Sports Journalism

Sports journalism, once dismissed as the 'toyshop' editorial department, has grown in importance as sport has become bigger and bigger business, generating billions in revenue to those who own teams, franchises, tournaments and organisations. Millions consume their newspapers from back to front and the audience for Britain's only 24 sports news channel more than eclipses news rivals. This book gives aspiring journalists and those reporters looking to move into sports journalism an inside track on what is needed to succeed in one of the most competitive media markets. Sports journalism is changing - the proliferation of dedicated TV channels, websites, radio stations, niche publications and, of course, newspapers offers a world of opportunity, but has also led to a change in the nature of the job. Drawing on the personal experiences of established and recently qualified reporters, it covers the whole range of skills required by sports journalists from traditional match reporting, news gathering, feature writing and colour copy to the modern demands such as providing a live blog, snaps for a website and updating a Twitter feed even before you getting around writing your story. You might be juggling the demands of a website that craves immediate SEO-friendly content with the requirements of a newspaper - which will still want the latest and freshest take on the story with a witty, punchy and original intro. Sport Journalism is an essential practical guide to sports journalism, focusing on the traditional key skills still required for success as a reporter but illustrating the increasing importance placed on multimedia, as print, online and broadcast journalism converge.