From Inside the Newsroom

Abstract

It has long been understood that the media has the power to shape the representation of social issues and effectively manage the understanding that the public has of the world. Control of information in media centres at major sporting events such as the Paralympic Games is vital if agencies such as the International Paralympic Committee and national affiliates such as the British Paralympic Association are to properly manage the image of elite sport for the disabled. Information that print journalists receive in this environment is already highly mediated and the added influence of editors who often have strong views as to what is appropriate for their target audience means that the final published product often is devoid of cultural understanding of Paralympic sport. As such the shaping of printed media texts related to sport for the disabled is not distinct from the mainstream. However, while there have been numerous studies exploring the media representation of Paralympic athletes, there has been no critical discussion surrounding the actual production of printed media texts around this community. Using ethnographic and anthropological approaches, this article attempts to address this lacuna by researching the lived experience of these media production processes.