Presented at the 5th Summit on Communication and Sport, Bradley University, March 30, 2012

1. ‘Without access, favor or discretion’:
The gatekeeping practices of
BRIAN MORITZ
Ph.D. STUDENT • S.I. NEWHOUSE SCHOOL OF PUBLIC COMMUNICATIONS • SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY
FIFTH SUMMIT OF COMMUNICATIONS AND SPORT • BRADLEY UNIVERSITY • MARCH 30, 2012

2. INTRODUCTION
“Because no one reads the newspaper, and
SportsCenter’s anchors are too perky for this early in
the morning, Deadspin combs the best of the
broadsheets and internets to bring you everything
you need to know to start your day.”
BRIAN MORITZ • ‘WITHOUT ACCESS, FAVOR OR DISCRETION’ •
SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY The gatekeeping practices of Deadspin

3. GATEKEEPING
BRIAN MORITZ • ‘WITHOUT ACCESS, FAVOR OR DISCRETION’ •
SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY The gatekeeping practices of Deadspin

4. WHY WE’RE HERE
Purpose statement
Identify the types of stories that appear on Deadspin.
How those stories are framed by editors and contributors.
BRIAN MORITZ • ‘WITHOUT ACCESS, FAVOR OR DISCRETION’ •
SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY The gatekeeping practices of Deadspin

5. THEORY
A look at Deadspin
Founded on Aug. 30, 2005, by Will Leitch.
Top sports blog of 2000s — Sports Illustrated.
1.9 million monthly readers. Most visited sports
blog.
Seen as an alternative news source to ESPN and
other traditional media (Nolan, 2007).
BRIAN MORITZ • ‘WITHOUT ACCESS, FAVOR OR DISCRETION’ •
SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY The gatekeeping practices of Deadspin

6. THEORY
Deadspin’s greatest hits
BRIAN MORITZ • ‘WITHOUT ACCESS, FAVOR OR DISCRETION’ •
SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY The gatekeeping practices of Deadspin

7. THEORY
About Deadspin
“One of the exciting things about Deadspin ... is that kind of wall used to
be there. Now we (fans) decide what we want to know. We don’t always
need that wall anymore ... people react to sports as entertainment
because that’s what it is. Whatever fans find entertaining is what
counts.”
- Will Leitch (Sports Illustrated, 2008).
BRIAN MORITZ • ‘WITHOUT ACCESS, FAVOR OR DISCRETION’ •
SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY The gatekeeping practices of Deadspin

8. THEORY
GATEKEEPING
BRIAN MORITZ • ‘WITHOUT ACCESS, FAVOR OR DISCRETION’ •
SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY The gatekeeping practices of Deadspin

9. THEORY
FRAMING
BRIAN MORITZ • ‘WITHOUT ACCESS, FAVOR OR DISCRETION’ •
SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY The gatekeeping practices of Deadspin

10. THEORY
JOURNALISTS’ ROLES
BRIAN MORITZ • ‘WITHOUT ACCESS, FAVOR OR DISCRETION’ •
SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY The gatekeeping practices of Deadspin

11. HYPOTHESES
H1: Posts to Deadspin drawn from non-mainstream media sources are more likely to
consist of off-field news items than posts drawn from mainstream media sources.
H2: Posts to Deadspin drawn from non-mainstream media sources are more likely to be
negative in valance than posts drawn from mainstream media sources.
H3: Posts to Deadspin drawn from non-mainstream media sources are more likely to be
representative of a critical frame and a celebrity frame than posts drawn from mainstream
sources.
BRIAN MORITZ • ‘WITHOUT ACCESS, FAVOR OR DISCRETION’ •
SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY The gatekeeping practices of Deadspin

12. HOW WE DID IT
Methods
• May, 2010 Month chosen for sample
• 200 Posts picked at random
• SOURCE, TOPIC, FRAME, VALENCE Codes
BRIAN MORITZ • ‘WITHOUT ACCESS, FAVOR OR DISCRETION’ •
SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY The gatekeeping practices of Deadspin

13. RESULTS
Descriptive statistics
Of the 200 posts studied ...
102 from mainstream sources
129 off-field stories
78 negative valence 82 neutral 40 positive
Critical (72) Straightforward/Statistical (65)
BRIAN MORITZ • ‘WITHOUT ACCESS, FAVOR OR DISCRETION’ •
SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY The gatekeeping practices of Deadspin

14. HYPOTHESIS 1 RESULTS
Posts to Deadspin drawn from non-mainstream media sources are more likely
to consist of off -field news items than posts drawn from mainstream media sources.
BRIAN MORITZ • ‘WITHOUT ACCESS, FAVOR OR DISCRETION’ •
SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY The gatekeeping practices of Deadspin

15. HYPOTHESIS 2 RESULTS
Posts to Deadspin drawn from non-mainstream media sources are more likely
to be negative in valance than posts drawn from mainstream media sources.
BRIAN MORITZ • ‘WITHOUT ACCESS, FAVOR OR DISCRETION’ •
SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY The gatekeeping practices of Deadspin

16. HYPOTHESIS 3 RESULTS
Posts to Deadspin drawn from non-mainstream media sources are more likely to be representative
of a critical frame and a celebrity frame than posts drawn from mainstream sources.
BRIAN MORITZ • ‘WITHOUT ACCESS, FAVOR OR DISCRETION’ •
SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY The gatekeeping practices of Deadspin

17. IF YOU’RE SCORING AT HOME
Hypothesis 1: Supported
Hypothesis 2: Not supported, no significant relationship
Hypothesis 3: Not supported
BRIAN MORITZ • ‘WITHOUT ACCESS, FAVOR OR DISCRETION’ •
SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY The gatekeeping practices of Deadspin

18. SO WHAT?
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SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY The gatekeeping practices of Deadspin

19. DISCUSSION
For all the hype,
Deadspin is a fairly
well-rounded blog.
BRIAN MORITZ • ‘WITHOUT ACCESS, FAVOR OR DISCRETION’ •
SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY The gatekeeping practices of Deadspin

20. BY THE NUMBERS
Discussion section
129 posts dealt with off-field incidents
81.6% non-mainstream stories on off-field incidents
BRIAN MORITZ • ‘WITHOUT ACCESS, FAVOR OR DISCRETION’ •
SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY The gatekeeping practices of Deadspin

21. DISCUSSION
Deadspin editors (and sometimes, the readers themselves)
are reinterpreting the messages from mainstream media
sources – or, in some instances, finding new stories not
covered by the more traditional media outlets.
BRIAN MORITZ • ‘WITHOUT ACCESS, FAVOR OR DISCRETION’ •
SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY The gatekeeping practices of Deadspin

22. DEADSPIN IS NOT
Solely a source of sex, sleaze
and sophomoric humor.
Completely the alternative
source of sports news.
BRIAN MORITZ • ‘WITHOUT ACCESS, FAVOR OR DISCRETION’ •
SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY The gatekeeping practices of Deadspin

23. DEADSPIN IS ...
A second-level gatekeeper.
A prime example of second-guessing theory.
A site that takes stories already are in the marketplace of
ideas and reinterprets them in an entertaining way.
BRIAN MORITZ • ‘WITHOUT ACCESS, FAVOR OR DISCRETION’ •
SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY The gatekeeping practices of Deadspin

24. CONTACT
BRIAN MORITZ
Ph.D. STUDENT
S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications
Syracuse University
about.me/brianmoritz
@bpmoritz
607.341.5029
bmoritz@syr.edu
BRIAN MORITZ • ‘WITHOUT ACCESS, FAVOR OR DISCRETION’ •
SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY The gatekeeping practices of Deadspin