Self-censorship and the Pursuit of Truth in Sports Journalism – A Case Study of David Walsh

Bradshaw, Tom ORCID: 0000-0003-0780-416X (2018) Self-censorship and the Pursuit of Truth in Sports Journalism – A Case Study of David Walsh. Ethical Space: The International Journal of Communication Ethics, 15 (1/2).

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Abstract

Issues of self-censorship and potential barriers to truth-telling among sports journalists are explored through a case study of David Walsh, the award-winning Sunday Times chief sports writer, who is best known for his investigative work covering cycling. The paper uses a Kantian theoretical perspective to explore how sports journalists, including Walsh, implicitly use deontological and consequentialist modes of moral reasoning when making decisions about newsgathering and publication. Kant’s categorical imperative is adapted as the journalistic hypothetical imperative and journalistic categorical imperative are developed as concepts to explore the practical reasoning of sports journalists. Walsh’s autobiographical writings about his sports reporting are analysed, together with the body of articles that he has written while a staff reporter at The Sunday Times. The case study is intended to function as a means of identifying and highlighting a range of ethical issues facing contemporary sports journalists, particularly self-censorship.

Item Type:	Article
Article Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	self-censorship, sports journalism, David Walsh, Immanuel Kant, truth, categorical imperative
Subjects:	P Language and Literature > PN Literature (General) > PN4699 Journalism
Divisions:	Schools and Research Institutes > School of Creative Arts
Research Priority Areas:	Creative Practice and Theory Culture, Continuity, and Transformation
Depositing User:	Anne Pengelly
Date Deposited:	15 May 2018 10:05
Last Modified:	08 Aug 2023 15:59
URI:	https://eprints.glos.ac.uk/id/eprint/5636

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