Public Administration & LegalISCO 2642
Sports journalist
A sports journalist is a person who researches and writes articles about sporting events and sportspeople for newspapers, magazines, television and other media.
Check yourself in a minute: sports journalist
Rate 5 of the 23 essential skills of this occupation (European ESCO data). No account needed.
participate in editorial meetings
study topics
evaluate writings in response to feedback
interview people
stay up to date with social media
About sports journalist
The journalist attends matches and competitions, holds interviews with athletes, coaches and officials, and writes to deadline. The journalist knows the sporting events and competitions being covered, which makes it possible to explain to readers how a contest unfolded. After the event, the journalist checks the facts, gathers quotes and edits the piece for a newspaper, magazine or website, or prepares material for television.
The journalist follows current affairs and social media continuously, and checks quotes found online before publishing them. Results, fixtures and squad changes are followed too, so that the coverage stays current.
The work also covers online journalism: one event can produce a live text, a report and a comment piece, and spelling has to be correct in each of them, including the names of players and clubs. The journalist follows the journalistic code of ethics, which means reporting facts accurately and keeping news separate from comment. Formal requirements are set by the employer.
European Skills Framework
Skills and knowledge areas required for this occupation based on European classification.
Essential (23)
digital journalismdigital journalismThe process through which the editorial content is produced through digital media and distributed through the Internet.interview techniquesinterview techniquesThe techniques for getting information out of people by asking the right questions in the right way and to make them feel comfortable.editorial standardseditorial standardsThe guidelines on how to deal with and report on privacy, children, and death according to impartiality, and other standards.sports competition informationsports competition informationThe information regarding latest results, competitions and events in the sporting industry.writing techniqueswriting techniquesThe different techniques to write a story such as the descriptive, persuasive, first person and other techniques.sport games rulessport games rulesThe rules and regulations of sport games such as football, soccer, tennis, and others.sporting eventssporting eventsPossess an understanding of different sporting events and conditions that can affect a result.spellingspellingThe rules concerning the way words are spelled.grammargrammarThe set of structural rules governing the composition of clauses, phrases, and words in any given natural language.copyright legislationcopyright legislationLegislation describing the protection of the rights of original authors over their work, and how others can use it.participate in editorial meetingsparticipate in editorial meetingsParticipate in meetings with fellow editors and journalists to discuss possible topics and to divide the tasks and workload.study topicsstudy topicsCarry out effective research on relevant topics to be able to produce summary information appropriate to different audiences. The research may involve looking at books, journals, the internet, and/or ...evaluate writings in response to feedbackevaluate writings in response to feedbackEdit and adapt work in response to comments from peers and publishers.interview peopleinterview peopleInterview people in a range of different circumstances.stay up to date with social mediastay up to date with social mediaKeep up with the trends and people on social media such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.consult information sourcesconsult information sourcesConsult relevant information sources to find inspiration, to educate yourself on certain topics and to acquire background information.apply grammar and spelling rulesapply grammar and spelling rulesApply the rules of spelling and grammar and ensure consistency throughout texts.develop professional networkdevelop professional networkReach out to and meet up with people in a professional context. Find common ground and use your contacts for mutual benefit. Keep track of the people in your personal professional network and stay up ...follow ethical code of conduct of journalistsfollow ethical code of conduct of journalistsFollow the ethical code of conduct of journalists, such as freedom of speech, right of reply, being objective, and other rules.use specific writing techniquesuse specific writing techniquesUse writing techniques depending on the type of media, the genre, and the story.build contacts to maintain news flowbuild contacts to maintain news flowBuild contacts to maintain a flow of news, for example, police and emergency services, local council, community groups, health trusts, press officers from a variety of organisations, the general publi...write to a deadlinewrite to a deadlineSchedule and respect tight deadlines, especially for theatre, screen and radio projects.follow the newsfollow the newsFollow current events in politics, economics, social communities, cultural sectors, internationally, and in sports.
Optional (31) — show
sport historysport historyThe background history of players and athletes and the history of sport events and games.pronunciation techniquespronunciation techniquesThe pronunciation techniques to properly and understandably pronounce words.multimedia systemsmultimedia systemsThe methods, procedures and techniques pertaining to the operation of multimedia systems, usually a combination of software and hardware, presenting various types of media such as video and audio.desktop publishingdesktop publishingThe creation of documents using page layout skills on a computer. Desktop publishing software can generate layouts and produce typographic quality text and images.audio editing softwareaudio editing softwareThe various software for editing and generating audio, such as Adobe Audition, Soundforge, and Power Sound Editor.table tennistable tennisThe theory, techniques, and rules of table tennis regarding how to serve, play and score. Expertise of what table tennis matches consist of. Knowledge of the basic equipment to play table tennis such ...press lawpress lawThe laws concerning the licensing of books and the freedom of expression in all products of the media.ask questions at eventsask questions at eventsAttend a variety of events, such as council meetings, magistrates' court proceedings, football matches, talent contests, press conferences and ask questions.edit negativesedit negativesUse different software products and techniques to process photographic negatives and adapt the images to the desired specifications.create online news contentcreate online news contentCreate and upload news content for e.g. websites, blogs and social media.follow newspaper house stylefollow newspaper house styleProduce concise and accurate copy according to newspaper's house style and to strict deadlines-daily newspapers may have several each day.apply desktop publishing techniquesapply desktop publishing techniquesApply desktop publishing techniques to create page layouts and typographic quality text.check correctness of informationcheck correctness of informationCheck if the information contains factual errors, is reliable, and has news value.adapt to changing situationsadapt to changing situationsChange approach to situations based on unexpected and sudden changes in people's needs and mood or in trends; shift strategies, improvise and naturally adapt to those circumstances.perform video editingperform video editingRearrange and edit video footage in the course of the post-production process. Edit the footage using a variety of sofware, tools, and techniques such as colour correction and effects, speed effects, ...proofread textproofread textRead a text thoroughly, search for, review and correct errors to ensure content is valid for publishing.manage writing administrationmanage writing administrationManage the financial and administrative side of writing including making up budgets, maintaining financial records, checking contracts, etc.adapt to type of mediaadapt to type of mediaAdapt to different types of media such as television, movies, commercials, and others. Adapt work to type of media, scale of production, budget, genres within type of media, and others.manage personal financesmanage personal financesIdentify personal financial objectives and set up a strategy to match this target in seeking support and advice when necessary.promote one's writingspromote one's writingsTalk about one's work at events and conduct readings, speeches and book signings. Establish a network among fellow writers.perform image editingperform image editingEdit various types of images such as analogue and digital photographs or illustrations.write headlineswrite headlinesWrite titles to accompany news articles. Make sure they are to the point and inviting.provide written contentprovide written contentCommunicate information in written form via digital or print media according to the needs of the target group. Structure the content according to specifications and standards. Apply grammar and spelli...edit recorded soundedit recorded soundEdit audio footage using a variety of sofware, tools, and techniques such as crossfading, speed effects, and removing unwanted noises.rewrite articlesrewrite articlesRewrite articles to correct errors, make them more appealing to the audience, and to ensure that they fit within time and space allotments.communicate by telephonecommunicate by telephoneLiaise via telephone by making and answering calls in a timely, professional and polite manner.edit photographsedit photographsResize, enhance and retouche photographs, using airbrushing, editing software and other techniques.document interviewsdocument interviewsRecord, write, and capture answers and information collected during interviews for processing and analysis using shorthand or technical equipment.follow directions of on-site directorfollow directions of on-site directorFollow the instructions of the director when covering events on location.present during live broadcastspresent during live broadcastsPresent live on political, economic, cultural, social, international or sport events, or host a live broadcast program.write captionswrite captionsWrite captions to accompany cartoons, drawings, and photographs. These captions can be humorous or explanatory.
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Frequently asked questions
What does a sports journalist do?
Sports journalists research and write articles about sport events and athletes for newspapers, magazines, television and other media. They conduct interviews and attend events.
What skills does a sports journalist need?
A sports journalist needs 23 essential skills, including digital journalism, interview techniques, editorial standards, sports competition information, writing techniques.
Will AI replace sports journalist jobs?
The AI disruption score for sports journalist is 74/100 (high risk). Skills most exposed to automation: spelling, apply grammar and spelling rules, sport games rules. Most resilient: table tennis, follow directions of on-site director, follow ethical code of conduct of journalists.
AI Replacement Risk
74/ 100
High Risk
Low riskHigh risk
Skills most at risk from AI
Skills resilient to automation
This is the average for the whole occupation. The AI Career Shield test (about 10 minutes) shows the risk in your own work and what you can do about it.
Check your own AI riskQuick Facts
ISCO GroupLegal, social and cultural professionals
Essential Skills23
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