Schmidhofer and Schuen: revelations about sport and journalism!

Schmidhofer and Schuen: revelations about sport and journalism!

At the event "Behind the lines", which took place in the Skyroom of the Styria Media Center, it became clear how narrow sport and journalism are linked. As an interviewer, the former skier Nicole Schmidhofer asked the questions that are not only interested in sports fans, but also journalists and athletes. Michael Schuen, Head of the Sports Resort of the Kleine Zeitung Challenges of sports journalism.

Especially interested those who have made telephone numbers to save on their cell phone. "The best known are probably those of Marcel Hirscher and Hermann Maier," said the sports department manager. The discussion also revolved around the reporting of sports injuries, which often have a high sensational content. Schuen stated that many media use extreme reporting to generate clicks, which can affect readers' trust.

loss of trust and journalistic integrity

Another explosive topic was the personal trust of Schmidhofer in journalism. She described two incidents that shook this trust. In their view, a trusting relationship between athletes and journalists is crucial. Schuen agreed and emphasized that the current discussion about the cause of the ÖSV coach Roland Assinger showed how important balanced reporting is. "It is essential to address such topics so as not to report one -sidedly," he added.

This problem is in the context of changing journalism, as was discussed at another event at the German Sport University on October 29, 2024. The need for independent sports journalism was discussed here, and Jun.-Prof. Dr. Daniel Nölleke gave an insight into the challenges that athletes and journalists face today. The competition of the journalistic and non-journalistic actors in the digital media was a central concern of the discussion reported .

The digital payment barrier in the focus

Another exciting topic that Schmidhofer brought up was the digital payment barrier "Plus" of the . Schuen said that this measure was introduced to emphasize the value of journalism. At a time when many people do not consider paying for messages, it is a challenge to promote this willingness to pay.

The development of business models in journalism is also examined. According to a study by Anderson (2011), the challenges of digital change should not be underestimated also the question of how relevant curated sports reporting remains in the long term and what formats prevail on the net become.