Williams as Serena to
avoid confusion with her sister Venus. Meanwhile, the
use of diminutive noun phrases in overall coverage was
proportionally equal (mentioned in 2% of coverage of
each gender).
Chart 23: Gendered naming devices overall, by sport type
0 50
Other gendered noun phrases were common. In coverage
of female sport this included frequent references to
Serena and Venus Williams as sisters, while in reporting
on male sport, this included a variety of phrases such as
king of surfing, good guy, favourite son, bloke,
the big fella and elder statesman.
Coverage of male sport was more likely to mention the
name of a particular team, while in coverage of female
sport, the most frequent naming device was the sport
or competition name. This is likely to reflect the relative
dominance of individual pursuits in coverage of female
sport compared to male sport, where team-based
contests dominate (see Chart 30, where tennis is
over-represented in coverage of female sport, and
cricket, NRL and AFL dominate for male sport).
Volume
100 150 200
As with emotion lexis in the studio introductions of
reports, a higher proportion of positive emotion was
displayed by, or attributed to, female sport than to
male sport overall (35% and 24%, respectively), while a
higher proportion of negative emotion was displayed by,
or attributed to, male athletes (12% for males and 3%
for females). The more significant proportion of negative
emotion lexis used in describing male athletes adds to
the trend in coverage identified throughout this report
that the stereotype of male stoicism is challenged in
television news coverage of sport, and that television
news has a broader inventory of narratives with which to
discuss male sport.
Chart 25: Emotion lexis overall, by sport type
0 100 200 300
250
The proportions of positive and negative emotivity in
overall television coverage of female sport and male
sport accentuated those of the studio introductions
(see page 32). Female athletes were more often
evaluated positively in the main body of reports
(60%, compared to 49% for male athletes), while
male athletes were more often evaluated negatively
(25%, compared to 7% for female athletes). There
was a higher proportion of evaluations from named
spokespeople, which is not surprising as studio
introductions are generally more focused on
journalists evaluations or facts, while the body of the
report is more likely to include spokespeople giving
their own evaluations.
Volume
400 500 600 700 800 900

Positive 700 110 32 842

First name only 184 44 7 235

Other noun phrase 157 47 12 216 Negative 346 367

Diminutive noun phrase 63 7 72

Male sport Female sport Mixed sport

Abbreviated first name 10 7 17

Chart 26: Emotivity overall, by sport type

Male sport Female sport Mixed sport
2 800 70.0

Chart 24: Gender-neutral naming devices overall, by sport type

Volume 2 100 60.0

0 200 400 600 800 1 000 1 200 1 400 1 600 1 800 2 000 54.8
53.5 54.0

Favourability
52.4
Team name

Volume
1 656 48 1 731 1 449 50.6
1 400 48.8 50.0

Sport/competition name 1 504 162 64 1 730

912
727
Family name only 1 224 116 1 359 700 40.0
204

Position 1 057 49 1 118 189 437

493
92 47 21
96 86 16
0 30.0
Nationality 846 137 1 005 Male sport Female sport Mixed sport Male sport Female sport Mixed sport
Positive Negative

State/country name 587 39 646 Favourable Neutral Unfavourable Average favourability

Age reference 431 51 496

Other noun phrase 373 52 435

Male sport Female sport Mixed sport

38 Towards a Level Playing Field: sport and gender in Australian media SECTION TWO 39

Examples of positive emotivity (in bold) included: Two-time world surfing champion Stephanie Gilmore Examples of negative emotivity included reporting on journalists have ways of framing male athletes and
is on track to claim her first Roxy pro title since her Roosters player Nate Myless six-match suspension, sport that do not apparently exist for female athletes
Kangaroo greats have hailed Billy Slaters
rookie year in 2005. Gilmore revelled in the clean including the State of Origin, and the $50 000 fine to and sport. Moreover, as noted previously, the focus
performance as one of the best ever for Australia in
one-metre swirl, easily outperforming former world his club for a drunken incident at a hotel on the New on athlete behaviour, which much negative emotivity
last nights humiliating defeat of England [coach
champion Chelsea Hedges The 21-year-old had South Wales coast: about male athletes is related to, is derived from an
Ricky Stewart] described the performance as Some
a nearly perfect ride (Ten News, Channel Ten engagement with the professional path of athletes that
of the best individual pieces of talent Ive seen Reporter John Hill stated: Its another blow for the
Sydney, 6 March 2009). such behaviour jeopardises.
at this level of football (Seven News, Channel 7 Roosters and the NRL, which has been plagued all
Sydney, 3 November 2008). season by drunken players behaving badly. As noted in the discussion of volition in first sentences
ARL chairman Colin Love described the situation as (pages 3233), volition has a direct relationship with
very disappointing. the narrative frame of agency, while non-volition lends
Chart 27: Source of evaluation overall, by sport type itself to reports framing athletes as the subject of
League expert Wayne Pearce criticised the whole discipline. As in the analysis of first sentences, female
2 000 70.0 code, saying I dont think its just the Roosters. athletes were more often presented in a position of
There is a bit too much alcohol, [from] drug to volition (38%, compared to 28% for male athletes), and
1 612 binge levels across the code; [its] something thats they were less likely to be presented in a position of
176 58.6 got to change (Ten News, Channel Ten Melbourne, non-volition than male athletes in overall reports (3%,
1 500 60.0
6 July 2009). compared to 10%). This again mirrors the greater use
54.8
of the narrative frame of discipline for discussions of

Favourability
52.1 52.2 52.4 Negative emotivity was also used in discussions of male
male sport that present male athletes as subject to the
Volume

50.0 athletic performance, such as:

1 000 50.0 discipline and regulation of a higher power.
973 Two of Australias greatest tennis players have
warned Lleyton Hewitt to change his game or give it Examples of volition (in bold) included:
514 away as Hewitt arrived in Perth for the Hopman
40.0
The New South Wales Swifts are looking to
500 99 Cup, Pat Rafter and John Newcombe both dished out
re-write the history books again this year with
238 some blunt advice He cant play the way he was
463 186 an unprecedented fourth consecutive netball
playing seven or eight years ago. It wont cut it out
93 49 177
premiership (Sports Tonight late edition,
93 21 10 there, [said Pat Rafter]. (Sports Tonight, Channel Ten
0 30.0 Channel Ten national, 6 March 2009).
Male sport Female sport Mixed sport Male sport Female sport Mixed sport national, 2 January 2009).
Journalist Named source Serena smashes Safina to claim her tenth Grand
Again, while examples of negative evaluation such
Slam title (Seven News, Channel 7 Melbourne,
Favourable Neutral Unfavourable Average favourability as these do not necessarily do the sport or athletes
1 February 2009).
any favours, it shows that Australian television news

Chart 28: Target of evaluation overall, by sport type

Chart 29: Volition overall, by sport type
2 400 70.0
1 600 70.0

60.7
1 800 60.0
55.5 54.8 55.0 1 200 60.0
53.3
Favourability

52.5 52.6 52.7 52.0 52.0

51.8 51.3 55.0 54.9
Volume

50.0 50.2 54.0

Favourability
1 123 50.0 52.7
1 200

Volume
139 835
48.4
800 50.0
812
46.0
614
600 40.0 480
547 368
400 40.0
370 137 218 117 287
19 29 56 26 33
196 8 120 83 6 5 7
80 30.0 117
0 122
314
Male Female Mixed Male Female Mixed Male Female Mixed Male Female Mixed Male Female 111
sport sport sport sport sport sport sport sport sport sport sport sport sport sport 65 36 11
57 59 5
0 30.0
Named person Team Event Other Unidentified
Male sport Female sport Mixed sport Male sport Female sport Mixed sport
sport
Volition Non-volition
Favourable Neutral Unfavourable Average favourability
Favourable Neutral Unfavourable Average favourability
40 Towards a Level Playing Field: sport and gender in Australian media SECTION TWO 41

Wakeboarding is a relatively new sport in Australia (24 reports), cycling and golf, as well as the team- Chart 30: Sports most reported by sport type
and one man has ensured the evolution maintains based sport of netball (mentioned in 36 reports overall, Volume
pace. [Josh Sanders has] secured the sports exclusively about women). Tennis, golf and cycling
0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700
future down under. In 2003 Josh helped establish are sports with male competitions as well, therefore
Australias own pro tour, to create opportunities the volume of coverage of these sports as played by Cricket 648 8 656
that didnt exist when he was starting out. females is likely to be a product of a journalist being
Josh is now starting out on a new endeavour: present to cover both male and female competitions. Australian rules football 459 464

a pro wakeboard school based right here on the In contrast, the majority of cricket, Australian rules Rugby league 438 438
Shoalhaven. Hes going to show the next generation football and rugby league covered is predominantly
just how its done (Sports Tonight, Channel Ten in male competitions. This is unsurprising due to the Football (soccer) 394 402
Sydney, 4 January 2009). expense of team sports and the infrastructure they
require, both of which are more readily available for Tennis 182 163 24 369
Meanwhile, examples of non-volition (bolded) included:
male sports given the core male audience for sport
Motor sports 246 16 262
Golfs wild child John Daly has revealed hes been (see Section Five for more details). Individual sports
banned from playing on the US Tour for bringing can subsist on the talent of a few individuals which, Horseracing 256 256

negative press to the game. He was already when that talent is proven, can lead to sponsorship and
other forms of funding. Female sport as a spectacle is Rugby union 188 189
suspended when he smashed a fans camera in
Australia last month. The final straw appears to have only relatively recent, whereas male team sports are
Golf 155 22 177
been his arrest for drunkenness outside a Hooters historically established.
restaurant (National Nine News, Channel Nine Cycling 76 18 100

Sydney, 1 January 2009). Leagues

The exile of North Melbourne champion Wayne Chart 31 shows the leagues mentioned in coverage, Male sport Female sport Mixed sport Other sport
Carey from Arden Street looks to be over While a largely mirroring the dominant sports shown in Chart 30.
role with the football department is unlikely, [North
Melbourne chairman James] Brayshaw has flagged Socioeconomic factors
Chart 31: Leagues most reported by sport type
a possible mentoring position for Carey with North
Chart 32 shows a variety of socioeconomic factors
Melbournes younger players (ABC News, ABC1 Volume
affecting media coverage of sport and athletes in
Melbourne, 5 March 2009). 0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350 400 450
Australia. Female jockey Claire Lindops status as
This further reinforces the finding that although women the first woman to win the Victoria Derby resulted in a AFL (Australian Football League) 406 406
are framed more favourably, a broader spectrum of relatively high volume of reports on horseracing (other
narratives is used to frame discussions of male sport sport) that had a specific focus on gender. Reports NRL (National Rugby League) 293 293
and athletes than female sport and athletes. often began with an opening sentence noting Lindops
history-creating win (for example, ABC News, ABC1 A-League (mens football [soccer]) 164 164
Sydney, 2 November 2008).
Leading issues Super 14 (mens rugby union competition) 63 63

Event results and preparation

Sport
While the reporting of male sport was far more
prevalent than that of female, mixed or other sport,
the majority of that coverage was of few sports;
particularly the team sports cricket, Australian rules
football, rugby league and football (soccer). As would
be expected, coverage of Australian rules football was
more prominent in Melbourne, while rugby league was
more prominent in Sydney. Coverage of cricket, on
the other hand, was spread more evenly across the
markets, which can be attributed to most reports being
about the national representative side as opposed to
local or state teams in Australia (it should be noted,
V8 Supercars (motor sports) 56 60
Chart 33 shows the number of times a range of
topics related to event results and preparation were
Formula 1 (motor sports) 55 55
mentioned in the coverage analysed, broken down by
gender. Unsurprisingly, the results of events were the
Sheffield Shield (mens first-class cricket) 55 55
most frequently discussed topic of reports, reinforcing
the media focus on end results over ongoing coverage PGA (Professional Golfers Association) 54 54
of before and after events. These reports made up a
higher proportion of coverage of female sport (68%) NBL (National Basketball League) 31 31
compared to that of male sport (47%), while reports
that referred to training and preparation made up a ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) 26 26
greater proportion of coverage of male sport (26%)
compared to female sport (12%). In fact, in all areas
except results and family support (8% of reports Male sport Mixed sport

however, that cricket coverage sometimes extended to
domestic competitions).
The range of female sports mentioned in coverage
was comparatively narrow, and primarily extended to
the individual sports of tennis (where women were
discussed almost as frequently as men), surfing
on female sport noted the support of the athletes
family, compared to 4% of reports on male sport), there
was a greater proportion of discussion of male sport
than female sport, demonstrating that (in addition to
a greater variation in the more subtle ways of framing
the two genders) there is a greater variety of topics
discussed in relation to male sport than female sport.
42 Towards a Level Playing Field: sport and gender in Australian media SECTION TWO 43

Chart 32: Socioeconomic factors reported by sport type Chart 34: Topics related to corporate aspects of sport reported by sport type
Volume Volume
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350 400

Indigenous athlete 42 4 46 Management 333 27 8 370

Sponsorship 54 55 66
Regional/amateur sport 29 10 1 2 42

Marketing 32 36
Specific focus on gender issues 1 13 5 19

Government investment 9 7 18

Athlete with disability 3 5 8

Australian Institute of Sport 4

Male sport Mixed sport Other sport Female sport

Male sport Other sport Mixed sport Female sport

Chart 33: Topics related to event results and preparation reported by sport type
Volume
proportionately more prominent in coverage of female
0 200 400 600 800 1 000 1 200 1 400 1 600 1 800 Leading messages sport (21%, compared to 11%; 7%, compared to 6%;
Chart 35 shows the leading messages mentioned in and 8%, compared to 4%).
Results 1 374 214 126 31 1 745
television news coverage of sport between October
2008 and July 2009, broken down by gender. The Unsurprisingly, given the range of reports on male
Training/fitness 749 39 59 861
leading message in the coverage was athletes are athletes behaving badly on and off the field discussed
successful, indicating the news value of winning in throughout this report, the three leading behaviour-
General performance 441 35 504 Australian media coverage. related unfavourable messages athletes are badly
behaved off field, athletes are badly behaved on field
Underscoring the notion that women are presented as and athletes are not positive role models were
Community support 230 59 309
proportionately more successful in coverage, with the almost exclusively mentioned in coverage of male sport.
subtext that they must be more successful to secure
Family support 115 26 160 any media coverage, the top three messages were

Partner support 80 87
Chart 35: Leading messages of coverage by sport type
Volume
Drug testing 25
0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350 400 450

Athletes are successful 319 65 56 445

Male sport Female sport Other sport Mixed sport

Favourable
Athletes are driven and/or ambitious 171 23 41 240

Corporate It should be noted, however, that the 333 male sport

reports mentioning management had an average Athleticism emphasised 106 24 134
Chart 34 shows the volume of coverage mentioning
favourability of 49.8 (slightly unfavourable), highlighting
a range of topics related to the corporate side of
that much of this discussion was of the disciplinary Athletes are positive role models 32 37
sport, broken down by gender. Female athletes
role sporting organisations, leagues and management
and sport were rarely discussed in this context,
play when athletes misbehave on or off the field. By
contributing to the overall impression that in Athletes are badly behaved off field 152 159
extension, this demonstrates that reports on athlete
television news coverage female sport is not
behaviour are not purely motivated by the news value
Unfavourable

discussed on the same level as male sport; it Athletes are badly behaved on field 97 102
of sensationalism, and that they reflect the status
receives less air time, is often presented as
accorded to male athletes as professionals and role
the novel exception to the male sport rule, and
models, and the impact of their behaviour on their future Athletes are outclassed 57 7 64
is not presented as the established, corporate,
professional prospects. It also reflects, to some extent,
professional pursuit that male sport is.
the visibility of administrative infrastructure built up to Athletes are not positive role modles 33 33
legitimise and support male sport as a profession.
Male sport Female sport Other sport Mixed sport
44 Towards a Level Playing Field: sport and gender in Australian media SECTION TWO 45

overwhelmingly male. Furthermore, while the majority Chart 37: Spokesperson gender share of voice Chart 38: Spokesperson gender share of voice
Leading spokespeople of spokespeople who discussed female sport were female sport mixed sport
Chart 36 shows the leading spokespeople quoted or female, the margin is much smaller compared to the
cited in the coverage analysed, broken down by gender. Male
corresponding proportion of males who were quoted 15%
Reflecting the dominance of cricket, Australian cricket discussing male sport (85%, compared to 99%).
team captain Ricky Ponting was the most prominent Female
Chart 39 shows the proportion of family members 27%
spokesperson overall. The leading spokespeople for
horseracing (other sport) were both male, reinforcing quoted in coverage, broken down by gender. Although
the dominance of men in that field despite the success male athletes were more often shown with their
of female jockey Claire Lindop, discussed previously families, it is interesting to note that family members
(page 40). (including parents, partners, siblings and grandparents)
were quoted in a higher proportion of coverage of
Reflecting the dominance of tennis in coverage of female sport.
female sport and emphasising that success is a
crucial ingredient for female sport to secure television Table 40: Gender of spokespeople quoted by sport type
news coverage, Serena Williams was the leading Sport Gender # %
female sporting figure quoted, although her comments
Female sport 258 100.00 Female Male
appeared in a low volume of reports overall. 85% 73%
Female 220 85.27
It is notable that the leading spokespeople in coverage Male 38 14.73
of mixed sport were male, indicating the pervasive Male sport 3 749 100.00
dominance of men in sports administration and the
Female 56 1.49
focus of reporting on personalities such as Lleyton
Male 3 693 98.51
Hewitt, rather than female athletes in coverage of
Chart 39: Family members quoted versus non-family sources (all other sources)
mixed events such as the Hopman Cup. Mixed sport 128 100.00
Female 35 27.34
Table 40 and Charts 3738 show the gender of 100
Male 93 72.66
spokespeople quoted in coverage of each kind of
Other sport 392 100.00
sport, highlighting that those who spoke (and who were
implicitly or explicitly presented in positions of authority) Female 52 13.27
about male sport, mixed sport and other sport were Male 340 86.73 75

Chart 36: Leading spokespeople quoted by sport type

Per cent
94.96% 97.70% 98.64% 98.44%
80.0 50
200

70.0

64.9
25
140
11 57.4 57.9
56.3
55.0
Favourability

51.8
Volume

50.5 50.0 50.0 5.04% 2.30%

100 50.0 0
Female sport Other sport Male sport Mixed sport

115 Family member Non-family source

46 47

18
33 27 26
10 17 17
29 21 6
17 10 15 5 5
14 13
0 7 20.0
Ricky Ponting,

Roger Federer,

Bart Cummings,

Blake Shinn,

Serena Williams,

Venus Williams,

Samantha Stosur,

John Coates,

Chic Henry,

Lleytin Hewitt,
Australian cricket
team captain

tennis player

horse trainer

jockey

tennis player

tennis player

tennis player

Australian Olympic
Committee

Summernats
organiser

tennis player

Male sport Other sport Female sport Mixed sport

Favourable comment Neutral comment Unfavourable comment Average favourability

46 Towards a Level Playing Field: sport and gender in Australian media SECTION TWO 47

Table 41 breaks down sporting discipline by the While individual stations have clear specialists on male
Leading media Leading by-lines and comperes leading journalists reporting on female sport. Again, sports (for example, Channel Nines Danny Weidler can
Chart 40 shows the breakdown of coverage, by volume, Chart 41 shows the leading journalists who reported on all leading journalists were male and were the be expected to report on NRL, while ABC1s Duncan
on each of the stations analysed. While coverage of sport in the coverage analysed, broken down by the gender anchor for their respective programs, rather than an Huntsdale can be relied on to report on cricket), fewer
female sport comprised 9% of the total, ABC1 Sydney of the participants of the sport in question. All four leading on-the-ground reporter. journalists could be identified as specialists on female
and Melbourne both had 11% proportions of reporting journalists were male and the anchor for their respective sports, with the attendant historical and statistical
on female sport, while Channel Nine Sydney and networks (Peter Wilkins on ABC1, Brad McEwen and Rob It is significant that although 250 single journalists
knowledge such specialisation brings.
Channel Ten Melbourne were at the lower end of the Canning on Channel Ten, and Alex Cullen on Channel 7). reported on male sport, only 82 single journalists
spectrum, with 6% each. While individual journalists were tracked for this analysis, reported on female sport. This is in part a reflection One-quarter of the 250 journalists reporting on
where reports were read by the anchor, the anchors of the fact that male sport tends to more readily spill male sport were female, while one-fifth of journalists
name was recorded. over into the main news bulletin of an evening news reporting on female sport were female. This indicates
report. It also reflects that a wider range of journalists, that not only is the content of sport reporting skewed
sport specialists or otherwise, is better equipped and to male sport, but the journalists producing it are
Chart 40: Television station coverage by sport type
more frequently commissioned to report on male sport. predominantly male.
Volume
0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350 400 450 500 550
Table 41: Leading journalists reporting on female sport by sport discipline
Channel Ten national 424 54 29 16 523
Journalist Sport Favourable Neutral Unfavourable Volume Average favourability
Channel Ten Sydney 360 39 29 12 440
Peter Wilkins 14 22 36 53.2
Tennis 6 15 21 51.9
Channel Ten Melbourne 349 28 53 8 438
Golf 2 5 7 52.9
SBS 313 33 13 10 369
Surfing 2 2 4 52.5

32 40 354
Athletics 2 2 55.0
Channel 7 Melbourne 277
Basketball 1 1 65.0
Channel 7 Sydney 284 22 19 10 335
Swimming 1 1 7.0

ABC1 Sydney 34 13 10 299 Rob Canning 7 15 22 52.5

242
Netball 5 6 11 53.2
ABC1 Melbourne 235 32 17 8 292
Tennis 3 3 5.0

Channel Nine Melbourne 217 25 32 10 284 Surfing 1 1 2 55.

Triathlon 1 1 6.0
Channel Nine Sydney 229 17 21 14 281
Golf 1 1 5.0
Basketball 1 1 5.0
Male sport Female sport Other sport Mixed sport
Cycling 1 1 5.0
Swimming 1 1 5.0
Chart 41: Leading journalists reporting on sport by sport type
BMX 1 1 5.0
240 70.0
Brad McEwan 3 16 19 51.3
Tennis 1 6 7 5.7
189 187
8 59.3 58.3 60.0 Golf 5 5 5.0
180 11

55.0 Sports general 2 2 5.0

54.0
Favourability

53.3 53.2 53.3

52.5 52.5 Netball 1 1 2 55.
50.8 51.1 51.3 51.0
Volume

50.3 50.6 50.0

113 50.0
120 Cricket 1 1 5.0
103
93 Gymnastics 1 1 5.0
163
13
Surfing 1 1 6.0
60 88
38 40.0
Ken Sutcliffe 8 7 15 54.7
36
68 22 Tennis 6 5 11 11 55.5
22 19 19
42
6 6 16 16 5 15 3 3 7 3
14 13 12 1 Cricket 1 1 1 55.0
0 7 6 30.0
Male Female Other Mixed Male Female Other Mixed Male Female Other Mixed Male Female Other Mixed Golf 1 1 1 5.0
sport sport sport sport sport sport sport sport sport sport sport sport sport sport sport sport
Peter Wilkins Brad McEwan Rob Canning Alex Cullen Sports general 1 1 1 5.0

Favourable Neutral Unfavourable Average favourability Skiing 1 1 1 55.0

48 Towards a Level Playing Field: sport and gender in Australian media SECTION TWO 49

Chart 44: Volume of female sports coverage, October 2008 to July 2009
Placement Trend analysis
Chart 42 shows where an athlete, team or sporting Charts 4447 show the volume of coverage of male, 160 70.0
official was referred to in a report (prominent mention female, mixed and other sport, broken down by time.
refers to a first-sentence mention, or three or more This highlights that although all sport coverage is
references in the body of the report). Lead story in primarily event-driven, male sport receives much more
Chart 43 shows the volume of reports that appeared in consistent levels of reporting year-round than female 120 60.0
the first five minutes of programming. sport, mixed sport or other sport (horseracing). This 56.7
55.8
55.0
reinforces the finding that all sport other than male 53.6 54.2 53.6 54.2
52.9

Favourability
52.4
sport tends to require results to generate media. 51.0

Volume
80 50.0

Chart 42: Placement of mention of athlete, team or official in a report by sport type 60
55 56
Volume
42
0 500 1 000 1 500 2 000 2 500 3 000 3 500 40 40.0
31
21 22
First sentence/introduction 2 605 215 202 69 3 091 11 12
6

0 30.0
Prominent mention 255 401 Oct 08 Nov 08 Dec 08 Jan 09 Feb 09 Mar 09 Apr 09 May 09 Jun 09 Jul 09

Volume Average favourability

Passing mention 71 124

Chart 45: Volume of male sports coverage, October 2008 to July 2009
Male sport Female sport Other sport Mixed sport

1 000 70.0

Chart 43: Volume of additional report features

Volume
0 500 1 000 1 500 2 000 2 500 3 000 3 500 4 000 750 60.0

52.5 53.1

Favourability
Graphics 2 920 313 264 103 3 600 52.1
50.9 51.3 51.2 50.9

Volume
50.7 50.6 50.1
500 50.0

Spokesperson quoted 1 812 179 180 65 2 236 382

335
310
283 277 292
266 258 263 265
Lead story 208 249 250 40.0

Male sport Female sport Other sport Mixed sport

0 30.0
Oct 08 Nov 08 Dec 08 Jan 09 Feb 09 Mar 09 Apr 09 May 09 Jun 09 Jul 09

Volume Average favourability

50 Towards a Level Playing Field: sport and gender in Australian media SECTION ONE

Chart 46: Volume of mixed sports coverage, October 2008 to July 2009

100 70.0

60.0 60.0
75 60.0

53.8

Favourability
51.4 51.6 51.7
50.7
Volume

50.0 50.0 50.6

50 50.0

38

25 40.0

14 13 14
8
6
3 4
2 1

SECTION THREE
0 30.0
Oct 08 Nov 08 Dec 08 Jan 09 Feb 09 Mar 09 Apr 09 May 09 Jun 09 Jul 09

Volume Average favourability

Chart 47: Volume of other sports coverage, October 2008 to July 2009
Qualitative and quantitative analysis
280 70.0 of the Beijing Olympic Games
August 2008
210 60.0
56.4

53.5

Favourability
52.2 51.7
51.5
Volume

142 50.0 50.0 50.3 50.0

49.5
140 50.0

70 40.0

31
23
18 15
13 9
6 6 3
0 30.0
Oct 08 Nov 08 Dec 08 Jan 09 Feb 09 Mar 09 Apr 09 May 09 Jun 09 Jul 09

Volume Average favourability

52 Towards a Level Playing Field: sport and gender in Australian media SECTION THREE 53

Chart 50: Share of sport by duration and sport type

Key metrics
Table 42: Key metrics, quantitative media analysis, Beijing 2008 Olympic Games
Key metrics
Total volume of media reports
Average favourability
Leading story focus (reports)
Leading message (mentions)
Leading spokesperson (mentions)
Leading media (number of reports)
Share of voice
Chart 49 shows the share of voice of each gender by Mixed sport
19%
volume, that is, the number of reports that mentioned
Female sport Male sport Mixed sport Male sport
either male sport, female sport or mixed sport. Male 42%
147 152 72 sport was mentioned in a higher number of reports.
58.1 55.6 53.2 However, Chart 50 and Table 43 show that, unlike year-
Athlete performance (113) Athlete performance (126) Athlete performance (26) round coverage of sport, the duration of these reports
Athletes are successful (83) Athletes are successful (79) Athletes are successful (19) was often not as long as those reports discussing
John Coates, Australian Olympic
female sport; instead, the two genders received an
Stephanie Rice, swimmer (17) Michael Phelps, US swimmer (8) equal proportion of time in television coverage.
Committee (12)
Channel 7 (54) Channel 7 (57) Channel 7 (31)
Chart 49: Share of voice by volume and sport type

As in year-round television news reporting on sport,

Gender overview coverage of female sport during the Olympics was
Mixed sport
Female sport
39%
19%
With regard to coverage of the Beijing 2008 Olympic slightly more favourable than coverage of male sport. Male sport
Games, in addition to denoting events that men and Rather than the behaviour of male athletes resulting in 42%
women participate in together (including sailing and less favourable coverage of male sport (as is the case Table 43: Share of voice by duration and sport type
equestrian), mixed sport coverage included the extensive for year-round coverage), this increase was the result
Sport type Duration (hh:mm:ss)
reporting on the opening and closing ceremonies. of female athletes being presented as slightly more
Female sport 3:01:20
successful, or less unsuccessful.
The Beijing Olympics had the highest number of female Male sport 2:59:46
competitors, who comprised 43% of participants overall.
Mixed sport 2:18:08
Total 8:19:14

Chart 48: Volume of coverage by sport type Female sport

39% Primary story focus
280 70.0
Chart 51 shows the main focus of each television
news report on the Beijing Olympics. As in year-round
coverage of sport, reporting on the Olympics was
largely event-driven as athlete performance was the
210 58.1 60.0
55.6
53.2 Favourability
154 Chart 51: Primary focus of television report by sport type
147
Volume

140 50.0 200 70.0

44
62

72
70 40.0 150 60.0
97 44 126
82

Favourability
113

Volume
23
0 30.0 100 50.0
Male sport Female sport Mixed sport

Favourable Neutral Unfavourable Average favourability

50 40.0

26 23
21 22 20
7 4
3 3 3 1 1
0 30.0
Athlete performance Training and preparation Sporting industry Athlete profile Athlete behaviour

Volume male sport Volume female sport Volume mixed sport

Average favourability male sport Average favourability female sport Average favourability mixed sport
54 Towards a Level Playing Field: sport and gender in Australian media SECTION THREE 55

main theme of most coverage analysed. However,
there was a greater interest in the training and
Text type
preparation of female athletes at the Olympics than Table 44: Text type by sport type
in year-round coverage.
Male Female Mixed
Text type sport sport sport
News report 152 144 70
Nationality of athletes
Profile 1 1
As in Section Two, any time an Australian athlete Match preview 1 1
was mentioned in a report, the primary nationality
Human interest 1 1
of the report was automatically listed as Australian.
News brief 1 1
So, while Chart 52 accurately depicts the volume
Match report 1 1
of reports in which Australian athletes were
mentioned, it is not as accurate a depiction of when
international athletes were mentioned (when they
were discussed in the same report as an Australian Narrative frame
athlete, the default for this section was Australian).
In line with the more equal volumes of coverage of male
Nevertheless, free-to-air television news coverage of and female sport at the Olympics, Chart 53 shows
the Olympics in Australia overwhelmingly favoured a more equitable distribution of the narrative frames
stories that included Australian athletes and almost used to describe athletes and teams when compared to
entirely reported on international athletes only in year-round coverage.
the context of their competition with Australians.
Coverage of outstanding male international athletes As would be expected, athletic prowess was the most
Asafa Powell and Michael Phelps was the main frequently used frame, although adversity was more
exception to this trend. prominent in Olympics coverage as a result of higher
stakes injury or other adversity posed. However, there
was negligible discussion of athletes in the context of
discipline in Olympics coverage.
Female Olympians were more likely to be presented
Total in a position of agency than their male counterparts
366 and their year-round female sporting counterparts. The
2 domestic lives of both female and male athletes were
2 discussed (that is, reference made to family and loved
ones) approximately ten times more in coverage of the
2
Olympics than in year-round coverage (where 1.3% of
coverage of female athletes and 1.5% of coverage of
male athletes used a domestic narrative frame, while
in coverage of the Olympics, these proportions were
8% and 10%, respectively).
Chart 54: Image analysis studio backdrop, by sport type
0 10
Action shot
Visual analysis studio backdrop
Charts 5456 show the qualitative content and
social distance of imagery accompanying the studio
introductions to television news reports on the
Olympics, adapting the categories used to analyse
print media imagery in Section One.
In line with Section One, both the studio backdrop in
the introductions to television reports and the images
in the reports themselves were analysed based on
whether they were action shots, posed, glamour
or domestic. Although Section One finds that press
articles had an almost 5050 split between action shots
and posed shots (page 9), this analysis found that action
shots were more commonly used than posed shorts in
the background of Olympics story introductions.
Volume
20 30 40 50
23 19 7 49

Chart 52: Coverage of nationality of athletes by sport type

Posed shot 10 10 10 30
Volume
0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350 400
Glamour/fashion shot 2 2

Australian 147 145 69 361

Posed action shot 1 1 2

Other 7 12

Relationship/domestic shot 2 2
Male sport Female sport Mixed sport

Sexualised shot 1 1
Chart 53: Narrative frames used in coverage by sport type
Volume Female sport Male sport Mixed sport
0 50 100 150 200 250 300

Athletic prowess 119 117 43 279

Chart 55: Social distance of image studio backdrop, by sport type
Adversity 25 25 7 57
Volume
Other 19 23 14 56 0 10 20 30 40 50

Agency 25 17 11 53 Social 20 13 14 47

Domestic role 14 12 4 30
Intimate 17 9 7 33

Diaspora 3 6

Public 6 9 3 18
Discipline 3 4

Female sport Male sport Mixed sport

Female sport Male sport Mixed sport
56 Towards a Level Playing Field: sport and gender in Australian media SECTION THREE 57

Chart 56: Emotional display studio backdrop, by sport type As outlined in Sections One and Two, the objective of Figure 8: Example of the use of the phrase golden girls
analysing naming devices was to identify to what extent
60 70.0 stories drew attention to the gender of athletes and away
65.0 65.0 from their performance. In line with Section One, 24% of
62.7 all studio introductions in the coverage of the Olympics
61.7
analysed for this report contained a gendered naming
45 58.8 60.0
56.9 57.5 device. The split between gendered naming devices used
54.3 55.0 55.0 in female sport and male sport was, however, pronounced
53.3

Favourability
(27%, compared to 10%, respectively).
Volume

30 50.0
30 50.0 While only coverage of female sport contained
4
diminutive noun phrases (for example, girls), it should
be noted that the use of the word girl in these seven
16
cases was generally used in phrases such as golden
15 12 12
40.0
25 7 girl or glamour girl. Consistent with Section One, these
2 3 Use of the phrase golden girls in television news (Ten News,
7 were most likely used for alliterative effect rather than
Channel Ten Melbourne, 11 August 2008)
9 10 9 5 2 3 2 2 an attempt (deliberate or otherwise) to portray females
2 1 1 1
2 2 2 2 30.0 as younger or softer than males (which is consistent
0
Female Mixed Male Female Male Mixed Male Mixed Male Mixed Male Mixed with remarks made on page 13), or to infantilise
sport sport sport sport sport sport sport sport sport sport sport sport Unsurprisingly, given the international nature of
Happy Focused Serious Enthusiastic Relieved the athletes (which Vande Berg and Projansky [2003] the Olympics, in the coverage it was more likely for
suggested is the function of diminutive noun phrases presenters to mention the nationality of athletes,
Favourable Neutral Unfavourable Average favourability
in sporting commentary). such as:
As the analysis of year-round coverage found, in coverage the American superstar
of the Olympics it was more common for gender-neutral
Australian rowers have started a big week of
naming devices than gendered naming devices to be
celebrations
In Olympics coverage the most common type of posed there were minimal glamour or sexualised shots in the used in studio introductions. As there are a number of
shot showed the athlete celebrating after receiving studio backdrop of television reports on the Olympics. competitors and sports in the Olympics that are not Australias water polo women played a nail-biter
their medal. Reports often showed a montage of Interestingly, there were more images of women (36) in widely discussed in general sports programming, it was against bitter rivals Hungary
both action and posed shots in the studio backdrop. the studio backdrop than of men (29). more likely for the sport or team name to be mentioned. Australia has just won 13th Olympic gold medal
These images were most often at a social or intimate
A number of family name only mentions that appeared in Australian Jared Tallent has delivered one of the
distance. This is not surprising given that they are in
the caption displayed on the studio backdrop made puns surprise performances of the Beijing Games.
the studio backdrop, which only takes up part of the Linguistic analysis studio introduction of the athletes family names (see Figure 9).
screen, along with the anchor, making the content of
public images difficult to see. This is consistent with Charts 5763 show the results of discourse analysis of
the findings of Section One that 50% of images were the first sentence spoken by the journalist in television
at a social distance. As in Sections One and Two, news reporting on the Olympics. The various tools used Chart 58: Gender-neutral naming devices studio introduction, by sport type
have been adapted directly from Section One.
Volume
0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140
Chart 57: Gendered naming devices studio introduction, by sport type
Sport/competition name 57 43 23 123

Volume
Nationality 30 29 25 84
0 10 20 30 40
State/country name 16 19 6 41
Gendered pronoun 21 11 3 35
Team name 9 14 6 29

Other noun phrase 15 4 1 20 Other noun phrase 6 7 11 24

Gender-neutral pronoun 2 7 7 16
Diminutive noun phrase 7 7

Family name only 5 8 14

First name only 2 2

Position 7 3 11

Age reference 2
Female sport Male sport Mixed sport

Male sport Female sport Mixed sport

58 Towards a Level Playing Field: sport and gender in Australian media SECTION THREE 59

Figure 9: Examples of family names made into puns in Consistent with Section Two, the majority of emotion
studio backdrops lexis used to describe athletes behaviour in studio
introductions in coverage of the Olympics was
positive. In contrast to the analysis of year-round sport
coverage, only 2% of first sentences in reports on the
Olympics included references to negative emotion lexis
(compared to 7% of year-round coverage), underscoring
the up-beat nature of Olympics coverage on Australian
television news. As with gender-neutral naming devices,
the majority of mixed sport mentions of positive
emotion appeared in reports on the opening and closing
ceremonies and Australian Olympians in general,
without specifying gender. These included phrases such
as while our Olympians will be bursting with pride when
they march into the Birds Nest stadium, theyre already
Rice bubbles (National Nine News, Channel Nine Melbourne, basking in the thrill of last nights official welcome
13 August 2008) (National Nine News, Channel Nine Melbourne, 8 August
2008) and Australias swimmers are confident (Seven
News, Channel 7 Melbourne, 1 August 2008).
A slightly higher proportion of both positive and
negative emotions appeared in studio introductions
for female sport than for male sport (which could be
interpreted as giving some support to the stereotype
that women are presented as displaying more emotion
Figure 10: Example of negative emotion used in Most reports that contained emotivity in the studio
studio backdrop introduction also contained an evaluation elsewhere in
the report. As the analysis of year-round television news
coverage of sport found, there was a higher proportion
of positive emotivity in discussion of female sport;
moreover, male sport had a higher proportion of negative
emotivity. With all sport, the majority of evaluations were
made by the journalists and were towards a named
person or team. However, there were a higher number of
evaluations of teams in coverage of mixed sport, as the
majority of this coverage was devoted to the anticipation
and reflection of teams performances during the opening
and closing ceremonies, respectively.
Injury blow (Seven News, Channel 7 Melbourne, 4 August 2008)
Chart 60: Emotivity studio introduction, by sport type
60 70.0
62.1 61.5
45 60.0
40
54.4

Favourability
7
51.3 51.7
than men). Some examples of positive emotion

Volume
attributed to female sport included: tears of joy as a 30 47.5
50.0
24
lifelong Olympic dream is realised (Ten News, Channel
Ten Melbourne, 12 August 2008) and Stephanie Rice 6
18
says she is overwhelmed after being chosen to carry 33
15 40.0
the Australian flag (Seven News, Channel 7 Melbourne, 9
18 8
23 August 2008). 2 6
8 4 3 2
Mills and Boomers (Ten News, Channel Ten Melbourne,
6 August 2008) Although there were minimal examples of negative 0 2 2 30.0
emotion in the studio introductions of television Female sport Male sport Mixed sport Male sport Female sport Mixed sport
Positive Negative
coverage of the Olympics, the majority of these were in
While mixed sport had the highest number of other Favourable Neutral Unfavourable Average favourability
discussions of female sport, with both image captions
gender-neutral terms, such as stars and heroes, this
and spoken words used for full effect. For example,
was due to these phrases being used in coverage of
the introductory sentence Hockeyroo Fiona Johnson is
the opening and closing ceremonies, not coverage of Chart 61: Source of evaluation studio introduction, by sport type
devastated about being the first Aussie sent home due
specific mixed sports. Examples included Australias
to injury (Seven News, Channel 7 Melbourne, 4 August
stars of the pool have just arrived in Beijing and 80 70.0
2008) was accompanied by the picture in Figure 10.
home-grown heroes.

60.8 60.0
59.2 58.8
60 60.0
Chart 59: Emotion lexis studio introduction, by sport type

Favourability
46 52.5

Volume
Volume 40 10 50.0
0 5 10 15 20 25 30
30

9
10 11 7 28
Positive 20 18 40.0
35
9
19
3 1 1 5 4
Negative 7 2 1
0 2 30.0
Female sport Male sport Mixed sport Mixed sport Male sport
Journalist Named source
Female sport Mixed sport Male sport
Favourable Neutral Unfavourable Average favourability
60 Towards a Level Playing Field: sport and gender in Australian media SECTION THREE 61

Chart 62: Target of evaluation studio introduction, by sport type Chart 64: Image analysis overall, by sport type

Volume
40 70.0
0 50 100 150 200 250 300

63.5
61.8 62.5 Action sequence 119 130 36 285

30 60.0
57.5
56.1 55.6 Posed sequence 37 24 12 73
54.3

Favourability
23 52.5 52.5
Volume

50.0 50.0 Relationship/domestic sequence 20 18 40

20 5 19 50.0
18
1 46.7
1
3 Glamour/fashion sequence 4 8
14
6 1
Sexualised sequence 4 7
10 8
40.0
18 9
15 6 1 6
11 3 4 Posed action sequence 2
3 3
6 2 2 2 2
3 4 4 1
2 2 2 1
0 30.0
Female sport Male sport Mixed sport
Female Male Mixed Female Mixed Male Female Mixed Male Mixed Male Mixed
sport sport sport sport sport sport sport sport sport sport sport sport
Named person Team Unidentified sportsperson Event Other

Favourable Neutral Unfavourable Average favourability

Chart 65: Social distance of image overall, by sport type

Volume
0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350
Chart 63: Volition studio introduction, by sport type

Public 132 125 52 309

60 70.0

Social 119 120 49 288

60.5
45 58.3 60.0
Intimate 85 84 41 210

53.0

Favourability
52.5
Volume

31 Male sport Female sport Mixed sport

30 5
50.0
46.3

20 Chart 66: Emotional display overall, by sport type

3
15 40.0
26 200 70.0
67.5
17 65.4
5 4
2 2 62.5
2 61.7
3 60.9
0 30.0 59.2 58.8
Female sport Male sport Mixed sport Female sport Male sport 150 60.0
Volition Non-volition 55.1 55.4
54.3 53.8

Favourability
Favourable Neutral Unfavourable Average favourability 52.1
108

Volume
50.0 50.4 50.0
100 50.0
25
80

19
The majority of examples of volition in coverage of the
Olympics were positive for both female and male sport
Visual analysis overall 46
57
40.0
50 39
81 26
although despite both genders having similar proportions Charts 6466 show the qualitative content and social 28
60 25 15
of coverage, female athletes were more often reported distance of imagery accompanying television news 15 14
22 12 13 11 10
reports on the Olympics, adapting the categories used 29 8 6
as acting of their own wishes and aiming for strong 19 22
10 11 6
9 13 3
6 5 7 8 6
results in the studio introductions. However, of the small to analyse print media imagery in Section One. 0 30.0
Female Male Mixed Male Female Mixed Male Mixed Female Mixed Male Female Female Male Mixed
number of examples of negative volition, female sport sport sport sport sport sport sport sport sport sport sport sport sport sport sport sport
was more often described in these terms. Happy Focused Serious Enthusiastic Crying (joy)

Favourable Neutral Unfavourable Average favourability

62 Towards a Level Playing Field: sport and gender in Australian media SECTION THREE 63

Unsurprisingly, as this analysis focuses exclusively on
television coverage, the majority of reports contained
images. Only 41 reports did not contain an image
that could be analysed (that is, the whole report was
the compere or anchor speaking to camera, with no
accompanying vision). Images overall had a higher
proportion of domestic sequences than the studio
backdrop, and these were largely either family watching the
events from home or athletes embracing family members
after their win. There was also a higher proportion of action
sequences than posed sequences, with almost all reports
showing some footage of the event.
A high proportion of reports showed at least two
different social distances of images, which is not
surprising given that television reports are put together
with a variety of framed shots in order to maintain
audience interest. There was a higher number of
glamour or sexualised shots than in the studio backdrop
(such as in Figure 11).
Figure 11: Examples of glamour shots in television news reports
In contrast to year-round reporting on sport, and
lending some support to the stereotype that women are
likely to display more emotion than men (as mentioned
in Section One, page 8, and discussed in relation to
emotion lexis throughout this report), it is worth noting
that Chart 66 demonstrates that the visual content of
television coverage of the Olympics more frequently
showed women emoting (happy or crying with joy),
while male athletes were more likely to be shown in less
emotive footage (focused, serious or enthusiastic).
Chart 56, which provides the same information for
studio introductions of television news reports on the
Olympics, similarly shows that women were more often
shown displaying happiness.
Linguistic analysis overall
Charts 6773 show the results of discourse analysis
of television news reporting on the Olympics. The
various tools used have been adapted directly from
Section One.
Consistent with Section Two, a higher proportion of
Olympics coverage mentioned an athlete by their first
name only in overall coverage of female sport than
male sport. This is not necessarily due to the fact that
Only 70% of the total coverage of the Olympics
analysed mentioned the sport or competition name
in either the studio introduction or the body of the
report. It is likely that this was due to the assumption
that when using team names such as Hockeyroos and
Socceroos the sport that was being discussed was
presumed to be obvious.
There were more uses of family name only in discussion
of male sport compared to female sport during the
Olympics, although the difference in proportion is
not as large as for first name only mentions. There
was also a higher number of mentions of athletes
as stars, champions and heroes for both male
and female sport, when looking at the overall result
Chart 67: Gendered naming devices overall, by sport type
0 10
Other noun phrase
First name only 21
compared to the studio introductions. A high proportion
of this coverage of female sport focused on Australian
female swimmers.
The use of an age reference when reporting on
Olympic athletes was more common in television
news reports discussing female sport (59% of total
age references), with the female swimmers described
as young women and the basketball team labelled
young stars. A number of these references were in
reports focused on Australian diver Melissa Wu, who
won a silver medal at the age of 16. Coverage of male
sport had a smaller proportion of age references, with
shooter Michael Diamond and rower James Tomkins
described as veterans, while the ages of swimmer
Volume
20 30 40 50 60
23 30 5 58
11 5 37

females are more often referred to by their first names

only, but possibly that the female Olympic athletes
Diminutive noun phrase 21 2 1 24
are considered more well known than their male
counterparts. In contrast to the analysis of year-round
reporting on sport, which found equal proportions of Abbreviated first name 5 5
diminutive noun phrases in overall coverage of men and
women, in the coverage of the Olympics the volume of
diminutives was greater in reports on female sport. Female sport Male sport Mixed sport

The sizeable difference in the volume of diminutive

noun phrases used for women compared to men cannot Chart 68: Gender-neutral naming devices overall, by sport type
be ignored: the very use of diminutives suggests that,
consciously or otherwise, women in sport are not Volume
presented by the media as seriously as men in sport. 0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160
Ten News, Channel Ten Melbourne, 21 August 2008
However, as noted in relation to the use of gendered
naming devices for studio introductions, the majority of Sport/competition name 67 56 26 149

diminutive noun phrases were used in reports on the

Australian womens swimming squad and appeared to Nationality 64 51 26 141

be used for alliterative effect, with phrases such as

glamour girl and golden girls. The concentration of Family name only 45 34 10 89
the word girls to describe this squad suggests that
(whether politically correct or not) this has become a Team name 31 36 9 76
generally accepted way of referring to the athletes.
Other noun phrase 28 20 15 63
The high proportion of the use of other noun phrases
such as women or men was more likely due to
State/country name 31 22 6 59
comperes having to differentiate between the events
that have both female and male versions, than the use
Age reference 14 32 8 54
of the phrases to emphasise whether men or women
were competing (for example, the womens K4, the
Position 10 5 16
mens hockey team, the womens water polo team
Ten News, Channel Ten Melbourne, 11 August 2008 or the mens 100-metre freestyle).
Male sport Female sport Mixed sport
64 Towards a Level Playing Field: sport and gender in Australian media SECTION THREE 65

Michael Phelps, walker Jared Tallent and diver used in the coverage of female sport and more Chart 71: Source of evaluation overall, by sport type
Matthew Mitcham were all discussed as added negative emotivity in the coverage of male sport.
context in reporting on their successes. There was also a higher proportion of evaluations 80.0
180
from named spokespeople. This is not surprising as
As with emotion lexis in the studio introductions
studio introductions are generally more focused on 70.0
of reports, a higher proportion of both positive and
journalists evaluations or facts, while the body of the 150 70.0
negative emotion was displayed by, or attributed to,
report is more likely to include spokespeople giving 63.9
female athletes than male athletes overall. Some
their own evaluations. The difference in the proportion 59.4 58.5
athletes were described as being distressed and 120 57.6 60.0
of evaluations targeting named sources compared to

Favourability
disappointed with their performances, while others 54.1
teams was more pronounced in overall coverage than in

Volume
were described as being elated and over the moon,
studio introductions. 90 50.0
most often when they won medals unexpectedly. 81 78
7
As with the studio introductions, in overall coverage of
There was less difference in the proportion of 21
16
the Olympics, reports that mentioned volition were more 60 40.0
positive emotivity in overall television coverage of
likely in discussions of female sport. The proportions
female sport and male sport than in the studio
of non-volition were, however, more equal in overall 33
introductions. However, as with year-round coverage, 30 59 30.0
coverage than in studio introductions, in which female 53 15 18
there was still a higher proportion of positive emotivity 13
sport was more often discussed.
16 5
14 9
00 5 20.0
Male sport Female sport Mixed sport Female sport Male sport Mixed sport
Journalist Named source
Chart 69: Emotion lexis overall, by sport type
Favourable Neutral Unfavourable Average favourability

Volume
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90

Chart 72: Target of evaluation overall, by sport type

Positive 34 26 20 80

120 70.0
Negative 14 11 1 26

58.2 59.8 58.7

Female sport Male sport Mixed sport
90 60.0
56.7
55.2 55.0 55.0
72 53.6 54.2

Favourability
52.5
66

Volume
50.0 50.0
Chart 70: Emotivity overall, by sport type 60 20 50.0
14

120 70.0 41

9
30 25 40.0
50 50 22 23
61.5 5
59.6 10 5 12
30
90 60.0 6
11 15 11 3 3 2 2 3
78 55.9
54.0 0 30.0
71 52.9 Male Female Mixed Female Male Mixed Female Mixed Male Mixed Female Mixed
Favourability

14
sport sport sport sport sport sport sport sport sport sport sport sport
Volume

14 49.2 Named person Team Event Unidentified Other

60 50.0 sportsperson
Favourable Neutral Unfavourable Average favourability

32 31
30 64
56 7 40.0
13 20
13
7
18 6
11 10
5
0 30.0
Female sport Male sport Mixed sport Male sport Female sport Mixed sport
Positive Negative

Favourable Neutral Unfavourable Average favourability

66 Towards a Level Playing Field: sport and gender in Australian media SECTION THREE 67

Chart 73: Volition overall, by sport type The findings of this analysis, therefore, challenge the to the relative success of the womens swimming
traditional stereotypes referred to in Section One, as squad, and might have been reversed had the male
120 70.0 well as offer opportunities for reconceptualising such members of the team been more successful.
stereotypes in the light of actual media interest identified
While there were more reports about community
62.1 in this study.
support for female athletes, this appeared to be mostly
90 58.2
60.0 a function of the success of the athletes themselves
56.3 Event results and preparation and did not suggest any particular gender bias.
53.8

Favourability
52.7
Unsurprisingly, results were the most frequently
Volume

62
60 50.0 discussed topic in coverage related to events. These Corporate
8
51 reports were evenly divided between male and female
48.0 The high proportion of reports about management in
14
sport, with no discernable difference in the style or
Chart 76 is due to the opening and closing ceremonies
content of reports.
30 40.0 falling into this category. The medias interest in
53
20 Reports that mentioned family support were also Stephanie Rice also contributed to the large number of
35 13 12
9 divided equally between genders. Although there is reports in this category as a result of her selection to
5 4 5
9 6 5 4
some evidence that family support for female athletes carry the Australian flag during the closing ceremony.
0 30.0 was more pronounced, this can be somewhat attributed
Female sport Male sport Mixed sport Male sport Female sport Mixed sport
Volition Non volition

Favourable Neutral Unfavourable Average favourability

Chart 75: Topics related to event results and preparation reported by sport

Volume
focus on the individual successes of athletes such as
Leading issues Stephanie Rice, Leisel Jones and Libby Trickett.
0 50 100 150 200 250

Sport Results 95 98 14 207

It is noteworthy that the ratio of mens to womens
Australias traditional strength in swimming is reflected coverage was fairly even across most of the leading
Family support 45 43 10 98
in Chart 74, which shows that this sport received the Olympic sports, with the exceptions of football, rowing
most media coverage during the Beijing Olympics. and water polo. The disproportionately large volume
of reports about womens water polo, compared to Training/fitness 30 36 19 85
The strength of the womens squad is also reflected in
the equal proportion of womens and mens coverage mens water polo, was a result of media interest in the
extremely close match between Australia and Hungary. Partner support 19 20 6 45
(49 and 51 reports, respectively). However, mens
swimming events were more likely to be mentioned Only two of the sports in Chart 74 were female Community support 18 13 11 42
as part of broader daily Olympics updates, whereas appropriate sports as discussed by Jones (2003);
coverage of womens swimming events tended to Jones, Murrell and Jackson (1999), and Daddario (1998) General performance 14 12 10 36
(cited in Section One, pages 67): diving and swimming.
Drug testing 434 11

Chart 74: Sports most reported by sport type

Female sport Male sport Mixed sport
Volume
0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140
Chart 76: Topics related to corporate aspects of sport reported by sport type
Swimming 51 49 31 131

Volume
Athletics 37 36 16 89
0 5 10 15 20 25
Basketball 27 37 11 75

Management 11 6 4 21
Hockey 24 22 5 51

Sports general 11 12 25 48 Sponsorship 4 3 1 8

Cycling 21 16 7 44
Government investment 4 1 5
Rowing 18 4 14 36

Diving 8 10 4 22 Marketing 1 3 4

Football (soccer) 18 19
Australian Institute of Sport 1 1 2
Water polo 13 3 17

Mixed sport Female sport Male sport

Male sport Female sport Mixed sport
68 Towards a Level Playing Field: sport and gender in Australian media SECTION THREE 69

The likelihood that the International Olympic Committee
would not include softball in the London Games also
contributed to management being the most frequently
mentioned corporate topic.
Stephanie Rice was discussed in two of the marketing
reports about female sport, as well as the mixed sport
marketing report. Libby Trickett and Sally McLennan
were also mentioned in the marketing context, indicating
of the Olympics tends to focus on athletes who win Chart 78: Volume of leading favourable and unfavourable messages by sport type, 3 to 26 August 2008
medals or those who were expected to win but did
not. Interestingly, there were more mentions of the 25
unfavourable message athletes were outclassed in
coverage of male sport, which may suggest that the
20
media had higher expectations of Australias male
athletes which, in itself, could suggest some bias. 1
Considering that the split of medal wins between males 9
15
8

Volume
that although there was only a low volume of reports of and females was even, it is not surprising that the 8
11
this nature, there was some degree of media interest number of times athletes were presented as successful 10
6
in discussing female athletes in a sporting industry was also evenly split. Consistent with the discourse 10 3
context. This contrasts with the analysis of year-round analysis of volition, female athletes were more often
television news coverage, in which there were no reports described as being driven or ambitious, while male 1
2
4
on female athletes in this context. All reports in this athletes had their athleticism emphasised more often. 7 1 11
5 10 4
9 1 8 3 3 1
category focused on the potential earning power of The athletic prowess of male athletes most often 6 8 2 2
5 7 7 1 6 2
1 5
these athletes following their Olympics successes. appeared in reporting on Michael Phelps and Asafa 4
3
2 4
3 3 3
2
3
4
2 2 2
Powell. The behaviour of female athletes both on and 0
1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

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4/08/2008
7/08/2008
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off the field was not discussed unfavourably in media
Leading messages coverage, while the behaviour of male athletes was.
In comparison to year-round television news reporting
The leading message in Olympics coverage was on sport, however, only a small number of reports Athletes are successful Athletes are outclassed
athletes are successful, followed by athletes are focused on behaviour.
outclassed. This is unsurprising as media coverage Male sport Female sport Mixed sport

Australian Olympic Committee head John Coates was

Leading spokespeople the leading spokesperson for mixed sport, with the
Chart 77: Leading messages of coverage by sport type
Chart 79 shows the leading spokespeople quoted majority of his comments made about the opening and
Volume in the coverage analysed, broken down by the closing ceremonies. US swimmer Michael Phelpss
0 25 50 75 100 125 150 175 200 gender of the sport they discussed. The dominance dominance in the pool led to him being the leading
of Australian female swimmers during the Beijing spokesperson in the coverage of male sport, followed
Athletes are successful 79 83 19 181 Olympics is emphasised by the fact that two of the three by surprise medal winner Jared Tallent and retiring
leading female spokespeople were female swimmers. swimmer Grant Hackett.
Favourable

Athletes are driven and/or ambitious 12 20 5 37

Athleticism emphasised 13 4 17 Chart 79: Leading spokespeople quoted by sport type

Athletes handle pressure well 4 40 70.0

65.9

Athletes are outclassed 22 13 5 40

61.8 61.3 61.4
60.6

Athletes are badly behaved on field 2 30 60.0

57.3
55.6 55.0
Unfavourable

Government support of sport is insufficient 53.3

Favourability
2

Volume
20 50.0
Athletes are badly behaved off field 1
17

Athletes do not handle pressure well 1 7 12

11 11
9
Athleticism downplayed 1 10 8 8 40.0
5 7 7
9
9 3
10 8 6 3
Male sport Female sport Mixed sport 6
6 5
3 4
2 1 2 1
0 30.0
Stephanie Penny Libby John James Kevin Rudd, Michael Jared Grant
Rice, Taylor, Trickett, Coates, Tomkins, Australian Phelps, Tallent, Hackett,
swimmer basketballer swimmer AOC rower Prime swimmer walker swimmer
Minister
Female sport Mixed sport Male sport

Favourable Neutral Average favourability

70 Towards a Level Playing Field: sport and gender in Australian media SECTION THREE 71

Chart 80: Spokesperson gender share of voice Chart 81 shows the number of quotes attributed to Chart 82: Television station coverage by sport type
mixed sport family members in coverage of the Olympics, broken
down by the gender of the sport they discussed. As Volume
in year-round television news sports coverage, family 0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160
Female members (including parents, partners, siblings and
34% grandparents) were quoted in a higher proportion of Channel 7 Melbourne 57 54 31 142
coverage of female sports.

ABC1 Melbourne 35 33 13 81
Chart 81: Volume of family members quoted, by sport type

60 Channel Nine Melbourne 31 29 15 75

56

50 Channel Ten Melbourne 31 31 13 75

Male
40 Male sport Female sport Mixed sport
66%
34
Volume
30
The higher proportion of male spokespeople in the Table 46: Favourability of television station coverage by sport type
coverage of mixed sport is, in part, because Jacques Sport type Station Favourable Neutral Unfavourable Volume Average favourability
20
Rogge and John Coates were frequently quoted as
Male sport 82 62 10 154 55.6
representatives of their respective Olympic committees
in the coverage of the opening and closing ceremonies. 10 Channel 7 Melbourne 29 24 4 57 56.1
This points to the fact that, when participation is taken 4 ABC1 Melbourne 20 12 3 35 56.0
out of the equation, the administration of sport is
0 Channel Ten Melbourne 14 15 2 31 54.4
presented by the media as a male-dominated domain.
Female sport Male sport Mixed sport Channel Nine Melbourne 19 11 1 31 55.6
Table 45 shows that in the coverage of female sport Female sport 97 44 6 147 58.1
more than one-quarter of spokespeople were male,
Channel 7 Melbourne 32 19 3 54 56.5
while in the coverage of male sport, less than 15% of
commentators were female. Coupled with Chart 80, Leading media ABC1 Melbourne 24 8 1 33 58.6
these figures highlight that men are more likely to be Chart 82 shows the breakdown of coverage, by Channel Ten Melbourne 22 8 1 31 60.5
positioned as having something interesting to say about volume, broadcast on each of the stations analysed. Channel Nine Melbourne 19 9 1 29 57.9
sport male sport, female sport or the administrative Unsurprisingly, given it was the official Olympics station,
side of sport than women. Mixed sport 23 44 5 72 53.2
Channel 7 had the highest volume of coverage overall.
Channel 7 Melbourne 12 19 31 54.4
All stations analysed had a similar proportion of
Table 45: Gender of spokespeople quoted by sport type
coverage of male and female sport during the Olympics, Channel Nine Melbourne 7 8 15 54.7
Sport Gender # % which is significantly different to the proportion in Channel Ten Melbourne 2 9 2 13 51.9
Female sport 261 general sports coverage, in which there were few
ABC1 Melbourne 2 8 3 13 50.0
Female 191 73 mentions of female sport across all stations.
Male 70 27
Male sport 229
Female 31 14
Male 198 86
Mixed sport 173
Female 58 34
Male 115 66
72 Towards a Level Playing Field: sport and gender in Australian media SECTION THREE 73

other analysed networks being an on-the-ground reporter

Leading by-lines and comperes who was sent to Beijing to cover the Olympics.
Trend analysis
Chart 83 shows the leading journalists who reported on Chart 86: Volume of female sports coverage, 1 to 26 August 2008
the Olympics, broken down by the gender of the sport
they reported on. Four of the five leading journalists Placement 28 80.0
were male, with ABC1s Lisa Millar the leading female Chart 84 shows where an athlete, team or sporting 66.7 66.7
journalist. Interestingly, two of the five leading journalists official was referred to in a report. Lead story, as 62.5 61.7 62.5
were from the same network (Lisa Millar and Peter shown in Chart 85, indicates the volume of reports that 58.3
60.7 60.0 60.0 60.4
Wilkins from ABC1), with one journalist from each of the 21 60.0
appeared in the first five minutes of programming. 53.3 52.5 51.953.6 52.9
50.0 50.0 50.0 50.8 50.6

Volume

Favourability
Chart 83: Leading journalists reporting on sport by sport type
40.0
40 70.0 14 13 40.0
12 12 12
11

9 9
61.3 8 8 8 8
60.0 59.6 7 7
30 57.5 60.0 7 6 20.0
56.9 57.2 56.5
55.8 56.1
55.2 55.0
3 3 3 3

Favourability
2 2
21 51.0 1
Volume

48.8 49.4 48.0

20 18 50.0 0 0.0

1/08/2008

2/08/2008

3/08/2008

4/08/2008

5/08/2008

6/08/2008

7/08/2008

8/08/2008

9/08/2008

10/08/2008

11/08/2008

12/08/2008

13/08/2008

14/08/2008

15/08/2008

16/08/2008

17/08/2008

18/08/2008

19/08/2008

20/08/2008

21/08/2008

22/08/2008

23/08/2008

24/08/2008

25/08/2008

26/08/2008
16 16
8 15
5 14 14 2
2 13 13 13
5 2
3 5
4 5
10 8 8 5 40.0
7 Volume Average favourability
3 13 2
12 12 5 5
4 10 10 9
8 5 7 8
5 4 5
3 4
0 30.0
Male Female Mixed Male Female Mixed Female Male Mixed Male Female Mixed Male Female Mixed Chart 87: Volume of male sports coverage, 1 to 26 August 2008
sport sport sport sport sport sport sport sport sport sport sport sport sport sport sport
Peter Wilkins Michael Usher Lisa Millar Jim Wilson Max Futcher 70.0
28
65.0
Chart 84: Placement of mention of athlete, team or official in a report by sport type 62.5 61.9
61.3
Volume 58.2
21 58.0
60.0
0 50 100 150 200 56.4
55.0
53.5

Favourability
52.5 52.0
51.0 50.8 51.4

Volume
First sentence/introduction 73 83 35 191 50.0 50.0 50.0 50.0 14
49.3 49.4
14 50.0
12 12
11
50 32 24 106 10 10 10
Prominent mention 9
8 8 8
7 7
7 6 40.0
Passing mention 31 32 13 76 5 5 5
4
2
1
Male sport Female sport Mixed sport
0 30.0

1/08/2008

2/08/2008

3/08/2008

4/08/2008

5/08/2008

6/08/2008

7/08/2008

8/08/2008

9/08/2008

10/08/2008

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19/08/2008

20/08/2008

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23/08/2008

24/08/2008

25/08/2008

26/08/2008
Chart 85: Volume of additional report features
Volume
0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350 400
Volume Average favourability

Graphics 146 150 70 366

Spokesperson quoted 112 109 53 274

Lead story 62 59 19 140

Female sport Male sport Mixed sport

74 Towards a Level Playing Field: sport and gender in Australian media SECTION ONE

Chart 88: Volume of mixed sports coverage, 1 to 26 August 2008

28 70.0
68.3
65.0

60.7
21 60.0
56.7

53.3

Favourability
52.5 52.5 52.5
51.3
Volume

50.0 50.0 50.0 50.0 50.0 50.0 50.0 50.0 50.0 49.4
14 50.0
48.3 45.0
9
7 7
7 40.0
5
4 4 4 4
3 3 3 3 3
2 2 2 2 2
1 1 1
0 30.0
1/08/2008

2/08/2008

3/08/2008

4/08/2008

5/08/2008

6/08/2008

7/08/2008

8/08/2008

9/08/2008

10/08/2008

11/08/2008

12/08/2008

13/08/2008

14/08/2008

15/08/2008

16/08/2008

17/08/2008

18/08/2008

19/08/2008

20/08/2008

21/08/2008

22/08/2008

23/08/2008

24/08/2008

25/08/2008

26/08/2008
Volume Average favourability SECTION FOUR
Qualitative and quantitative analysis
of the Beijing Paralympic Games
September 2008
76 Towards a Level Playing Field: sport and gender in Australian media SECTION FOUR 77

just 17% of all gold won by Australia. Furthermore, at Chart 91: Share of sport by duration and sport type
Key metrics
least three of Australias male athletes were among
Table 47: Key metrics, quantitative media analysis, Paralympic Games 2008 the overall leading individual medal winners at the
Female sport
Games. Swimmer Matthew Cowdrey was the leading 13%
Key metrics Female sport Male sport Mixed sport individual medal winner of athletes from all countries at
Total volume of media reports 15 29 20 the Paralympics (five gold medals and three silver) and
Average favourability 56.7 59.0 61.0 the media frequently discussed his achievements in
Leading story focus (reports) Athlete performance (15) Athlete performance (29) Athlete performance (11) coverage of the Games.
Leading message (mentions) Athletes are successful (13) Athletes are successful (26) Athletes are driven or ambitious (8) Comparing television news coverage of the Paralympics
Leading spokesperson (mentions) Katrina Porter, swimmer (2) Matt Cowdrey, swimmer (6) Jayme Paris, cyclist (3) and Olympic Games in 2008 shows a disparity
Leading media (number of reports) ABC1 Melbourne (9) ABC1 Melbourne (13) ABC1 Melbourne (10) in the proportion of coverage received by female
sport. However, it is important to acknowledge that
compared with the 9% figure of year-round television
news coverage of sports devoted to female sport
When compared with coverage of the 2008 Olympics (see page 21), the 23% of television news coverage Mixed sport Male sport
Gender overview of the Paralympics that focused on female sport is an 40% 47%
(see pages 5253), coverage of single-gender sports at
Mentions of female sports at the 2008 Paralympics the 2008 Paralympics was far lower in terms of volume encouraging result.
made up 23% of the total share of voice (mentioned and duration. This is best evidenced by a comparison
in 15 reports) and 13% by duration (6 minutes and 24 between the ratios of female coverage to male coverage
seconds), making female sport the least frequently during each event. For the Paralympics, the ratio was
Share of voice
reported of the three sport-by-gender types. In contrast, 23:46 (female:male) by volume and 13:47 by duration, Chart 90 shows the share of voice of each gender by Table 48: Share of voice by duration and sport type
discussion of male sports comprised the greatest while the split of coverage during the Olympics was volume, that is, the number of reports that mentioned
proportion, with almost double the volume of mentions much closer, with ratios of 39:42 by volume and 36:36 either male sport, female sport or mixed sport. Male Sport type Duration (hh:mm:ss)
(39 mentions, or 46% share of voice) and close to by duration. sport was mentioned in a higher number of reports. Female sport 0:06:24
quadruple the duration (23 minutes and 49 seconds, Chart 91 shows the share of sport by duration and Male sport 0:23:49
or 47%). Coverage that discussed mixed sport, which The relative successes of Australias male athletes
sport type and Table 48 shows the share of voice by Mixed sport 0:20:21
predominantly comprised reports on the opening and compared with their female counterparts at the
duration and sport type. Male sport coverage received Total 0:50:34
closing ceremonies of the Paralympics, also made up 2008 Paralympics is likely to have contributed to this
greater duration than female sport.
a larger proportion of coverage than female sports by outcome. Female athletes won less medals overall
both volume (31%) and duration (20 minutes and 21 (almost 39% of all medals) and the four gold medals
seconds, or 40%). won by female Australian Paralympians represented Chart 90: Share of voice by volume and sport type Primary story focus
Chart 92 shows that most discussion of Paralympians
(86%) was event-driven and focused on the performance
Female sport
Chart 89: Volume of coverage by sport type 23% of male athletes (due to frequent coverage of the
medal-winning achievements of Matthew Cowdrey, Kurt
48 70.0 Fearnley and Heath Francis). While Australias female
athletes also performed well, their achievements were
not presented on the same scale as those of their
61.0
59.0
male counterparts. Reports on training and preparation
36 60.0 focused on the Australian team as a whole and were
56.7 deemed to discuss mixed sport.
29
Favourability
Volume

24 50.0
2 20
2 Mixed sport Male sport
15 31% 46%
29
2
12 40.0
18
13

0 30.0
Male sport Mixed sport Female sport

Favourable Neutral Unfavourable Average favourability

78 Towards a Level Playing Field: sport and gender in Australian media SECTION FOUR 79

Chart 92: Primary focus of television report by sport type Female athletes were never featured in the studio
Visual analysis studio backdrop backdrop of coverage on the Paralympics, unless this
Chart 94Chart 96 show the qualitative content was alongside their male counterparts (represented
50 70.0 and social distance of imagery accompanying the as mixed sport on the charts). This compares poorly
studio introductions to television news reports on the with the corresponding coverage of the Olympic Games,
Paralympics, adapting the categories used to analyse where 42% of reports with relevant studio backdrops
print media imagery in Section One. used images solely of female athletes. Because
45 59.0
60.0 studio backdrops are typically reserved for the most
58.2 In line with Section One, both the studio backdrop in the
successful athletes, it is feasible the lack of female
56.7 introductions to television reports and the images in the
images was a result of female athletes winning just

Favourability
reports themselves were analysed based on whether
Volume

29 four of Australias 23 gold medals at the Paralympics.

30 50.0 they were action shots, posed, glamour
Gold-medal winning is a necessary if unfortunate
or domestic.
criterion for prominence in media coverage of events
like the Paralympics.
11
15 40.0
9
15 Chart 94: Image analysis studio backdrop, by sport type

0 30.0 Volume
Athlete Training and
performance preparation 0 2 4 6 8 10 12
Volume male sport Volume female sport Volume mixed sport

Action shot 7 3

Nationality of athletes Australian athletes were mentioned, it provides only a

general guide as to the number of times international Posed shot 2 3
As for the 2008 Olympics (see Section Three), the athletes were mentioned.
primary nationality of a report was automatically
classified as Australian any time an Australian athlete Unsurprisingly, Australian athletes dominated the
Relationship/domestic shot 2
was mentioned irrespective of whether an athlete of analysed coverage. While athletes from other nations
another nationality was also mentioned. So, while Chart were frequently mentioned, this was usually alongside
93 accurately depicts the volume of reports in which Australian athletes. Male Australian athletes had a
Male sport Mixed sport Female sport
44% share of voice, compared with 22% for Australias
female athletes, which can again be attributed to their
relative successes at the Games.

Chart 95: Social distance of image studio backdrop, by sport type

Chart 93: Coverage of nationality of athletes by sport type
Volume
Volume
0 2 4 6 8 10 12
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70
Social 6 4

Australian 23 23 14

Intimate 3 4

Other 1 4 1

Public 1 1
Male sport Mixed sport Female sport

Male sport Mixed sport Female sport

80 Towards a Level Playing Field: sport and gender in Australian media SECTION FOUR 81

Chart 96: Emotional display studio backdrop, by sport type Chart 98: Gender-neutral devices studio introductions, by sport

12 70.0 Volume

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40
62.9

60.0 60.0 60.0 Sport/competition name 20 15 1

9 60.0
55.0 55.0 55.0
7 Nationality 10 7

Favourability
Volume

6 50.0
5 State/country name 9 3

4
Other noun phrases 6 1 1
7
3 40.0
5
4 Team name 1 4
1 1 1 1 1

1 1 1 1 1
0 30.0 Age reference 1 1

Mixed sport Male sport Male sport Mixed sport Male sport Mixed sport Male sport Male sport
Happy Focused Aggressive Serious Crying (joy) Upset
Family name only 2

Favourable Neutral Unfavourable Average favourability

Male sport Mixed sport Female sport

there was a pronounced split between gendered naming

Linguistic analysis studio introduction
Chart 97Chart 101 show the results of discourse
analysis of the first sentence spoken by the journalist
in television news reporting on the Paralympics. The
various tools used are adapted from Section One.
As outlined in Sections One and Two, the objective
of analysing naming devices was to identify to what
extent stories drew attention to the gender of athletes
and away from their performance. Only 20% of all
studio introductions in the coverage of the Paralympics
analysed contained a gendered naming device. This
is close to the same proportion (24%) of all studio
introductions in the coverage of the Olympics
(see pages 5657).
Gendered noun phrases used in studio introductions
only referred to male athletes. While for the Olympics
Chart 97: Gendered naming devices studio introduction, by sport type
0 1
Gendered pronoun
Other noun phrases 3
devices used in studio introductions of female sport
and those used in male sport (27% compared with 10%,
respectively) (see page 57), in Paralympics coverage
this split was almost reversed: 28% of the introductions
of male sport used a gendered naming device compared
with just 7% of introductions to female sport. However,
the volume of reports on the Paralympics that used a
gendered naming device was quite low, so it is difficult
to draw any unequivocal conclusions based on this
information. In addition, the other noun phrases used
in the introductions of male sport were not particularly
colourful, which is consistent with much of the coverage
of the Paralympics. The gendered noun phrases used
were sportsmanship (ABC News, ABC1 Melbourne, 14
September 2008) and the Australian mens wheelchair
basketball team (ABC News, ABC1 Melbourne; Seven
News, Channel 7 Melbourne, 17 September 2008).
Volume
2 3 4 5
5 1
Male sport Mixed sport Female sport
As was the case with coverage of the Olympics
(see page 57), studio introductions reporting on the
Paralympics much more commonly used gender-neutral
naming devices than gendered naming devices. As
many of the Paralympic competitors and sports are
generally not widely discussed in sports programming,
coverage was more likely to mention the sport name
or the team name, such as swimmer Matt Cowdrey
(ABC News, ABC1 Melbourne, 15 September 2008).
Given the international nature of the Paralympics, and
the relative obscurity of many competing athletes,
presenters were more likely to mention the nationality of
athletes as well as their sport or competition name. For
example, statements such as:
Australian athlete Kurt Fearnley (ABC News, ABC1
Melbourne, 14 September 2008)
Australias Paralympics swimming sensation
Matthew Cowdrey (TEN News, Channel 10
Melbourne, 15 September 2008)
Aussie sprinter Heath Francis (Seven News,
6 7
Channel 7 Melbourne, 16 September 2008)
The focus in Beijing tonight will be on the finals of
the wheelchair rugby and basketball, with Australia
going for gold in both (ABC News, ABC1 Melbourne,
16 September 2008)
Australia has won its first gold medal, track cyclist
Christopher Scott winning the individual pursuit final
(ABC News, ABC1 Melbourne, 7 September 2008).
All emotion lexis used to describe athletes behaviour
in studio introductions in coverage of the Paralympics
was positive. There were nine examples of positive
emotion lexis for male sport, and four examples of
positive emotion lexis for female sport. The absence of
any negative emotion lexis in the introductory sentences
of reports on the Paralympics emphasises the generally
positive nature of Paralympics coverage on Australian
television news.
Most reports which included emotivity in the studio
introduction also contained an evaluation elsewhere
in the report. There was a higher proportion of both
positive and negative emotivity in discussion of male
sport. With all sports, the evaluations were made by
the journalists and were towards a named person
or team; however, a higher number of evaluations of
teams appeared in coverage of mixed sports (which
focused mainly on the opening ceremony and the
commencement of the Games), which was also the
case in coverage of the Olympics (see pages 5960).
This indicates the anticipatory nature of reporting on
the opening ceremony and the reflective nature of
coverage at the close of the Games.
82 Towards a Level Playing Field: sport and gender in Australian media SECTION FOUR 83

Chart 99: Emotivity studio introduction, by sport type Chart 101: Target of evaluation studio introduction, by sport type

40 70.0 40 70.0
65.0 65.0

61.0
60.6 60.0 60.0 60.0
60.0 60.0 58.8 58.3
30 58.6
60.0 30 57.5
60.0
56.7

Favourability
Favourability

Volume
Volume

20 50.0
20 50.0
18
13

10 40.0
9 7
10 40.0 6
18 13 5
3
1 7 1 6 5 1
9 3 3
1 1 1 0 30.0
Male sport Female sport Mixed sport Male sport Female sport Male sport Mixed sport Mixed sport
0 30.0
Male sport Mixed sport Female sport Male sport Female sport Mixed sport Named person Event Event Unidentified
sports person
Positive Negative

Favourable Neutral Unfavourable Average favourability

Favourable Neutral Unfavourable Average favourability

Chart 102: Volition studio introduction, by sport type

Chart 100: Source of evaluation studio introduction, by sport type

40 70.0 10 70.0

63.8 63.3

58.9 60.0 60.0

30 60.0 12 60.0

Favourability

Favourability
Volume

Volume
19 8
20 50.0 8 50.0

2 2

10
10 19 40.0 4 8 40.0
3

10
2 3
2
0 30.0 0 30.0
Male sport Mixed sport Female sport Mixed sport Male sport

Favourable Neutral Unfavourable Average favourability Volition

Favourable Neutral Unfavourable Average favourability

84 Towards a Level Playing Field: sport and gender in Australian media SECTION FOUR 85

All examples of volition in coverage of the Paralympics Another group of Australians is now Beijing-bound Chart 105: Emotional display overall, by sport
were positive for mixed and male sport (Chart 102). in search of Olympic gold (National Nine News,
However, female athletes were not reported as acting Channel 9 Melbourne, 1 September 2008)
of or against their own wishes in any studio 40 70.0
Australias Paralympians have left for Beijing, 65.0
introductions. Many of the introductions that included
with the team determined to finish in the top ten 62.5
examples of volition reported on the Australian 61.0
performing countries (ABC News, ABC1 Melbourne, 60.0 59.7 60.0 60.0 60.0
Paralympic team as a whole as they prepared to leave 58.3 58.8 58.3
15 September 2008). 30 57.5 60.0
for China. For example: 55.0 55.0 55.0 55.0

Favourability
Australias largest-ever Paralympics team has flown

Volume
50.0
to Beijing, confident of a finish in the top ten (Seven
20 17
50.0
News, Channel 7 Melbourne, 1 September 2008)

10 10
10 21 40.0
17
Chart 103: Image analysis overall, by sport type
5
4
9 10 3 3 3
2 2
Volume 5 4 1 1 1 1 1 1
3 2 3 2 3
0 30.0
0 10 20 30 40 50 60
Male Female Mixed Male Mixed Female Male Mixed Female Male Female Mixed Mixed Female Male Male Female
sport sport sport sport sport sport sport sport sport sport sport sport sport sport sport sport sport
Action sequence 28 14 15 Happy Focused Serious Upset Crying (joy) Enthusiastic

Favourable Neutral Unfavourable Average favourability

Posed sequence 9 2 4

Relationship/domestic
sequence 7
Visual analysis overall Paralympians were predominantly shown displaying
happy, focused or serious facial expressions, much like
Chart 103Chart 105 show the qualitative content and their Olympic counterparts (see page 61). Paralympic
Posed action sequence 1
social distance of imagery accompanying television athletes, male or female, were very rarely shown in
news reports on the Paralympics, adapting the more emotive footage (upset or crying with joy).
Male sport Female sport Mixed sport categories used to analyse print media imagery in
Section One.

The three main ways Paralympic athletes were depicted Linguistic analysis overall
in television news reporting were in action shots, posed Chart 106 Chart 111 show the results of discourse
Chart 104: Social distance of image overall, by sport type sequences (such as posing for cameras at a medal analysis of television news reporting on the Paralympics.
presentation) and relationship or domestic sequences The various tools used have been adapted directly from
Volume
(such as images of athletes with their parents and Section One.
loved ones). All relationship sequences were deemed to
0 10 20 30 40 50 60
relate to mixed sport, with this coverage dominated by As with the use of gendered naming devices in the
the presence of athletes families when they departed introductory sentence to Paralympics reports on
Public 28 15 13 for and returned from the Games. Unlike coverage of television news, only minimal coverage used these
the Olympic Games, reporting on the Paralympics did devices in reports in their entirety. There were three
not include any glamorised or sexualised sequences of examples of other noun phrases (such as sprint king)
Social 23 12 8
male or female Paralympians (see page 61). for male sport in the coverage analysed, three for
female sport, and two for mixed sport. Indicating a
Consistent with analysis of year-round television clear difference in the language chosen by journalists to
Intimate 23 13 8
coverage of sport and reporting on the Olympics, a high report on Paralympians compared with Olympians, there
proportion of reports also showed at least two different was no single example of a diminutive noun phrase (i.e.
Male sport Female sport Mixed sport social distances of images. This is unremarkable, given boys or girls) in coverage of the Paralympics, whereas
the prevalence in television coverage of intimate close 10% of reporting on the Olympics used these phrases
up shots in interviews, and public and social distances
in action shots.
86 Towards a Level Playing Field: sport and gender in Australian media SECTION FOUR 87

Chart 106: Gender neutral devices overall, by sport type Stephen McDonell described wheelchair basketballers of reports, positive emotion lexis (i.e. words describing
as cult heroes (ABC News, ABC1 Melbourne, 16 athletes as displaying or having happiness or other
Volume September 2008) and Channel 10s Tim Potter similar, positive emotion attributed to them) outweighed
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 described Heath Francis as a bolt of lightning (TEN negative emotion. In line with the larger volume of
News, 10 September 2008), while swimmer Matthew reporting on the success of male Paralympians, positive
Sport/competition name 14 13 51 Cowdrey was described as a swimming sensation emotion was displayed by or attributed to male athletes
(ABC News, ABC1 Melbourne, 9 September 2008). more frequently than their female counterparts.
Nationality 16 10 7 Consistent with emotion lexis in the studio introduction

Other noun phrases 8 7 1

Chart 108: Emotivity overall, by sport type

State/country name 8 3 4

Team name 8 2 3 40 70.0

63.8
Family name only 9 1
59.6 59.2 59.0
30 60.0
Age reference 5 1 2
55.0
23

Favourability
Male sport Female sport Mixed sport

Volume
20 50.0

13
(particularly coverage of female sport, see page 63). report (see analysis of gender-neutral naming devices 23
This could indicate an effort (conscious or otherwise) in the introductory sentences of reports, page 19). As 10 40.0
on the part of journalists to be politically correct when with coverage of the Olympics (see page 63), sport 13
6
5
describing Paralympians. This tendency also contributed or competition name and nationality were the most 3
6 5
to the more restrained and less exuberant tone which frequently used gender-neutral naming devices.
characterised coverage of the Paralympics compared 0 30.0
Discussion of male sport during the Paralympics more Male sport Mixed sport Female sport Male sport Female sport
with the Olympics.
frequently mentioned other noun phrases (such as Positive Negative
As with coverage of the Olympics, not all analysed stars, champions, medallists, or heroes) and used
Favourable Neutral Unfavourable Average favourability
reports on the Paralympics mentioned a sport or family name only compared with female sport. This
competition name in the studio introduction or the more than likely reflects and influences the positioning
body of the report. It is likely this was the result of this of male Paralympians as highly successful (through the
information being conveyed in the first sentence of a use of other noun phrases such as champs) and as Chart 109: Source of evaluation overall, by sport type
report, and then not repeated in the main body of the familiar personalities (through references to them using
their surnames only). For example, ABC1 journalist 40 90.0

77.5

Chart 107: Emotion lexis overall, by sport type

30 70.0
Volume 61.4
59.6 58.8 58.8
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35

Favourability
23 52.5

Volume
20 50.0
Positive 16 6 7

Negative 2 2 1 288 11
23
10 30.0
8 8

Male sport Female sport Mixed sport 11

8 8 2 2

0 10.0
Male sport Mixed sport Female sport Male sport Female sport Mixed sport
Journalist Named Source

Favourable Neutral Unfavourable Average favourability

88 Towards a Level Playing Field: sport and gender in Australian media SECTION FOUR 89

Chart 110: Target of evaluation overall Examples of positive emotivity (in bold) included: volition, or agency, focused on mixed sport (usually
at and preceding the opening ceremony, with reports
China promised a show to rival the opening of the frequently noting the Paralympians determination
40
Olympic Games, and last night it delivered, with to win their 1000th medal at the Games), followed
73.3
a dazzling welcome for the worlds Paralympians by male sport. Other examples of language which
It was a tribute to the disabled athletes who positioned Paralympians in a position of volition
64.0 65.0
30 inspire the world (ABC News, ABC1 Melbourne, 9 included the description of participants in the SM5
59.3 60.0 60.0 60.0
57.5 58.1 September 2008) medley as displaying pure guts and determination;
55.0

Favourability
21 Tim Sullivan has become Australias most and wheelchair rugby player Scott Vitales comments
Volume

20
10 21
6 [It was] a winning start for our wheelchair
3 3
6
3 3
0
Male sport Female sport Mixed sport
Named person
In contrast, negative emotion was attributed to both
genders in equal volume (although in low volumes
overall). Runner Tim Sullivan was described as
distraught in one report (TEN News, Channel 10
Melbourne, 11 September 2008), while cyclist Michael
Milton described himself as very, very happy despite
missing out on a medal in another (ABC News, ABC1
Melbourne, 7 September 2008).
Chart 111: Volition overall, by sport type
successful Paralympian on his thirty-third birthday that his silver-winning team had tried [its] best in its
What a wonderful performance from Sullivan match against the United States, and that they would
[commentator] (ABC News, ABC1 Melbourne, 17 try harder next time (ABC News, ABC1 Melbourne, 17
September 2008) September 2008).
8 7
5
basketballers, with the Gliders 29 point win over
8
5 1
7
1
2 Leading issues
2 Great Britain (TEN News, Channel 10 Melbourne, 8
September 2008).
Male sport Mixed sport Female sport Mixed sport Male sport Female sport Mixed sport Sport
Team Event Unidentified
sports Examples of negative emotivity were rare and Chart 112 shows the two leading Paralympic sports
person
included discussion of an error made on the part of reported on were the same that dominated Olympic
officials which affected Kurt Fearnleys chances in coverage: swimming and athletics. This is primarily
Positive emotivity outweighed negative emotivity
the 800-metre wheelchair race (for example, on ABC due to Australias historical success in swimming
when referring to Paralympians (meaning that positive
News, ABC1 Melbourne, 14 September 2008). This and athletics, but also a result of athletes ongoing
evaluations of athletes, teams, events or unnamed
coverage also included a newsreaders description achievements in these fields. These two sports also
people outweighed negative evaluations). This aligns
of Tim Sullivans performance in the 400-metre consist of a number of disciplines and therefore
with emotivity for the Olympics (see pages 6465).
cerebral palsy final as heart-breaking (TEN News, events, providing more opportunities for medals and
Also consistent with Olympic reporting, positive
Channel 10 Melbourne, 11 September 2008). thus potentially more reason for media coverage.
evaluations for Paralympics were most commonly made
by journalists in relation to individual athletes, although Consistent with the relative volumes of reporting This potential was realised by the successes of Matt
events were also praised. which conveyed the favourable message that athletes Cowdrey (five gold, three silver) in the pool, and Heath
are driven and/or ambitious, the majority of coverage Francis (three gold) and Kurt Fearnley (one gold, two
which presented Paralympians in a position of silver, one bronze) on the track. The regular success of
Australias male athletes in these events compared with

40 70.0

63.8
62.9
Chart 112: Sports most reported, by sport type
60.0
30 60.0 Volume
57.5
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35
Favourability

Swimming 19 7 5
Volume

20 50.0
Athletics 16 7 3

13
Swimming 6 4 4
10 40.0
7
13 Cycling 7 1 3

7 2
1 Wheelchair Rugby 4 1
2
0 30.0
Mixed sport Male sport Female sport Male sport
Skiing 2
Volition Non volition

Favourable Neutral Unfavourable Average favourability Rowing 2

Volleyball 1

Male sport Female sport Mixed sport

90 Towards a Level Playing Field: sport and gender in Australian media SECTION FOUR 91

female athletes (who won 37% of Australias medals Topics such as family or community support and Chart 114: Topics related to corporate aspects of sport reported, by sport type
overall, and four of the countrys 23 gold) contributed training or fitness were mainly mentioned in coverage
to the disproportionate amount of coverage of male Volume
leading up to the Paralympics. Reinforcing the finding
and female athletes participating at the Paralympics, in that a comparatively narrower range of stories were 0 1 2 3 4 5
these events and others. told about the Paralympics than about the Olympics,
a lower volume and proportion of coverage of the Management 2 2
It should be noted the two reports that referred to
Paralympics included reference to other dimensions
skiing discussed the sport in the context of Paralympian
of the Games beyond results (such as family and Australian Paralympic
Michael Miltons previous Paralympic experience. Committee
1
partner support). For example while 17% of Paralympics
television news coverage referred to family support,
41% of television Olympic news coverage mentioned the Government Investment 1
Event results and preparation family support that athletes received.
Chart 113 unsurprisingly shows that Paralympics Marketing 1
coverage most frequently discussed event results.
The uneven discussion of male and female results
reflects the overall trend, where reporting on male Male sport Female sport Mixed sport
sports dominated.

Leading messages Sullivan on three occasions alone, after Sullivan fell

Chart 113: Topics related to event results and preparation reported by sport during the mens 400 metre T38 final. These reports
The leading message in Paralympics coverage was discussed his ambition to achieve a 10th gold medal
Volume that athletes are successful, which was invariably at the Paralympics, and his subsequent vow to fight
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 conveyed in reports on events where medals were back in the 200-metre final. The only example of this
won, or those that reflected on the Australian teams message relating to female athletes appeared in a report
overall success. Of total examples of this message, on the ambition of the Gliders (the Australian womens
Results 28 7 5
30% were conveyed in relation to female athletes, which wheelchair basketball team) to improve on their silver
represented a slightly higher proportion than female medal in Athens by going one better in Beijing (ABC
Family Support 1 6 1
Paralympians total share of voice (23%). The message News, ABC1 Melbourne, 7 September 2008).
that athletes are successful most frequently appeared
General Performance 3 2 in discussion of male athletes, a reflection of their The single unfavourable message athlete badly
greater success in terms of medal placings (particularly behaved on field was conveyed in a report on
gold medal placings). Tim Sullivans aforementioned fall. A disappointed
Community Support 2
Sullivan threw his shoes on the track, prompting the
Male athletes were six times more likely than female race commentator to remark: For a man with such
Training/Fitness 2 athletes to be portrayed as driven and/or ambitious. a great reputation, that is not helping it at all (Ten
This message was conveyed in relation to runner Tim News, Channel 10 Melbourne, 11 September 2008).

Male sport Female sport Mixed sport

Chart 115: Leading messages of coverage, by sport type
Volume

with Olympics coverage. Some limited coverage of these 0 10 20 30 40 50

Corporate corporate issues did appear, mainly before and after Athletes are successful 26 6 13
Chart 114 shows that discussion of corporate topics the Games. Reports before the event discussed how
was rare in Paralympics reporting and was far less organisers were handling preparations. Post-Games,
Athletes are driven and/or ambitious 6 8 1
prominent than in Olympics reporting (see page 67). Australian Paralympic Committee president Greg

Favourable
This compounds the suggestion that television news Hartung advocated for a more professional approach
Athleticism emphasised 11
reporting of the Paralympics was more one-dimensional to Paralympic sports and an increase in funding (ABC
(in that it focused on event results) when compared News, ABC1 Melbourne, 20 September 2008).
Sport/athlete deserves sponsorship 1

Athletes handle pressure well 1

Unfavourable

Athlete(s) badly behaved on field 1

Male sport Female sport Mixed sport

92 Towards a Level Playing Field: sport and gender in Australian media SECTION FOUR 93

Chart 116: Volume of leading favourable and unfavourable messages by sport type, 6 to 17 September 2008 Chart 118: Spokesperson gender share of voice
mixed sport
Leading media
Chart 119 shows that ABC1 broadcast the highest
7 volume of overall Paralympics coverage, contributing
almost half of all reporting on the event (21 reports
6 Female
32% out of a total 46). This should come as no surprise,
as the ABC was the broadcast rights holder, and
5
3
with a large contingent of sports journalists attending
4 the event, the most dominant media presence at
Volume

1 1 the Games of all Australian media. In fact, the ABC

3 2 was the only broadcaster analysed that sent camera
3 3 3 crews and journalists to the Paralympics. In light of
Male
2 2 4 4 2 68% this, if anything, the expectation may have been that
1 3 3 3 3 3 the Paralympics would have been discussed in even
1 2 2 more coverage on the evening news on ABC1. ABC1s
1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
television news reporting was somewhat balanced,
0
The significantly higher proportion of male spokespeople mentioning male sport in 61% of coverage, mixed
17/09/2008

19/09/2008
20/09/2008

11/09/2008

17/09/2008

19/09/2008
20/09/2008
10/09/2008
11/09/2008
12/09/2008
13/09/2008
14/09/2008
15/09/2008

12/09/2008
13/09/2008
14/09/2008
15/09/2008
2/09/2008
3/09/2008

7/09/2008

9/09/2008

16/09/2008

18/09/2008

1/09/2008

8/09/2008
9/09/2008

16/09/2008

18/09/2008
10/09/2008
2/09/2008
3/09/2008

7/09/2008
1/09/2008

4/09/2008
5/09/2008
6/09/2008

8/09/2008

4/09/2008
5/09/2008
6/09/2008
can largely be attributed to the regular appearance sport in 48%, and female sport in 43% (some reports
of Australias successful male athletes in media mentioned more than one gender, therefore the totals
coverage. Comments from IPC president Philip Craven equal more than 100%). The proportions of coverage of
Athletes are successful Athletes are driven and/or ambitious
and APC president Greg Hartung also contributed to each sport (by gender) from Channel 10 were slightly
Male sport Female sport Mixed sport the dominance of male spokespeople. Quoted female more balanced than ABC1 and, by proportion, was the
spokespeople, on the other hand, were almost always leading media outlet to mention female sport.
athletes. As noted in analysis of the Beijing Olympics
Comments from just one female athlete were broadcast Comparatively, Channel 7 the leading media outlet
Leading spokespeople more than once in Paralympics television news
(see page 70), this highlights that coverage is more
for Olympics coverage with the broadcast rights
likely to position men as having something newsworthy
Chart 117 and Chart 118 reflects the success of coverage. Swimmer Katrina Porter, who won a gold mentioned male sport four times as often as female
to say about sport.
Australias male athletes particularly Matt Cowdrey, medal and broke two world records at the Paralympics, sport, and Channel 9 ran no stories on female
Kurt Fearnley and Heath Francis in the medias was the leading female spokesperson. Table 49: Gender of spokespeople quoted, by sport type Paralympic sport during the period analysed.
frequent use of their comments in Paralympics
coverage. Unsurprisingly, Matt Cowdrey, as the leading Gender Volume %
individual medal winner, was the most prominent source Female sport
of comment, appearing in eight reports. Female 7 87.5%
Male 1 12.5%
Total 8 100%
Chart 117: Leading spokespeople quoted, by sport type
Male sport
Female 1 3.8%
12 75.0 Male 25 96.2%
67.5 Total 26 100%
65.0
63.3 65.0 65.0
9 Mixed sport
61.3 60.0 60.0 60.0
57.5
Favourability

55.0 Female 8 32.0%

Volume

6 50.0 50.0
Male 17 68.0%
6
Total 25 100%
4
1 3 3
3 6
2 2 2 2
2 2
3 1 1 1 1 1 1
2 2 2 2
1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
0
Heath Francis
T46 RUNNER

Jayme Paris
CYCLIST

Philip Craven
IPC

Kath Proudfoot
DISCUSS THROWER

Jayme Paris
CYCLIST

Lisa McIntosh
RUNNER

Jenni Bryce
WOMENS
SHOT PUT

Melissa Stockwell
US SWIMMER
Katrina Porter
SWIMMER
Matt Cowdrey
SWIMMER

Kurt Fearnley
WHEELCHAIR
RACER

Kurt Fearnley
WHEELCHAIR
RACER

Matt Cowdrey
SWIMMER

Michael Freney
JACQUELINE
FRENEYS FATHER

Favourable Neutral Average favourability

94 Towards a Level Playing Field: sport and gender in Australian media SECTION FOUR 95

Chart 120: Volume of female sports coverage, 6 to 17 September 2008

Trend analysis
8 70.0
Chart 119: Television station coverage, by sport type

Volume
60.0 60.0 60.0
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 58.3
6 60.0
55.0 55.0
ABC1 13 10 9

Favourability
52.5

Volume
50.0
Channel 7 8 4 2 4 50.0
3 3

Channel 10 5 3 4
2 2
2 40.0
Channel 9 3 3
1 1 1 1 1

Male sport Female sport Mixed sport

0 30.0

1/09/2008

2/09/2008

3/09/2008

4/09/2008

5/09/2008

6/09/2008

7/09/2008

8/09/2008

9/09/2008

10/09/2008

11/09/2008

12/09/2008

13/09/2008

14/09/2008

15/09/2008

16/09/2008

17/09/2008

18/09/2008

19/09/2008

20/09/2008
Table 50: Favourability of television station coverage, by sport type

Avergage Volume Average favourability

Gender Media Favourability Neutral Unfavourable Volume
Favourability
Male sport 29 0 0 29 59.0
ABC1 13 0 0 13 61.2 Chart 121: Volume of male sports coverage, 6 to 17 September 2008
Channel 7 8 0 0 8 56.9
Channel 10 5 0 0 5 59.0 8 70.0
Channel 9 3 0 0 3 55.0 65.0
Mixed sport 18 2 0 20 61.0 61.7 62.5
60.0 60.0 60.0
ABC1 9 1 0 10 61.0
6 60.0
Channel 7 4 0 0 4 57.5 56.7 56.7 57.5 56.7
55.0
Channel 10 2 1 0 3 63.3

Favourability
Volume
Channel 9 3 0 0 3 63.3 4
4 50.0
Female sport 13 2 0 15 56.7
ABC1 7 34 0 9 56.7 3 3 3 3 3 3

Channel 10 4 66 0 4 57.5
2 2 2
Channel 7 2 0 0 2 55.0 2 40.0
1

0 30.0

1/09/2008

2/09/2008

3/09/2008

4/09/2008

5/09/2008

6/09/2008

7/09/2008

8/09/2008

9/09/2008

10/09/2008

11/09/2008

12/09/2008

13/09/2008

14/09/2008

15/09/2008

16/09/2008

17/09/2008

18/09/2008

19/09/2008

20/09/2008
Volume Average favourability
 SECTION ONE

SECTION FIVE
Quantitative media analysis
JanuaryDecember 2008
98 Towards a Level Playing Field: sport and gender in Australian media SECTION FIVE 99

The three journalists who wrote most frequently Chart 123: Female sports coverage as a percentage of all
Key findings about female sportspeople or teams were Amanda
Media type
sports coverage, radio
The analysis in this section identifies and quantifies Lulham, Warren Partland and Robert Craddock, who Chart 125: Female sports coverage by media type
the volume of reports about female sportspeople Female sport
contributed 226, 224 and 214 articles, respectively, 12%
and teams as a proportion of all sports-related Television
to the News Ltd stable of newspapers. Radio 3%
coverage in the Australian media over the period 3%
1 January31 December 2008. Of the 45 journalists who wrote about female
sportspeople most often, 26 were women (57%).
There were 431 775 sports reports in total across
all media, while the total number of reports about While Channel Nines Today program with Lisa
female sportspeople or teams was 38 094 (9% of Wilkinson and Karl Stefanovic had the highest
coverage overall). number of general sports reports (333), Channel 7s
Sunrise with David Koch and Melissa Doyle
Of the coverage of female sportspeople or discussed women in sport most often (66 reports).
teams, there were 36 087 press reports (94%
of the total), 956 radio reports (3%), and 1051 Kevin Bartlett on Victorias SEN was the radio
television reports (3%). compere who mentioned female sportspeople most
often (27 mentions); however SENs Andrew Maher, General sport
Queensland publications had the highest number of Tim Watson and Billy Brownless mentioned womens 88%
press reports on women in sport (11 161). However, Press
sport in a higher proportion relative to their general 94%
circulation figures show that articles in New South sports-related coverage (26 mentions, or 14% of all
Wales and Victoria had a higher potential readership. coverage on their program). Chart 124: Female sports coverage as a percentage of all
sports coverage, television
Victorian radio stations had the largest number of Due to different timeframes, scope and methodologies,
general sports-related radio reports, followed by the data in this section should not be compared to Female sport
13% Table 53: Volume of female sports coverage by media type
New South Wales. While New South Wales also data in other sections (see methodology section for
trailed Victoria in the relative proportion of female more details). Media type Volume Audience/Circulation
sports reports, the potential audiences were similar Press 36 087 5 761 169 935
(5 848 800 and 5 555 000, respectively). Table 51: Media coverage of female and general sport, Radio 956 21 172 200
January to December 2008
New South Wales had more than twice the number Television 1 051 77 265 212
Female sport General sport All sport Total 38 094 5 859 607 347
of general sports-related television reports (3404)
compared to Victoria (1398). However, the difference Press reports 36 087 379 313 415 400
in womens sports reports in the two states was Television reports 1 051 7 032 8 083
less pronounced (385 and 210, respectively). Radio reports 956 7 336 8 292
Total 38 094 393 681 431 775
Melbournes Herald Sun and Sydneys The Daily
Telegraph published the highest number of
female-related sports reports (2206 and 1992, General sport
respectively), followed by Adelaides The Advertiser, Share of voice 87%
The Canberra Times and Brisbanes The Courier-Mail.
Chart 122: Female sports coverage as a percentage of all
Of the five leading radio stations, Triple M and sports coverage, press Table 52: Volume of female sports coverage and all sports
coverage by media type
Victorias SEN broadcast the highest number
of female-related sports reports (107 and 76, Female sport Share of voice Press Radio Television
respectively). 9%
Female sport 36 087 956 1 051

Channel 7 had the largest volume of female-related General sport 379 313 7 336 7 032
sports reports (201), followed by Channel Ten (172) Total 415 400 8 292 8 083
and Channel Nine (151). However, this sequence
was reversed in general sports-related coverage.

General sport
91%
100 Towards a Level Playing Field: sport and gender in Australian media SECTION FIVE 101

Chart 127: Volume of radio coverage of female sport and general sport by state
State breakdown
3 000 60 000 000
Chart 126: Volume of press coverage of female sport by
state
12 000 2 400 000 000 2 500 50 000 000

2 000 40 000 000

Audience
Volume
9 000 1 800 000 000 1 500 30 000 000

1 000 20 000 000

Circulation
Volume

6 000 1 200 000 000

500 10 000 000

0 0

General sport

Female sport

General sport

Female sport

General sport

Female sport

General sport

Female sport

General sport

Female sport

General sport

Female sport

General sport

Female sport

General sport

Female sport

General sport

Female sport
3 000 600 000 000

Vic. NSW SA Qld TAS WA National ACT NT

0 0
Volume Audience
Qld NSW Vic. SA WA ACT National NT
Volume Circulation Table 55: Volume of radio coverage of female sport and general sport by state
State Sport type Volume Audience
Victoria 2 485 43 811 000
Table 54: Volume of press coverage of female sport by state
General sport 2 222 38 256 000
State Volume Circulation
Female sport 263 5 555 000
Queensland 11 161 841 938 595
New South Wales 2 108 61 992 400
New South Wales 7 974 1 805 151 930
General sport 1 931 56 143 600
Victoria 7 156 1 683 860 162
Female sport 177 5 848 800
South Australia 2 851 713 134 340
South Australia 1 270 27 113 000
Western Australia 2 526 411 392 122
General sport 1 065 22 496 000
Australian Capital Territory 1 983 79 836 876
Female sport 205 4 617 000
National 1 371 201 687 484
Queensland 796 10 106 500
Northern Territory 1 065 24 168 426
General sport 717 8 775 300
Total 36 087 5 761 169 935
Female sport 79 1 331 200
Tasmania 538 4 469 500
General sport 489 4 038 500
Female sport 49 431 000
Western Australia 514 10 013 000
General sport 474 8 709 000
Female sport 40 1 304 000
National 378 5 860 400
General sport 295 4 692 500
Female sport 83 1 167 900
Australian Capital Territory 176 2 353 600
General sport 119 1 446 300
Female sport 57 907 300
Northern Territory 27 32 600
General sport 24 22 600
Female sport 3 10 000
Total 8 292 165 752 000
102 Towards a Level Playing Field: sport and gender in Australian media SECTION FIVE 103

Chart 128: Volume of television coverage of female sport and general sport by state
Leading media
Chart 129: Volume of coverage of female sport by leading newspaper
3 500 350 000 000
2 400 1 200 000 000
3 000 300 000 000

2 500 250 000 000 2 000 1 000 000 000

Audience
2 000 200 000 000
Volume

1 600 800 000 000

Circulation
1 500 150 000 000

Volume
1 200 600 000 000
1 000 100 000 000

500 50 000 000 800 400 000 000

0 0
400 200 000 000
General sport

Female sport

General sport

Female sport

General sport

Female sport

General sport

Female sport

General sport

Female sport

General sport

Female sport

General sport

Female sport

General sport

Female sport

General sport

Female sport
0 0
Herald The Daily The The The The Gold The Sunday Geelong The The Sydney
Vic. NSW SA Qld TAS WA National ACT NT Sun Telegraph Advertiser Canberra Courier- Coast Mail Advertiser Australian Morning
Times Mail Bulletin Herald
Volume Audience
Volume Circulation
Table 56: Volume of television coverage of female sport and general sport by state
State Sport type Volume Audience
Table 57: Volume of coverage of female sport by leading newspaper
New South Wales 3 789 367 917 881
General sport 3 404 343 216 329 Newspaper Volume Circulation

Female sport 385 24 701 552 Herald Sun 2 206 1 142 708 000

Victoria 1 608 167 878 406 The Daily Telegraph 1 992 718 241 496

General sport 1 398 142 710 372 The Advertiser 1 758 483 159 930

Female sport 210 25 168 034 The Canberra Times 1 756 66 194 176

Queensland 1 155 66 889 679 The Courier-Mail 1 657 355 373 476

General sport 1 022 58 412 672 The Gold Coast Bulletin 1 337 54 978 777

Female sport 133 8 477 007 The Sunday Mail 1 225 408 109 975

Western Australia 432 39 106 564 Geelong Advertiser 1 170 30 942 990

General sport 340 31 209 022 The Australian 1 160 154 256 800

Female sport 92 7 897 542 The Sydney Morning Herald 1 019 216 741 300

South Australia 321 31 440 511

General sport 247 23 640 428
Female sport 74 7 800 083
National* 292 N/A
General sport 264 N/A
Female sport 28 N/A
Tasmania 216 5 740 410
General sport 184 4 921 563
Female sport 32 818 847
Australian Capital Territory 159 4 513 212
General sport 78 2 111 065
Female sport 81 2 402 147 * Denotes media outlets where all
Northern Territory 111 N/A programming is uniform nationally.
National programs broadcast
General sport 95 N/A
on state-based networks are
Female sport 16 N/A represented in state totals.
Total 8 083 683 486 663
N/A Figures unavailable
104 Towards a Level Playing Field: sport and gender in Australian media SECTION FIVE 105

Chart 130: Volume of coverage of female sport and general sport by leading radio station Chart 131: Volume of coverage of female sport and general sport by leading television station

800 40 000 000 1 800 180 000 000

1 600 160 000 000

600 30 000 000 1 400 140 000 000

1 200 120 000 000

Audience
Audience
Volume

1 000 100 000 000

Volume
400 20 000 000
800 80 000 000

600 60 000 000

200 10 000 000
400 40 000 000

200 20 000 000

0 0
0 0
General Female General Female General Female General Female General Female

General
sport
Female
sport
General
sport
Female
sport
General
sport
Female
sport
General
sport
Female
sport
General
sport
Female
sport
General
sport
Female
sport
General
sport
Female
sport
General
sport
Female
sport
General
sport
General
sport
Female
sport
sport sport sport sport sport sport sport sport sport sport

Triple M SEN Mix FM Sky Sports Radio SPORT 927

Channel Channel Channel Sky News NBN NBN SBS NBN ABC1 Fox Sports
Volume Audience Nine Ten 7 Australia Newcastle Tamworth Central News
Hunter Coast

Volume Audience

Table 58: Volume of coverage of female sport and general sport by

leading radio station Table 59: Volume of coverage of female sport and general sport by leading
television station
Station Sport type Volume Audience
Station Sport type Volume Audience
Triple M 827 32 658 000
Channel Nine 1 354 164 954 300
General sport 720 28 779 000
General sport 1 203 145 714 969
Female sport 107 3 879 000
Female sport 151 19 239 331
SEN 780 N/A
Channel Ten 1 259 134 106 627
General sport 704 N/A General sport 1 087 117 766 203
Female sport 76 N/A Female sport 172 16 340 424
Mix FM 448 13 932 000 Channel 7 1 166 192 559 074
General sport 395 12 394 000 General sport 965 160 498 662
Female sport 53 1 538 000 Female sport 201 32 060 412
Sky News Australia 705 N/A
Sky Sports Radio 435 N/A
General sport 646 N/A
General sport 403 N/A
Female sport 59 N/A
Female sport 32 N/A
NBN Newcastle Hunter 241 18 351 056
SPORT 927 420 N/A
General sport 204 15 660 264
General sport 392 N/A Female sport 37 2 690 792
Female sport 28 N/A NBN Tamworth 223 7 017 274
N/A Figures unavailable General sport 207 6 579 396
Female sport 16 437 878
SBS 211 N/A
General sport 189 N/A
Female sport 22 N/A
NBN Central Coast 187 N/A
General sport 170 N/A
Female sport 17 N/A
ABC1 182 125 207 684
General sport 182 125 207 684
Fox Sports News 169 N/A
General sport 142 N/A
Female sport 27 N/A

N/A Figures unavailable

106 Towards a Level Playing Field: sport and gender in Australian media SECTION FIVE 107

Leading by-lines Leading radio comperes

Chart 132: Volume of leading by-lines relating to female sport by newspaper Chart 133: Volume of coverage of female sport and general sport by leading radio compere

250 50 000 000 500

200 40 000 000

400

Circulation
150 30 000 000
Volume

300

Volume
100 20 000 000

200
50 10 000 000

100
0 0
The Daily
Telegraph

Herald Sun

The Sunday
Telegraph

The Courier-Mail

The Sunday Mail

The Sunday
Times (Perth)

Sunday Herald Sun

The Advertiser

The Advertiser

The Sunday Mail

The Courier-Mail

The Courier-Mail

Herald Sun

The Advertiser

The Daily
Telegraph

The Sunday Mail

The Sunday
Telegraph

The Sunday
Times (Perth)

Sunday Herald Sun

The Australian
0
Female General Female General Female General Female General
sport sport sport sport sport sport sport sport
Hungry for Sport Big Sport Breakfast Morning Glory Racing Central
Amanda Lulham Warren Partland Robert Craddock Kevin Bartlett Terry Kennedy and Michael Slater Andrew Maher, Tim Watson Steve Moran
and Billy Brownless
Volume Circulation

Table 60: Volume of leading by-lines relating to female sport by newspaper Table 61: Volume of coverage of female sport and general sport by leading radio compere
By-line Newspaper Volume Circulation Compere Program Sport type Volume Audience
Amanda Lulham 226 91 597 160 Hungry for Sport SEN 414 N/A
The Daily Telegraph 136 49 036 568 Kevin Bartlett Female sport 27 N/A
Herald Sun 30 15 540 000 General sport 387 N/A
The Sunday Telegraph 27 17 600 544 Terry Kennedy Big Sport Breakfast Sky Sports Radio 296 N/A
The Courier-Mail 17 3 645 956 and Michael Female sport 25 N/A
The Sunday Mail 7 2 332 057 Slater General sport 271 N/A
The Sunday Times (Perth) 6 1 927 200 Andrew Maher, Morning Glory SEN 184 N/A
Sunday Herald Sun 2 1 240 000 Tim Watson and Female sport 26 N/A
The Advertiser 1 274 835 Billy Brownless General sport 158 N/A
Warren Partland 224 64 185 209 Racing Central SPORT 927 97 N/A
The Advertiser 177 48 645 795 Steve Moran Female sport 3 N/A
The Sunday Mail 46 15 324 946 General sport 94 N/A
The Courier-Mail 1 214 468 N/A Figures unavailable
Robert Craddock 214 72 270 898
The Courier-Mail 77 16 514 036
Herald Sun 47 24 346 000
The Advertiser 33 9 069 555
The Daily Telegraph 27 9 735 201
The Sunday Mail 14 4 664 114
The Sunday Telegraph 6 3 911 232
The Sunday Times (Perth) 4 1 284 800
Sunday Herald Sun 4 2 480 000
The Australian 2 265 960
108 Towards a Level Playing Field: sport and gender in Australian media SECTION ONE

Leading television comperes

Chart 134: Volume of coverage of female sport and general sport by leading television compere

350 35 000 000

280 28 000 000

210 21 000 000

Audience
Volume

140 14 000 000

70 7 000 000

0 0
Female sport General sport Female sport General sport Female sport General sport
Today
Lisa Wilkinson and Karl Stefanovic
Sunrise
David Koch and Melissa Doyle

Volume Audience
Ten News
Ron Wilson and Deborah Knight
SECTION SIX
Table 62: Volume of coverage of female sport and general sport by leading television compere
Quantitative analysis of
Compere Program Sport type Volume Audience
Today (Channel Nine) 362 19 246 424
non-news television coverage
Lisa Wilkinson and
Karl Stefanovic
Female sport 29 1 546 535 JanuaryDecember 2008
General sport 333 17 699 889
Sunrise (Channel 7) 287 24 844 064
David Koch and
Female sport 66 5 400 644
Melissa Doyle
General sport 221 19 443 420
Ten News 196 35 258 560
Ron Wilson and
Female sport 13 2 376 261
Deborah Knight
General sport 183 32 882 299
110 Towards a Level Playing Field: sport and gender in Australian media SECTION SIX 111

the size of the audiences (for example, golf had the

Key findings
This section presents findings from an analysis of more
than 53 984 hours of sports programming, broadcast
between 1 January and 31 December 2008 (the census
of material) on channels Ten, Nine and 7; ABC1 and
ABC2; SBS; and Fox Sports 1, 2 and 3 in the Sydney
and Melbourne markets. All figures for national stations
ABC2, SBS and Fox Sports 1, 2 and 3 can be interpreted
as national.
As seen in Chart 135, 86% of the total duration of
coverage was of male sport, while 73% of the audience
was also attributed to male sports coverage. The
second-highest duration but the eighth-highest share
Competitor comparison
of audience, and rugby league had the sixth-highest Chart 135 shows all coverage analysed from 2008, split
duration but had the highest audience share). across the sport gender types (that is, the gender that
was the focus of the coverage).
There were more viewers of female tennis coverage
than of the larger proportion of male tennis coverage
Chart 135: Overall sports coverage by sport type
in Melbourne (Charts 149 and 150). Charts 151154
emphasise the small proportion of audiences watching
60 000:00:00 350 000
Fox Sports coverage, despite the lengthy durations on
these stations. A comparison of Chart 150 to Chart 149
clearly shows the discrepancies in coverage duration
48 000:00:00 280 000
versus audiences. For example, horseracing had the
26th-highest duration in Melbourne but the ninth-highest

Duration (hh:mm:ss)
audience for male sport would have been larger were it audience reach. 36 000:00:00 210 000

Audience
not for Olympics coverage (classified as indeterminate),
which attracted significant audiences for a relatively Channel Nine Sydney was a sports ratings winner
small volume of coverage. (for its broadcast of rugby league and cricket), with
24 000:00:00 140 000
a higher audience reach than all the other free-to-air
Sydney media had more coverage of each gender category, stations combined, across male, female and mixed
except male sport, than Melbourne (Chart 136). The larger sport (Chart 152).
12 000:00:00 70 000
amount of male sports coverage in the Melbourne market
was due to a combination of different broadcast times More than one-third of the audience across the top
for Australian rules football, as well as rugby league and ten sports in Melbourne watched AFL. This was more
dominant than rugby league in Sydney (Charts 154 0:00:00 0
rugby union coverage. There was over 124 more hours of Male sport Female sport Indeterminate Mixed sport
coverage of Australian rules football in Melbourne than and 152). Duration 46 282:43:00 3 762:21:00 2 395:16:00 1 544:25:00
Audience 302 830 28 823 71 124 12 211
in Sydney, and almost 32 more hours of rugby league Charts 155 and 156 show significant discrepancies
coverage and 55.5 more hours of rugby union coverage in across the board in female sports coverage compared
Melbourne than in Sydney. to mens on each platform. Tennis was the only female
sport that would rank among the top ten durations for Charts 136 and 137 show all coverage analysed
Melbourne generally had higher audiences across from the Sydney and Melbourne markets,
the board per hour of coverage (for all except the male sport (Charts 157 and 158). Interestingly, a higher
proportion of the female sports coverage was on free- respectively (durations and audiences of each
indeterminate sport gender type), as seen in Chart 137. markets coverage).
to-air television than male sports coverage, but female
There were more men watching all-gender sport sport received less than 15% of the amount of coverage
categories than women (including more men watching of male sport on free-to-air television and around 7% of Chart 136: Sports coverage by sport type, Sydney
female sport than women), as shown in Chart 144. male Fox Sports coverage.
In Sydney, the ABC (ABC1 and ABC2) was the only There were major differences in the duration of coverage 60 000:00:00 350 000
network with more female sports than male sports attributed to the three football codes of Australian rules
coverage, by duration. However, coverage across all football, rugby league and rugby union (Charts 157
networks, including the ABC, had larger total audiences and 158). 48 000:00:00 280 000
for male sports coverage (Chart 145). This chart
As with durations, the audiences accumulated for tennis

Duration (hh:mm:ss)
also shows the impact of local code rugby league
on audiences. were the only female sport audiences that would rank 36 000:00:00 210 000

Audience
among the top ten for male sport. Behind womens
In Melbourne, all stations except ABC2 had more tennis on Channel 7, female lawn bowls on the ABC
coverage of male sport than female, and had much larger attracted the highest audience for female sport during
24 000:00:00 140 000
audiences for male sport (Chart 146). This chart also the year (Charts 159 and 160).
shows the impact of local code AFL on audiences.
Cricket was the second most prominent sport in both
Tennis had the most diversified gender split across the Sydney and Melbourne, and had the highest cumulative 12 000:00:00 70 000
top sports, in terms of participants, although coverage audiences across the two markets (Charts 161 and
was still predominantly of male athletes. There was a 162). Australian rules football had the second-highest
more even split in audiences watching this sport audience across both markets, while rugby league was 0:00:00 0
Male sport Female sport Indeterminate Mixed sport
(Charts 147 and 148). the third-most prominent. The prominence of Australian Duration 23 123:10:00 1 881:22:00 1 203:23:00 772:55:00
rules football was due to its high Melbourne audience Audience 150 219 13 423 35 777 5 298
The dominance of male sports coverage by share
figures (there were more viewers in Melbourne of
of audience in the Sydney market is shown in Chart
Australian rules football than of rugby league in Sydney
148. When compared to Chart 147 (which shows the
and Melbourne combined).
duration of air time devoted to coverage), it is easy to
see discrepancies in the volume of coverage versus
112 Towards a Level Playing Field: sport and gender in Australian media SECTION SIX 113

Chart 137: Sports coverage by sport type, Melbourne Chart 140 shows a breakdown of duration, by sport Chart 142 shows a breakdown of audience, by sport
gender type, of coverage in Sydney. gender type, in Sydney.
60 000:00:00 350 000
Chart 140: Duration of sports coverage by sport type, Sydney Chart 142: Audience by sport type, Sydney

Mixed sport Mixed sport

48 000:00:00 280 000 3% 3%
Indeterminate Female sport
4% 7%
Duration (hh:mm:ss)

Female sport
7%
36 000:00:00 210 000

Audience
Indeterminate
17%
24 000:00:00 140 000

12 000:00:00 70 000

0:00:00 0
Male sport Female sport Indeterminate Mixed sport
Duration 23 159:33:00 1 880:59:00 1 191:53:00 771:30:00 Male sport Male sport
Audience 152 611 15 400 35 347 6 913 86% 73%

Share of voice Chart 141 shows a breakdown of duration, by sport Chart 143 shows a breakdown of audience, by sport
gender type, of coverage in Melbourne. gender type, in Melbourne.
Chart 138 shows the proportion of duration, by sport Chart 139 shows the proportion of audience, by sport
gender type, for coverage in both Sydney and Melbourne. gender type, in both Sydney and Melbourne. Chart 141: Duration of sports coverage by sport type, Chart 143: Audience by sport type, Melbourne
Melbourne
Chart 138: Duration of sports coverage by sport type, Chart 139: Audience by sport type, Sydney and Melbourne
Sydney and Melbourne Mixed sport Mixed sport
Indeterminate 3% 3%
4% Female sport
Mixed sport Mixed sport 7%
Female sport
Indeterminate 3% 3% 7%
Female sport
4% 7%
Female sport
7% Indeterminate
17%

Indeterminate
17%

Male sport Male sport

86% 73%

Male sport Male sport

86% 73%
114 Towards a Level Playing Field: sport and gender in Australian media SECTION SIX 115

Chart 146: Leading station sports coverage by sport type, Melbourne

Audience demographics
Chart 144 shows the proportion of male and female 33 600:00:00 70 000
viewers of each of the different sport gender types overall.
28 800:00:00 60 000
Chart 144: Male and female audience by sport type

100% 24 000:00:00 50 000

Duration (hh:mm:ss)
19 200:00:00 40 000

Audience
36.9%
80%
49.8% 48.9%

14 400:00:00 30 000
60%
Audience

9 600:00:00 20 000
40%
63.1% 4 800:00:00 10 000
50.2% 51.1%
20%
0:00:00 0
Fox Sports Fox Sports Fox Sports Channel Channel Channel
SBS ABC1 ABC2
3 2 1 Nine 7 Ten
0%
Male sport Female sport Mixed sport Mixed sport duration 173:11:00 229:57:00 213:25:00 61:56:00 51:58:00 7:31:00 5:14:00 28:18:00
Female sport duration 808:38:00 344:29:00 348:29:00 37:34:00 88:56:00 22:18:00 97:01:00 109:32:00 24:02:00
Male viewers Female viewers
Male sport duration 6 845:16:00 6 861:41:00 6 862:49:00 641:48:00 563:21:00 676:29:00 566:45:00 141:24:00
Mixed sport audience 124 134 158 1 312 4 015 288 204 678
Female sport audience 793 325 591 587 7 514 408 3 094 2 022 66
Male sport audience
Leading stations 6 189 12 449 18 283 35 590 37 562 27 820 11 482 3 236

Charts 145 and 146 show the breakdown of coverage of

each sport gender type (male, female and mixed gender
sports coverage only) and the audience across each station
Leading sports by competitor
in Sydney and Melbourne. Fox Sports 1, 2 and 3, as well as Chart 147 shows the top ten sports by duration for each
SBS and ABC2 coverage was the same in both markets. sport gender type (male, female and mixed gender sports
coverage only) in the Sydney market. See Charts 155 and
Chart 145: Leading station sports coverage by sport type, Sydney 157 for a breakdown by solely female sports or solely
male sports coverage in Sydney.
33 600:00:00 70 000
Chart 147: Duration of top ten sports by sport type, Sydney
28 800:00:00 60 000
Duration (hh:mm:ss)
24 000:00:00 50 000 0:00:00 960:00:00 1 920:00:00 2 880:00:00 3 840:00:00
Duration (hh:mm:ss)

Cricket 3 408:27:00
Audience

19 200:00:00 40 000
Golf 2 614:45:00 473:54:00

14 400:00:00 30 000 Tennis 2 077:24:00 733:30:00

Football (soccer) 2 665:13:00

9 600:00:00 20 000
Motor sports 2 308:34:00

4 800:00:00 10 000 Rugby league 2 029:32:00

Australian rules football 1 797:09:00

0:00:00 0
Fox Sports Fox Sports Fox Sports Channel Channel Channel Rugby union 1 435:18:00
SBS ABC1 ABC2
3 2 1 Nine 7 Ten
Mixed sport duration 173:11:00 229:57:00 213:25:00 61:51:00 53:28:00 7:31:00 5:14:00 28:18:00 Poker 659:25:00

Female sport duration 808:38:00 344:29:00 348:29:00 36:58:00 88:57:00 22:18:00 97:01:00 110:30:00 24:02:00
Basketball 542:45:00
Male sport duration 6 845:16:00 6 861:41:00 6 862:49:00 677:02:00 552:25:00 654:02:00 566:45:00 103:10:00
Mixed sport audience 123 160 196 1 320 2 447 268 216 568
Female sport audience 864 316 376 691 5 477 379 3 268 2 017 35 Male sport Female sport Mixed sport
Male sport audience 9 882 23 230 11 370 62 283 17 490 10 369 12 852 2 743
116 Towards a Level Playing Field: sport and gender in Australian media SECTION SIX 117

Table 63: Duration of top ten sports by sport type, Sydney Chart 149 shows the top ten sports by duration for each
Sport Male sport Female sport Mixed sport Total
sport gender type (male, female and mixed gender sports
coverage only) in the Melbourne market. See Charts 156
Cricket 3 408:27:00 0:57:00 3 409:24:00
and 158 for a breakdown by solely female sports or male
Golf 2 614:45:00 473:54:00 3:00:00 3 091:39:00
sports coverage in Melbourne.
Tennis 2 077:24:00 733:30:00 119:35:00 2 930:29:00
Football (soccer) 2 665:13:00 46:57:00 2 712:10:00 Chart 149: Duration of top ten sports by sport type, Melbourne
Motor sports 2 308:34:00 26:24:00 2 334:58:00 Duration (hh:mm:ss)
Rugby league 2 029:32:00 2 029:32:00 0:00:00 960:00:00 1 920:00:00 2 880:00:00 3 840:00:00
Australian rules football 1 797:09:00 1 797:09:00
Rugby union 1 435:18:00 1 435:18:00 Cricket 3 409:37:00

Poker 659:25:00 16:55:00 676:20:00 Golf 2 615:20:00 473:54:00

Basketball 542:45:00 67:58:00 610:43:00

Tennis 2 077:22:00 734:05:00
Total 19 538:32:00 1 323:16:00 165:54:00 21 027:42:00
Football (soccer) 2 665:13:00

Chart 148 shows the top ten sports by audience for

Motor sports 2 305:57:00
each sport gender type (male, female and mixed gender
sports coverage only) in the Sydney market. See Charts Rugby league 1 997:34:00

155 and 157 for a breakdown by solely female sports or Australian rules football 1 921:21:00
male sports coverage in Sydney.
Rugby union 1 379:44:00

Chart 148: Audience for top ten sports by sport type, Sydney Poker 659:25:00

Audience Basketball 541:45:00

0 10 000 20 000 30 000 40 000 50 000 60 000

Male sport Female sport Mixed sport
Rugby league 44 964 44 964

Cricket 36 729 36 802

Football (soccer) 13 891 14 800 Table 65: Duration of top ten sports by sport type, Melbourne

Motor sports 13 782 13 993 Sport Male sport Female sport Mixed sport Total

Tennis 6 700 6 369 13 682 Cricket 3 409:37:00 0:57:00 3 410:34:00

Golf 2 615:20:00 473:54:00 3:00:00 3 092:14:00
Rugby union 8 149 8 149
Tennis 2 077:22:00 734:05:00 119:35:00 2 931:02:00
Australian rules football 7 808 7 808
Football (soccer) 2 665:13:00 46:57:00 2 712:10:00
Golf 4 126 5 196 Motor sports 2 305:57:00 26:27:00 2 332:24:00
Cycling 3 830 4 116 Rugby league 1 997:34:00 1 997:34:00

Lawn bowls 2 796

Australian rules football 1 921:21:00 1 921:21:00
Rugby union 1 379:44:00 1 379:44:00
Male sport Female sport Mixed sport Poker 659:25:00 16:55:00 676:20:00
Basketball 541:45:00 67:58:00 609:43:00
Table 64: Audience for top ten sports by sport type, Sydney
Total 19 573:18:00 1 323:51:00 165:57:00 21 063:06:00
Sport Male sport Female sport Mixed sport Total
Rugby league 44 964 44 964
Cricket 36 729 73 36 802
Football (soccer) 13 891 909 14 800
Motor sports 13 782 211 13 993
Tennis 6 700 6 369 613 13 682
Rugby union 8 149 8 149
Australian rules football 7 808 7 808
Golf 4 126 1 020 50 5 196
Cycling 3 830 286 4 116
Lawn bowls 1 566 1 230 2 796
Total 141 545 9 887 874 152 306
118 Towards a Level Playing Field: sport and gender in Australian media SECTION SIX 119

Chart 150 shows the top ten sports by audience for each
sport gender type (male, female and mixed gender sports
Leading sports by station
coverage only) in the Melbourne market. See Charts 156 Chart 151 shows the top ten sports by duration on each Chart 152 shows the top ten sports by audience for
and 158 for a breakdown by solely female sports or solely station (male, female and mixed gender sports coverage each station (male, female and mixed gender sports
male sports coverage in Melbourne. only) in the Sydney market (see Table 67). See Charts coverage only) in the Sydney market (see Table 68).
155 and 157 for a breakdown by solely female sports or See Charts 155 and 157 for a breakdown by solely
Chart 150: Audience for top ten sports by sport type, Melbourne solely male sports coverage in Sydney. female sports or solely male sports coverage in Sydney.

Audience
0 10 000 20 000 30 000 40 000 50 000 60 000 Chart 151: Duration of top ten sports by television station, Sydney

Australian rules football 52 925 52 925

Duration (hh:mm:ss)
0:00:00 960:00:00 1 920:00:00 2 880:00:00 3 840:00:00
Cricket 39 819 39 890

Cricket 609:25:00 992:26:00 1 259:42:00 312:13:00

Tennis 7 766 8 299 16 757

Golf 1 620:59:00 672:23:00 616:44:00

Motor sports 14 938 15 167

Tennis 261:03:00 422:13:00 1 886:26:00

Football (soccer) 8 689 9 455

Football (soccer) 1 355:01:00 553:41:00 530:52:00

Rugby league 6 878 6 878

Motor sports 595:33:00 626:30:00 680:59:00

Golf 5 164 6 571

Rugby league 1 468:16:00

Cycling 4 265 4 549

Australian rules football 1 171:14:00

Horseracing 3 637 3 637

Rugby union 286:28:00 485:40:00 565:24:00

Lawn bowls 2 772

Poker
Male sport Female sport Mixed sport
Basketball

ABC1 ABC2 Channel 7 Fox Sports 1 Fox Sports 2 Fox Sports 3 SBS Channel Nine Channel Ten
Table 66: Audience for top ten sports by sport type, Melbourne
Sport Male sport Female sport Mixed sport Total
Australian rules football 52 925 52 925 Chart 152: Audience for top ten sports by television station, Sydney
Cricket 39 819 71 39 890
Audience
Tennis 7 766 8 299 692 16 757 0 10 000 20 000 30 000 40 000 50 000 60 000
Motor sports 14 938 229 15 167
Football (soccer) 8 689 766 9 455 Rugby league 11 750 32 362 44 964

Rugby league 6 878 6 878 Cricket 4 851 26 369 2 543 36 802

Golf 5 164 1 356 51 6 571
Football (soccer) 5 102 2 390 4 854 14 800
Cycling 4 265 284 4 549
Horseracing 3 637 3 637 Motor sports 6 160 2 882 13 993

Lawn bowls 1 635 1 137 2 772 Tennis 10 214 13 682

Total 142 079 11 913 4 609 158 601

Rugby union 2 539 2 530 8 149

Australian rules football 2 991 3 623 7 808

Golf 5 196

Cycling 3 706 4 116

Lawn bowls 2 709 2 796

ABC1 ABC2 Channel 7 Fox Sports 1 Fox Sports 2 Fox Sports 3 SBS Channel Nine Channel Ten
120 Towards a Level Playing Field: sport and gender in Australian media SECTION SIX 121

Chart 153 shows the top ten sports by duration for each Chart 154 shows the top ten sports by audience for each Charts 155 and 156 show the top ten female sports by duration in
station (male, female and mixed gender sports coverage station (male, female and mixed gender sports coverage the Sydney and Melbourne markets (see tables 71 and 72, respectively).
only) in the Melbourne market (see Table 69). See Charts only) in the Melbourne market (see Table 70). See Charts
156 and 158 for a breakdown by solely female sports or 160 and 162 for a breakdown by solely female sports or Chart 155: Duration of top ten female sports by television station, Sydney
solely male sports coverage in Melbourne. solely male sports coverage in Melbourne. Duration (hh:mm:ss)
0:00:00 960:00:00 1 920:00:00 2 880:00:00 3 840:00:00
Chart 153: Duration of top ten sports by television station, Melbourne
Tennis 476:25:00

Duration (hh:mm:ss) Golf

0:00:00 960:00:00 1 920:00:00 2 880:00:00 3 840:00:00
Netball
Cricket 609:25:00 992:26:00 1 259:42:00 312:13:00
Lawn bowls
Golf 1 620:59:00 672:23:00 616:44:00
Basketball
Tennis 261:03:00 422:13:00 1 886:26:00
Football (soccer)
Football (soccer) 1 355:01:00 553:41:00 530:52:00
Field hockey
Motor sports 595:33:00 626:30:00 680:59:00
Beach volleyball
Rugby league 1 468:16:00
Gymnastics
Australian rules football 1 171:14:00
Volleyball
Rugby union 286:28:00 485:40:00 565:24:00
ABC1 ABC2 Channel 7 Fox Sports 1 Fox Sports 2 Fox Sports 3 SBS Channel Nine Channel Ten
Poker

Basketball
Chart 156: Duration of top ten female sports by television station, Melbourne
ABC1 ABC2 Channel 7 Fox Sports 1 Fox Sports 2 Fox Sports 3 SBS Channel Nine Channel Ten

Duration (hh:mm:ss)
0:00:00 960:00:00 1 920:00:00 2 880:00:00 3 840:00:00
Chart 154: Audience for top ten sports by television station, Melbourne
Tennis 476:25:00
Audience
0 10 000 20 000 30 000 40 000 50 000 60 000 Golf

Netball
Australian rules football 23 223 8 760 18 886 52 925
Lawn bowls
Cricket 5 629 27 888 2 799 39 890
Basketball
Tennis 13 779 16 757
Football (soccer)
Motor sports 6 131 4 622 15 167
Field hockey
Football (soccer) 3 359 3 014 9 455
Beach volleyball
Rugby league 4 448 6 878
Gymnastics
Golf 2 560 6 571
Volleyball
Cycling 4 093 4 549

Horseracing 2 945 3 637 ABC1 ABC2 Channel 7 Fox Sports 1 Fox Sports 3 SBS Channel Nine Channel Ten

Lawn bowls 2 617 2 772

ABC1 ABC2 Channel 7 Fox Sports 1 Fox Sports 2 Fox Sports 3 SBS Channel Nine Channel Ten
122 Towards a Level Playing Field: sport and gender in Australian media SECTION SIX 123

Charts 157 and 158 show the top ten male sports by duration in the Charts 159 and 160 show the top ten female sports by audience in the
Sydney and Melbourne markets (see tables 73 and 74, respectively). Sydney and Melbourne markets (see tables 75 and 76, respectively).

Chart 157: Duration of top ten male sports by television station, Sydney Chart 159: Audience for top ten female sports by television station, Sydney

Duration (hh:mm:ss) Audience

0:00:00 960:00:00 1 920:00:00 2 880:00:00 3 840:00:00 0 10 000 20 000 30 000 40 000 50 000 60 000

Cricket 609:25:00 992:26:00 1 259:42:00 311:16:00 Tennis 5 477 6 369

Football (soccer) 1 355:01:00 552:46:00 530:52:00 Lawn bowls 1 230

Golf 1 381:13:00 561:19:00 520:31:00 Golf 1 020

Motor sports 586:33:00 622:28:00 673:33:00 Football (soccer) 909

Tennis 292:01:00 1 386:32:00 Netball 828

Rugby league 1 468:16:00 Basketball 641

Australian rules football 1 171:14:00 Beach volleyball 396

Rugby union 286:28:00 485:40:00 565:24:00

Handball 371

Cycling 286
Poker
Volleyball 282
Baseball 322:01:00

ABC1 ABC2 Channel 7 Fox Sports 1 Fox Sports 2 Fox Sports 3 SBS Channel Nine Channel Ten ABC1 ABC2 Channel 7 Fox Sports 1 Fox Sports 2 Fox Sports 3 SBS Channel Nine Channel Ten

Chart 158: Duration of top ten male sports by television station, Melbourne Chart 160: Audience for top ten female sports by television station, Melbourne

Duration (hh:mm:ss) Audience

0:00:00 960:00:00 1 920:00:00 2 880:00:00 3 840:00:00 0 10 000 20 000 30 000 40 000 50 000 60 000

Cricket 609:25:00 992:26:00 1 259:42:00 311:42:00 Tennis 7 514 8 299

Football (soccer) 1 355:01:00 552:46:00 530:52:00 Golf 1 356

Golf 1 381:13:00 561:19:00 520:31:00 Lawn bowls 1 137

Motor sports 586:33:00 622:28:00 673:33:00 Netball 812

Tennis 292:01:00 1 386:32:00 Football (soccer) 766

Rugby league 1 468:16:00 Basketball 655

Australian rules football 1 171:14:00 Beach Volleyball 403

Rugby union 286:28:00 485:40:00 565:24:00 Handball 379

Poker Volleyball 316

Cycling 284
Baseball 322:01:00

ABC1 ABC2 Channel 7 Fox Sports 1 Fox Sports 2 Fox Sports 3 SBS Channel Nine Channel Ten ABC1 ABC2 Channel 7 Fox Sports 1 Fox Sports 2 Fox Sports 3 SBS Channel Nine Channel Ten
 124

Lawn bowls
Rugby union
Cycling
Golf
Rugby league
Tennis
Football (soccer)
Motor sports
Cricket
Australian rules football
Lawn bowls
Cycling
Golf
Tennis
Australian rules football
Rugby union
Motor sports
Football (soccer)
Cricket
Rugby league

0
0

1 405
2 991

3 420

3 359

3 809
2 539

4 737

5 921
5 990

6 265
1 566

1 635
1 698
4 851

2 135 4 448
5 629
3 623

3 830

4 265
4 126
11 750

2 530

5 164
6 700

6 878
7 808

7 766
8 149

10 000
10 000

2 430 8 689
5 102 2 390 1 913 4 154

2 882

4 622
23 223
13 782
13 891

14 938
20 000
20 000

26 296

27 817
Towards a Level Playing Field: sport and gender in Australian media

Chart 161: Audience for top ten male sports by television station, Sydney
Sydney and Melbourne markets (see tables 77 and 78, respectively).

32 362
Charts 161 and 162 show the top ten male sports by audience in the

Chart 162: Audience for top ten male sports by television station, Melbourne

8 760
30 000
30 000

Audience
Audience

2 543 36 729

40 000
40 000

2 799 39 819
18 886
44 964

50 000
50 000

52 925
ABC1 ABC2 Channel 7 Fox Sports 1 Fox Sports 2 Fox Sports 3 SBS Channel Nine Channel Ten

ABC1 ABC2 Channel 7 Fox Sports 1 Fox Sports 2 Fox Sports 3 SBS Channel Nine Channel Ten
60 000
60 000

Table 67: Duration of top ten sports by television station, Sydney

Sport ABC1 ABC2 Channel 7 Fox Sports 1 Fox Sports 2 Fox Sports 3 SBS Channel Nine Channel Ten Total
Cricket 0:57:00 609:25:00 992:26:00 1 259:42:00 312:13:00 234:41:00 3 409:24:00
Golf 17:56:00 43:28:00 1 620:59:00 672:23:00 616:44:00 21:49:00 98:20:00 3 091:39:00
Tennis 28:18:00 233:24:00 261:03:00 422:13:00 1 886:26:00 2:45:00 96:20:00 2 930:29:00
Football (soccer) 19:43:00 2:14:00 1 355:01:00 553:41:00 530:52:00 250:39:00 2 712:10:00
Motor sports 152:21:00 595:33:00 626:30:00 680:59:00 105:54:00 34:56:00 138:45:00 2 334:58:00
Rugby league 103:45:00 1 468:16:00 236:45:00 220:46:00 2 029:32:00
Australian rules football 182:54:00 1 171:14:00 134:29:00 153:28:00 155:04:00 1 797:09:00
Rugby union 52:08:00 24:28:00 286:28:00 485:40:00 565:24:00 21:10:00 1 435:18:00
Poker 215:04:00 236:06:00 225:10:00 676:20:00
Basketball 29:58:00 24:02:00 139:44:00 227:56:00 151:50:00 25:16:00 11:57:00 610:43:00
Total 149:00:00 24:02:00 638:49:00 6 358:16:00 5 819:40:00 6 307:20:00 384:34:00 698:01:00 648:00:00 2 1027:42:00

Table 68: Audience for top ten sports by television station, Sydney

Sport ABC1 ABC2 Channel 7 Fox Sports 1 Fox Sports 2 Fox Sports 3 SBS Channel Nine Channel Ten Total
Rugby league 251 11 750 601 32 362 44 964
Cricket 42 1 530 4 851 1 467 26 369 2 543 36 802
Football (soccer) 209 332 5 102 2 390 1 913 4 854 14 800
Motor sports 6 160 586 846 646 1 181 1 692 2 882 13 993
Tennis 568 10 214 150 210 1 036 87 1 417 13 682
Rugby union 1 177 2 539 357 1 181 2 530 365 8 149
Australian rules football 2 991 1 062 83 49 3 623 7 808
Golf 306 630 1 697 778 673 252 860 5 196
Cycling 40 29 166 3 706 175 4 116
Lawn bowls 2 709 6 56 25 2 796
Total 5 011 0 22 866 10 781 22 174 9 106 9 828 62 092 10 448 152 306
SECTION SIX
125
 126
Table 69: Duration of top ten sports by television station, Melbourne

Sport ABC1 ABC2 Channel 7 Fox Sports 1 Fox Sports 2 Fox Sports 3 SBS Channel Nine Channel Ten Total
Cricket 0:57:00 609:25:00 992:26:00 1 259:42:00 312:39:00 235:25:00 3 410:34:00
Golf 17:56:00 43:30:00 1 620:59:00 672:23:00 616:44:00 21:51:00 98:51:00 3 092:14:00
Tennis 28:18:00 233:24:00 261:03:00 422:13:00 1 886:26:00 2:45:00 96:53:00 2 931:02:00
Football (soccer) 19:43:00 2:14:00 1 355:01:00 553:41:00 530:52:00 250:39:00 2 712:10:00
Motor sports 152:34:00 595:33:00 626:30:00 680:59:00 105:54:00 32:09:00 138:45:00 2 332:24:00
Rugby league 103:45:00 1 468:16:00 236:45:00 188:48:00 1 997:34:00
Australian rules football 90:22:00 195:32:00 1 171:14:00 134:29:00 153:28:00 176:16:00 1 921:21:00
Rugby union 21:02:00 286:28:00 485:40:00 565:24:00 21:10:00 1 379:44:00
Poker 215:04:00 236:06:00 225:10:00 676:20:00
Basketball 29:58:00 24:02:00 139:44:00 227:56:00 151:50:00 25:16:00 10:57:00 609:43:00
Total 187:14:00 24:02:00 648:16:00 6 358:16:00 5 819:40:00 6 307:20:00 384:34:00 663:17:00 670:27:00 21 063:06:00

Table 70: Audience for top ten sports by television station, Melbourne

Sport ABC1 ABC2 Channel 7 Fox Sports 1 Fox Sports 2 Fox Sports 3 SBS Channel Nine Channel Ten Total
Australian rules football 1 674 23 223 8 760 182 200 18 886 52 925
Towards a Level Playing Field: sport and gender in Australian media

Cricket 25 2 060 5 629 1 489 27 888 2 799 39 890

Tennis 678 13 779 193 141 745 60 1 161 16 757
Motor sports 6 131 561 536 554 1 210 1 553 4 622 15 167
Football (soccer) 182 210 3 359 1 569 1 121 3 014 9 455
Rugby league 141 2 135 154 4 448 6 878
Golf 423 737 2 560 832 741 210 1 068 6 571
Cycling 56 32 130 4 093 238 4 549
Horseracing 2 945 692 3 637
Lawn bowls 2 617 33 101 21 2 772
Total 5 599 0 47 025 17 723 11 157 5 155 8 377 35 952 27 613 158 601

Table 71: Duration of top ten female sports by television station, Sydney

Sport ABC1 ABC2 Channel 7 Fox Sports 1 Fox Sports 2 Fox Sports 3 SBS Channel Nine Channel Ten Total
Tennis 88:57:00 41:45:00 91:47:00 476:25:00 34:36:00 733:30:00
Golf 17:56:00 238:46:00 111:04:00 95:13:00 0:55:00 10:00:00 473:54:00
Netball 36:03:00 71:39:00 178:16:00 12:18:00 298:16:00
Lawn bowls 42:53:00 17:55:00 47:46:00 15:56:00 124:30:00
Basketball 29:58:00 24:02:00 2:00:00 2:00:00 9:58:00 67:58:00
Football (soccer) 19:43:00 0:55:00 26:19:00 46:57:00
Field hockey 6:00:00 11:45:00 10:56:00 2:04:00 30:45:00
Beach volleyball 5:31:00 2:11:00 14:43:00 7:27:00 29:52:00
Gymnastics 6:52:00 14:09:00 1:28:00 22:29:00
Volleyball 14:18:00 14:18:00
Total 110:30:00 24:02:00 88:57:00 348:00:00 343:59:00 807:38:00 61:34:00 35:31:00 22:18:00 1 842:29:00

Table 72: Duration of top ten female sports by television station, Melbourne

Sport ABC1 ABC2 Channel 7 Fox Sports 1 Fox Sports 2 Fox Sports 3 SBS Channel Nine Channel Ten Total
Tennis 88:56:00 41:45:00 91:47:00 476:25:00 35:12:00 734:05:00
Golf 17:56:00 238:46:00 111:04:00 95:13:00 0:55:00 10:00:00 473:54:00
Netball 36:03:00 71:39:00 178:16:00 12:18:00 298:16:00
Lawn bowls 41:55:00 17:55:00 47:46:00 15:56:00 123:32:00
Basketball 29:58:00 24:02:00 2:00:00 2:00:00 9:58:00 67:58:00
Football (soccer) 19:43:00 0:55:00 26:19:00 46:57:00
Field hockey 6:00:00 11:45:00 10:56:00 2:04:00 30:45:00
Beach volleyball 5:31:00 2:11:00 14:43:00 7:27:00 29:52:00
Gymnastics 6:52:00 14:09:00 1:28:00 22:29:00
Volleyball 14:18:00 14:18:00
Total 109:32:00 24:02:00 88:56:00 348:00:00 343:59:00 807:38:00 61:34:00 36:07:00 22:18:00 1 842:06:00
SECTION SIX
127
 128
Table 73: Duration of top ten male sports by television station, Sydney

Sport ABC1 ABC2 Channel 7 Fox Sports 1 Fox Sports 2 Fox Sports 3 SBS Channel Nine Channel Ten Total
Cricket 0:57:00 609:25:00 992:26:00 1 259:42:00 311:16:00 234:41:00 3 408:27:00
Football (soccer) 2:14:00 1 355:01:00 552:46:00 530:52:00 224:20:00 2 665:13:00
Golf 43:28:00 1 381:13:00 561:19:00 520:31:00 19:54:00 88:20:00 2 614:45:00
Motor sports 146:25:00 586:33:00 622:28:00 673:33:00 105:54:00 34:56:00 138:45:00 2 308:34:00
Tennis 144:27:00 189:55:00 292:01:00 1 386:32:00 2:45:00 61:44:00 2 077:24:00
Rugby league 103:45:00 1 468:16:00 236:45:00 220:46:00 2 029:32:00
Australian rules football 182:54:00 1 171:14:00 134:29:00 153:28:00 155:04:00 1 797:09:00
Rugby union 52:08:00 24:28:00 286:28:00 485:40:00 565:24:00 21:10:00 1 435:18:00
Poker 209:04:00 234:06:00 216:15:00 659:25:00
Baseball 75:26:00 205:19:00 322:01:00 1:53:00 604:39:00
Total 53:05:00 0:00:00 543:56:00 5 968:04:00 5 548:50:00 5 865:03:00 334:52:00 648:36:00 638:00:00 19 600:26:00

Table 74: Duration of top ten male sports by television station, Melbourne

Sport ABC1 ABC2 Channel 7 Fox Sports 1 Fox Sports 2 Fox Sports 3 SBS Channel Nine Channel Ten Total
Cricket 0:57:00 609:25:00 992:26:00 1 259:42:00 311:42:00 235:25:00 3 409:37:00
Towards a Level Playing Field: sport and gender in Australian media

Football (soccer) 2:14:00 1 355:01:00 552:46:00 530:52:00 224:20:00 2 665:13:00

Golf 43:30:00 1 381:13:00 561:19:00 520:31:00 19:56:00 88:51:00 2 615:20:00
Motor sports 146:35:00 586:33:00 622:28:00 673:33:00 105:54:00 32:09:00 138:45:00 2 305:57:00
Tennis 144:28:00 189:55:00 292:01:00 1 386:32:00 2:45:00 61:41:00 2 077:22:00
Rugby league 103:45:00 1 468:16:00 236:45:00 188:48:00 1 997:34:00
Australian rules football 90:22:00 195:32:00 1 171:14:00 134:29:00 153:28:00 176:16:00 1 921:21:00
Rugby union 21:02:00 286:28:00 485:40:00 565:24:00 21:10:00 1 379:44:00
Poker 209:04:00 234:06:00 216:15:00 659:25:00
Baseball 75:26:00 205:19:00 322:01:00 1:53:00 604:39:00
Total 91:19:00 0:00:00 553:21:00 5 968:04:00 5 548:50:00 5 865:03:00 334:52:00 614:16:00 660:27:00 19 636:12:00

Table 75: Audience for top ten female sports by television station, Sydney

Sport ABC1 ABC2 Channel 7 Fox Sports 1 Fox Sports 2 Fox Sports 3 SBS Channel Nine Channel Ten Total
Tennis 5 477 16 48 271 557 6 369
Lawn bowls 1 185 4 27 14 1 230
Golf 306 291 154 89 26 154 1 020
Football (soccer) 209 0 700 909
Netball 55 78 470 225 828
Basketball 317 35 1 288 641
Beach volleyball 3 10 383 396
Handball 371 371
Cycling 286 286
Volleyball 282 282
Total 2 017 35 5 477 370 307 854 2 310 583 379 12 332

Table 76: Audience for top ten female sports by television station, Melbourne

Sport ABC1 ABC2 Channel 7 Fox Sports 1 Fox Sports 2 Fox Sports 3 SBS Channel Nine Channel Ten Total
Tennis 7 514 23 34 222 506 8 299
Golf 423 470 178 129 2 154 1 356
Lawn bowls 1 080 14 32 11 1 137
Netball 68 76 414 254 812
Football (soccer) 182 584 766
Basketball 337 66 7 1 244 655
Beach volleyball 2 4 397 403
Handball 379 379
Volleyball 316 316
Cycling 284 284
Total 2 022 66 7 514 584 320 781 2 204 508 408 14 407
SECTION SIX
129
130 Towards a Level Playing Field: sport and gender in Australian media APPENDIX A 131

Appendix A: CARMAmethodology

52 925
39 819
14 938
8 689
7 766
6 878
5 164
4 265
1 698
1 635
143 777
44 964
36 729
13 891
13 782
8 149
7 808
6 700
4 126
3 830
1 566
141 545

Total
Total

Media Monitors uses the CARMAmedia content From this multivariate analysis, an aggregate score

Channel Ten
Channel Ten

analysis methodology, which is internationally is derived and presented on a 0100 scale (in which

18 886
2 799
4 622

914
238
278

27 737
2 543

2 882
365
3 623

706
175

10 294
recognised as one of the most sophisticated and
rigorous commercial systems available. CARMA
executives are foremost specialists in media
research and analysis.
50 is neutral) to provide a sophisticated overall rating
of the favourability or otherwise of each article, each
media, each source and each writer for the client.
Average favourability is also calculated for issues,

Channel Nine
Channel Nine

media, writers and sources, providing valuable data for

27 817
1 553

655
4 448
157

34 630
32 362
26 296

1 692

860
179

61 389 Media Monitors analyses media coverage of
companies, organisations, products, events,
campaigns, trends and issues quantitatively and,
most importantly, qualitatively.
Quantitative analysis is relatively straightforward.
identifying trends and for comparing with benchmarks
or previous data. This aggregate score is called the
CARMAFavourability Rating.
The CARMAFavourability Rating is more than a positive

1 210
2 430
60

3 809

7 509
4 154
1 181

87

3 420

8 842

or negative description, which is the basis of some

SBS
SBS

However, in addition to simply counting the total
number of articles, column centimetres/inches or
minutes of air time, Media Monitors is able to calculate
the total impressions generated (the total circulation
Fox Sports 3
simplistic (uni-variate) media analysis systems.
It provides a precise overall qualitative rating that
reflects the likely impact of coverage.

Fox Sports 3

or audience reached by media coverage). Also, where Quality control to ensure rigour and reliability of analysis
200
601
1 467
1 913
624
2 530
49
756
582
166
11
8 699

1 489
554
1 121
516
154
612
130
479
10
5 265
competitors are analysed, Media Monitors can report is achieved in three key ways:
editorial share of voice.
most of the variables analysed by Media Monitors
Media Monitors analyses media content qualitatively, such as media name, page number, positioning,
taking into account multiple key variables that sources names, etc. are objective criteria
Fox Sports 2

Fox Sports 2
11 750
4 851
2 390
840
1 181
83
145
624
29
29
21 922

182
5 629
527
1 569
105
2 135
654
32
394
69
11 296
determine the impact of media coverage. These include:
issues and messages (somewhat more
the media in which articles appear (particularly subjective) are identified by either exact
whether they reach key target audiences) word or phrase matching, or presence of acceptable
synonyms. A list of acceptable synonyms and
Fox Sports 1

Fox Sports 1

positioning (front page, front of business section, etc.) coding instructions is provided to analysts, in
251
1 530
5 102
573
357
1 062
115
1 405
40
2
10 437

8 760
2 060
551
3 359
165
141
2 090
56
198
19
17 399

prominence (size or length of articles, headline Coding Guidelines, to maintain consistency and
mentions, photo, etc.) rigour (for example, innovator can equal cutting-
Table 78: Audience for top ten male sports by television station, Melbourne

edge products, ahead of competitors or first to

issues discussed market)
Table 77: Audience for top ten male sports by television station, Sydney

Channel 7

Channel 7
332
5 990
2 539
2 991
4 737
630

17 219

23 223

5 921
210
6 265

737

349

36 705

messages conveyed in articles (positive and Media Monitors uses multiple coders on all
negative) projects to minimise individual subjectivity.
sources quoted (favourable and unfavourable)

other textual and contextual factors, such as tone,

0

0
ABC2

ABC2

headline, photos, etc.

42

1 177

1 524
2 743

1 674
25

1 537
3 236
ABC1

ABC1
Australian rules football
Australian rules football

Football (soccer)
Football (soccer)

Rugby league
Rugby league

Motor sports
Motor sports

Rugby union
Rugby union

Lawn bowls
Lawn bowls

Cycling
Cycling

Cricket
Cricket

Tennis
Tennis

Sport
Sport

Total
Total

Golf
Golf
132 Towards a Level Playing Field: sport and gender in Australian media REFERENCES 133

Interpretation of CARMAratings
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100
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