MEDIA REPRESENTATION OF SPORTS IN DAILY NEWSPAPERS IN SERBIA

In pursuit of higher readership and viewership, the media devotes particular attention to sports content, aligning with audience expectations. In doing so, they significantly contribute to the promotion and popularization of sports—not only among sports enthusiasts but also among advertisers and the general public. This paper examines the way daily newspapers in Serbia cover sports, with a particular focus on the representation of less popular sports and women’s sports. The research aims to determine the extent to which the media contributes to the unequal representation of sports in their coverage. The study employs both quantitative and qualitative content analysis across nine daily newspapers: Politika, Večernje novosti, Danas, Blic, Nova, Alo, Informer, Kurir, and Srpski telegraf. The results indicate a dominant presence of football, basketball, and men’s sports overall, while women’s sports and less popular disciplines are significantly underrepresented.