The Private Lives of Australian Cricket Stars: a Study of Newspaper Coverage 1945- 2010
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Bond University DOCTORAL THESIS The Private Lives of Australian Cricket Stars: a Study of Newspaper Coverage 1945- 2010 Patching, Roger Award date: 2014 Link to publication General rights Copyright and moral rights for the publications made accessible in the public portal are retained by the authors and/or other copyright owners and it is a condition of accessing publications that users recognise and abide by the legal requirements associated with these rights. • Users may download and print one copy of any publication from the public portal for the purpose of private study or research. • You may not further distribute the material or use it for any profit-making activity or commercial gain • You may freely distribute the URL identifying the publication in the public portal. Bond University DOCTORAL THESIS The Private Lives of Australian Cricket Stars: a Study of Newspaper Coverage 1945- 2010 Patching, Roger Award date: 2014 Awarding institution: Bond University Link to publication General rights Copyright and moral rights for the publications made accessible in the public portal are retained by the authors and/or other copyright owners and it is a condition of accessing publications that users recognise and abide by the legal requirements associated with these rights. • Users may download and print one copy of any publication from the public portal for the purpose of private study or research. • You may not further distribute the material or use it for any profit-making activity or commercial gain • You may freely distribute the URL identifying the publication in the public portal. Take down policy If you believe that this document breaches copyright please contact us providing details, and we will remove access to the work immediately and investigate your claim. Download date: 29. May. 2020 The private lives of Australian cricket stars: A study of newspaper coverage 1945 – 2010 Roger Martindale Patching, BA, MA (Hons) A thesis submitted in total fulfilment of the requirements of the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy School of Communication and Creative Media Faculty of Society and Design Bond University June 2014 1 Abstract This thesis takes a multi-pronged theoretical and methodological approach to research the way mainstream print media in Australia has covered the private lives of five sporting personalities over the 65 years between 1945 and 2010. It examines an incident in the private lives of five famous Australian cricketers and researches the level of interest in the story at the time by newspapers in the capital cities of four states (Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia) and the national capital (Canberra). The thesis used a theoretical framework comprising a combination of agenda setting and framing, Paul Chadwick’s theory of the Taxonomy of Fame and Grounded Theory and a triangulated methodology of content analysis, qualitative research and journalism as a research method in its own right. The analysis of the five case study incidents demonstrated what the researcher characterised as ‘the escalation of intrusion’ by the media into the private lives of sporting celebrities since the turn of the Century. The research breaks new ground in that analysis of the various incidents led to the development of an interview format for administering to eight elite senior journalists, former journalists-turned academics and journalism ethicists, and a former Australian international cricketer who’s now a media commentator. The interviewees discussed a range of issues relating to privacy and why modern newspapers devoted so much space to celebrities in general, and sporting personalities in particular. They differed in their opinions (mostly by degrees as opposed to direct opposition) on the impact of the 24/7 news cycle, the impact of the Internet and social media, and whether there should be a legal tort for serious invasions of privacy. The combination of the case study analysis and the results of the elite interviews prompted the researcher to propose an alternative, more personal ethical approach to privacy intrusion. 2 Statement of original authorship This thesis is submitted to Bond University in fulfilment of the requirements of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. This thesis represents my own original work towards this research degree and contains no material which has been previously submitted for a degree of diploma at this university of any other institution, except where due acknowledgement is made. Name: Roger Martindale Patching Signed: Date: June, 2014. 3 Acknowledgements I am deeply indebted to my two supervisors, initially Mark Pearson and more recently Jane Johnston for their unwavering support and encouragement. It was Mark, after I had ‘retired’ from teaching at Bond University in 2009, who first suggested that I might have something to contribute after nearly 50 years in journalism and journalism education. It was Mark who helped narrow my field of research to my twin academic interests of journalism ethics and sports reporting. Before leaving Bond and taking up a position at a nearby tertiary institution, Mark first introduced me to the academic minefields of theoretical frameworks and methodology. He also guided me through deciding the most appropriate incidents to research in the lives of the five cricketers and also in the development of the strategy for the eight elite interviews. By the time he left, Mark had supervised first drafts of all but the concluding chapter of the thesis. I am also deeply indebted to Jane for ‘picking up the ball’ when the thesis was so advanced, and offering so much constructive criticism that helped with the re-drafts of the various chapters. A special thank you to my former Bond colleague and graphics supremo Dr Naomi Barnes (nee Busst) who helped create the diagrammatic representation of my theoretical and methodological approach on page 152. I am grateful to my many colleagues in the journalism education fraternity around Australia who have taken an interest in my research. Several became subjects for the elite interviews. Others offered encouragement during the process. A venture as big as this is not possible without support at home. My wife, Jenny, has been behind me since day 1, and my two daughters, both of whom are now involved in doctoral studies, offered constant support. From a distance, my son, Damien, has also encouraged me. 4 Table of Contents Abstract 2 Statement of original authorship 3 Acknowledgments 4 Table of contents 5 - 10 List of Figures, Tables, Diagrams and Appendices 11 - 12 Chapter1: 13 Thesis Title 13 Aim and focus of the study 13 Context of the research 13 Sporting personalities and popularity 15 Audience perceptions of media coverage 17 Ethical and regulatory context 18 Historical context 23 Research questions 24 Ethical considerations 29 Defining key terms and concepts 29 Limitations 33 Summary 34 Chapter 2: 36 Literature Review – Sport and Celebrity Introduction 36 Modern media coverage of celebrities 39 Australian national identity and sport 42 5 Celebrity culture 46 Sportspeople as celebrities 49 The price of fame 54 Sports stars as role models 55 The Tall Poppy Syndrome 60 Sporting personalities behaving badly 63 Cricketers’ and commentators’ views about invasion of privacy 65 Summary 67 Chapter 3 69 Literature Review – Privacy and Codes of Ethics Introduction 69 The Public Interest versus the Invasion of Privacy Ethical debate 69 Privacy in codes of ethics and charters of editorial independence 75 Privacy and the law 84 The impact of the Internet and social media 97 Other major academic theses in the area 100 Summary 105 Chapter 4: 107 Theoretical frameworks Introduction 107 Ethics in journalism 108 Taxonomy of Fame 112 Agenda-setting 115 Framing 120 Grounded Theory 125 Summary 127 Chapter 5 129 Methodology Introduction 129 6 Rationale 129 Multi-method or triangulation methodology 131 Qualitative research 132 Case study method 133 Content Analysis 133 The approach 135 Qualitative semi-structured elite interviews 136 The interviewees 137 Journalism as a research method 141 Data collection, storage and retrieval 143 Choosing the sample 145 Coding 146 Validity and reliability 147 Ethical considerations 149 Limitations 149 Looking forward 152 Case study format 154 Interview format 155 Summary 157 Chapter 6 158 Case study 1: Don Bradman Introduction 158 The cricketer: Sir Donald Bradman 159 The incident 163 Background of the era in the media 165 Newspaper coverage 168 One article analysed 172 Chadwick and the Code of Ethics 177 Summary 180 7 Chapter 7 182 Case study 2: Keith Miller Introduction 182 The cricketer: Keith Miller 182 The incident 183 Attitude to privacy at the time 186 Background of the era in the media 188 Newspaper coverage 190 One article analysed 198 Chadwick and the Code of Ethics 201 Summary 202 Chapter 8 206 Case study 3: Greg Chappell Introduction 206 The cricketer: Greg Chappell 206 The incident 208 Attitude to privacy at the time 211 Background of the era in the media 215 Newspaper coverage 216 One article analysed 223 Chadwick and the Code of Ethics 225 Summary 226 Chapter 9 229 Case study 4: Shane Warne Introduction 229 The cricketer: Shane Warne 229 The incident 234 Attitude to privacy at the time 236 Background of the era in the media 238 Newspaper coverage 241 8 One article analysed 248 Chadwick and the Code of Ethics 251 Summary 253 Postscript 254 Chapter 10 261 Case study 5: Michael Clarke Introduction 261 The cricketer: Michael Clarke 261 The incident 265 Attitude to privacy at the time