Articles about the Premier League on vecernji.hr before and during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Početkom 2020. godine svijet je zadesila pandemija koronavirusa koja je promijenila živote globalnog stanovništva. Osim ljudi i mediji su bili prisiljeni na prilagodbu novim uvjetima koji njihovo djelovanje stavljaju pred nova iskušenja. Fokus masovnih medija preko noći se usmjerio na sadržaj o virusu te načinima zaštite i njegovog suzbijanja. Period pandemije u prvi plan je stavio društvenu ulogu medija kao kreatora javnog mnijenja, a za brojne stručnjake on predstavlja prekretnicu za novinarstvo. Posljedice je osjetio i svijet sporta pa su stadioni diljem svijeta zatvoreni, natjecanja privremeno obustavljena, a sportaši izloženi zdravstvenim protokolima. Cilj ovog rada bio je usporediti medijsko izvještavanje o nogometu, točnije engleskoj Premier ligi, prije i tijekom pandemije COVID-19. Pritom je korištena kvalitativna metoda analize sadržaja i diskursa sportske rubrike portala Večernji.hr u periodu od 9. prosinca 2019. do 17. lipnja 2020., odnosno 96 dana prije i nakon prekida natjecanja (13. ožujka) zbog pandemije. Izvještavanje tijekom pandemije obrađeno je uz pomoć teorija medijskog utjecaja na stavove ljudi – agenda setting, framing i priming. Polazna pretpostavka bila je da su mediji tijekom pandemije prednost dali ozbiljnim temama nauštrb dotad dominantnih zabavnih sadržaja. Ona je potvrđena istraživanjem čiji uzorak broji 21 članak. Također, zabilježeno je da je medijska pokrivenost pandemije obilježena formalnijim stilom izvještavanja. Međutim, on ne mora značiti i objektivniji pristup temi. Ovaj rad zajedno s rezultatima analize može poslužiti kao uvod u buduća istraživanja koja će nadopuniti objektivne rezultate dobivene kvantitativnom metodom.At the beginning of 2020, the world was hit by the coronavirus pandemic, which changed the lives of the global population. In addition to people, the media were also forced to adapt to new conditions that put their actions in front of new trials. Overnight, the mass media focused on content about the virus and ways to protect and combat it. The period of the pandemic brought to the fore the social role of the media as a creator of public opinion, and for many experts it represents a turning point for journalism. The world of sports also felt the consequences, so stadiums around the world were closed, competitions were suspended, and athletes were exposed to health protocols. The aim of this paper was to compare media coverage of football, specifically the English Premier League, before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. A qualitative method was used to analyze the content and discourse of the sports section of the Večernji.hr portal in the period from December 9, 2019, to June 17, 2020, i.e., 96 days before and after the suspension of the competition (March 13) due to the pandemic. Reporting during the pandemic was treated with the help of theories of media influence on people's attitudes - agenda setting, framing, and priming. The initial assumption was that during the pandemic, the media prioritized serious topics at the expense of the previously dominant entertainment content. The assumption was confirmed by research, the sample of which is 21 articles. It was also noted that the media coverage of the pandemic was characterized by a more formal style of reporting. However, it does not necessarily mean a more objective approach to the topic. This paper, together with the results of the analysis, can serve as an introduction to future research that will complement the objective results obtained by the quantitative method