D Word 3 Research: Facts and Figures

D Word 3 Facts and Figures 

In the run up to the D Word 3 conference, BCOMS researched major sporting events in 2018 to give an understanding of the number of BAME and female journalists that worked across these events.

The statistics are reflective of the 338 roles across broadcast and written media who covered specific events – FIFA World Cup, Winter Olympics and Paralympics, Wimbledon, Commonwealth Games and the inaugural European Championships.

These figures that we compiled are based on the eight major national newspaper titles and the leading broadcasting networks – with coverage rights sent to cover these major sporting events. 

It is however, important to note that these figures do not account for positions behind the camera or the industry’s newsrooms – both areas where a lack of diversity is well known.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         

Headlines from our research include:                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          

• 0 BAME females across 109 roles in the newspapers.
• 1 Black writer across 63 roles at the FIFA World Cup.
• 3 Female Writers from the UK Sports Media went to the FIFA World Cup
• 5 of the 338 roles given to Black sports journalists without a professional sports background. (1.8%)
• 7 of the 338 roles given to Asian sports journalists. (2%)

Additionally, network group Sports Media LGBT+ undertook a survey which found that:                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

44.7% of all respondents to a survey said they had personally witnessed or been subjected to anti-LGBT language or behaviour in a sports media industry workplace setting in the last two years.

21.4% of LGBT respondents had said they are not ‘out’ to anyone at work in the same survey.