The Role of Women in the Turin Winter Olympic Opening Ceremony:
An Analysis of the Television News Coverage

Asuka TOMARU

Journal of Sport and Gender Studies vol.5： 45-55, 2007

Abstract

Taking a media literacy approach, this paper enquires about the role of journalism in the media, and in particular, the purpose of journalism in connection with respect for human rights and the development of democracy. This paper is an analysis of the coverage of the Turin Winter Olympic Opening Ceremony from a gender perspective. The objective of the research analysis was the five major evening news programs and live broadcasts on February 11, 2006. The analysis was based on a detailed examination of the construction of the programs. A comparative analysis of the usage of live footage from the Olympic Opening Ceremony and the way the opening ceremony was reported in the news programs was also conducted. Additionally, the opening ceremony reports on each program were analysed from a gender perspective. The main findings show that the media focus on the opening ceremony of the Olympics as a special event and construct it as exciting and sensational. On the other hand, the media also trivialize the role of women in the ceremony. Only footage of their smiling faces was shown, a characteristic of the coverage of women in mainstream media. The carrying of the Olympic flag into the stadium by eight women was constructed in the programs merely as a symbol of peace. The news media, therefore, excluded showing the diversity and positive existence of women in the ceremony. This paper argues that the lack of diversity in these programs is an indication of how journalism is not functioning to its full potential.

Keywords: Gender representation, The role of journalism in the media, Olympics,
　　　　　　　 Human rights, Media literacy