Framing Identities: Gender, Ethnic, and National Parity in Network Announcing of the 2002 Winter Olympics

Abstract

Analysis of 53 prime-time hours of host and reporter commentary in the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics located the degree and types of gender, ethnic, and national biases hidden within the prime-time network telecasts. Not surprisingly, most of the clock time went to men, most of the top 20 most mentioned athletes were men, and most of the athlete mentions and descriptors were devoted to men. Ethnic findings showed that four fifths of all athletes mentioned and the top 20 most mentioned were White. Surprisingly, non-American athletes were mentioned more frequently than American athletes were, but American athletes were characterized as being more composed and courageous whereas non-American athletes were described as succeeding because of experience.