The Ethics of Embedding: Journalists’ Engagement with Athlete Social Media Content in Women’s Sports Reporting

Abstract

Using the theory of boundary work, this project explores journalists’ relationship with women athletes’ social media content and if, how, and when they elect to embed such content in their reporting. Previous research has emphasized the adversarial relationship between journalists and athlete content creators. Through 19 qualitative semistructured interviews with sports journalists covering women’s sports, this article, however, demonstrates that journalists perceive athlete social media content to be selectively complimentary in their reporting. This finding complicates understandings of the practice of covering women’s sports by unpacking this decision-making process regarding embedding within the context of blurred journalistic boundaries.