Local sports reporters, anchors and columnists spoke at the Walter Cronkite School on Wednesday about how the sports journalism field has changed in the digital age.
The panel, organized by the ASU chapter of the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association, featured AZCentral sports columnist Paola Boivin, AZCentral sports Cardinals beat writer Kent Somers, 12 News sports anchor and reporter Bruce Cooper and ABC15 sports anchor Craig Fouhy.
All of the panelists agreed they’ve had to learn new skills and styles of reporting in the wake of the digital age, whether through mastering new technologies such as Twitter or simply finding unique stories to tell.
“I certainly have to think differently about when I do a story, with coming in with a fresh angle because I know that those people have seen the game or they’ve seen information about it on Twitter or somebody posted it on Facebook,” Boivin said. “I need to look for a fresh angle, maybe a different voice when I write.”
Although all the panelists said they use Twitter regularly for their jobs, some said they were more effective at it than others. Cooper expressed mixed feelings about the social media site, saying it has benefits but can also be distracting when integrated into news broadcasts.
“I love Twitter just because that’s where the breaking news is now,” Cooper said. “Rarely do I go to the wires or anywhere. Twitter breaks it first.”
Ultimately, the changes in the industry have given sports journalists more opportunities to explore their craft. Somers said beat writers and columnists have a duty to give readers and viewers the local angles to stories and the unique content they can’t get anywhere else, especially when teams, players and coaches are breaking their own news by posting videos and tweets.
“I also love the fact that yeah, it’s more work, but we get to write more,” Somers said. “I love the fact that a (blog post) can be 1,500 words or 150 words; you can kind of make it however you want. To me, that’s been a lot of fun. That’s been a great development.”
Fouhy said one thing that’s been lost is the emotional intensity of covering games. He said in the past, reporters would run out on the field as soon as a game ended to speak with players and capture their raw emotions. Now there’s a cool-down period, and reporters have to wait for the players to go back to their locker rooms, change clothes and speak with their coaches before going into a press conference.
“You know sports is emotion,” Fouhy said. “I mean, that’s what it is. Yes, it’s physical, and yes, it’s demanding, but it’s raw emotion, and when you’re laying everything on the line and you come right off the field — win or lose — you’re sky-high, you’re fired up, you’re angry, you’re happy, you’re whatever, and I miss that. I miss those opportunities when we would run out there and the guys are still bleeding.”
Editor’s note: Danika Worthington is the Vice President of the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association. She was not involved in the writing or reporting of this article.
Contact the reporter at kimberly.koerth@asu.edu
