This study analyzes the allocation of sport news among female and male journalists in the francophone Swiss daily press. Relying on both quantitative content analysis and qualitative data collected through interviews with female and male sports journalists, it identifies a horizontal segregation within sports newsrooms. An overwhelmingly greater number of male journalists cover the most prestigious subjects and produce greater numbers of technical match reports, taking on what are considered to be the “hardest” news stories. Women are restricted to covering less prestigious sports, women’s sports, and tend to be allocated “soft” stories to report. This article undertakes an in-depth discussion of the gendered nature of this task allocation, exploring the way it affects female and male journalists’ careers.
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