#NBCfail: Thematic Analysis of Media and Public Discourse Surrounding Editing of Russia’s Olympic Gymnastics Fall

Abstract

This research examined how NBC Universal’s coverage of the Olympic final for the women’s gymnastics teams influenced the news media’s and public’s perceptions of the event. Guided by framing and social construction of reality, the authors conducted a thematic analysis on 487 textual items from mainstream-news and social-media sites. Major themes found were creating drama, caring about ratings/money, crossing ethical lines, embarrassing other media, and following news routines. The analysis indicated that audience members did not prefer the edited version of events. Although incomplete coverage shaped viewers’ perceived reality, many used alternative resources to form an accurate understanding of reality.

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