National Plan for Sport and Recreation Committee takes evidence from journalists

The House of Lords Committee on National Plan for Sport and Recreation today took evidence from two panels of witnesses. The following is a brief summary of the meeting and the full transcript will be sent as soon as it is available.

Panel 1 witnesses:

• Ed Malyon, Managing Director, The Athletic
• Martha Kelner, Sport Correspondent, Sky News

Lord Willis of Knaresborough asked Martha Kelner to explain the role of the media in sport and recreation. She felt sport could be front and centre of the recovery to the pandemic, and journalists had a part to play in this respect.

Referring to the Sporting Future report, Lord Willis asked if coverage of high-participation minority sports had improved in the past five years. Martha Kelner said it had slightly, but there was a long way to go. Market forces dictated coverage, but there had been improvements. For example, many newspapers had dedicated women’s football reporters. Ed Malyon agreed most media companies would balance the ‘popular’ with more minority interests. The media had a responsibility to accurately portray the country’s sporting identity.

Lord Krebs asked if ‘sports journalists’ should be ‘sports and activities reporters.’ And what kind of stories would encourage people to take part in wider activities? Martha Kelner said more thought could be given to linking sports and health journalism. Ed Malyon pointed to the difference between sports news and more in-depth articles on health activities.

Lord Krebs wanted to know if journalists’ own profiles could play a greater role? Martha Kelner said it could be dangerous for reporters to express their own opinions. But profiles were already used to encourage participation, even though that was not necessarily their role.

Lord Krebs asked about the impact of the pandemic on sport. Ed Malyon replied the effect on grassroots team sports had been disastrous, but there was more awareness of how people could exercise individually using online classes. Martha Kelner pointed to Sports England’s Active Lives survey which showed three million adults were not doing any exercise at all.

Baroness Morris of Yardley asked if the government had done all it could. Ed Malyon didn’t think team sports could have continued during the pandemic. The money involved proved it was possible to do it at elite level. Martha Kelner praised the government’s policy of suggesting one hour’s exercise per day but there had been criticism of the ‘stop-start advice’ given to team sports.

Lord Willis said Marcus Rashford’s meals-for-children campaign had received a great deal of positive coverage. Was their a way that sports journalists could report more communal actives of sports people? Martha Kelner and Ed Malyon agreed that athletes’ voices could carry great weight in mobilising people and even effecting government policy and greater coverage could be given to such stories.

Lord Addington asked about support given by elite sport to grassroots sport. Martha Kelner said a lot of Premier League clubs had played an active role in supporting the health service. Another example was Anthony Joshua who donated a large sum to help local boxing clubs. Ed Malyon praised the FA for their app aimed at Sunday league footballers.

Lord Willis asked about funding for grassroots sports. Martha Kelner praised Sports England’s initiatives, especially the This Girl Can campaign. People had called for better targeting of funding to improve accountability. Ed Malyon had an issue with which grassroots sports were allocated money. For example, basketball was receiving less than lacrosse or badminton, which had fewer participants. The question was how to reach lower income families. This could easily be achieved by, for example, putting up basketball hoops in available spaces.

Lord Hayward asked about social inclusion and diversity in sports coverage. Martha Kelner said diversity in journalism had improved and organisations were working to that end. That process could be sped up by high-profile journalists calling for more diversity. In terms of what the government could do to improve diversity, Martha Kelner thought there could be more targeted investment. Ed Malyon said visual inspiration helped. For example, a young black person might be inspired by seeing black people in a senior positions. Lord Willis pointed out that of 700 sports journalists, there were only 30 who came into the diverse category, the same as 20 years ago.

Lord Moynihan asked about governing bodies, many of whose constitutions had not changed since they were created. Should government set clear diversity targets which, if not achieved, should result in withdrawal of funding? Were governing bodies fit for purpose? Had they done a good job during the pandemic? Martha Kelner did not favour draconian action regarding withdrawing funding. She felt more could be done regarding transparency in relation to football clubs’ boards. Looking at performance of governing bodies, she was pleased UK Sport had shifted its focus in its funding from being medal-focussed to care for participants. For too long, duty of care for athletes had not been paramount.

Ed Malyon said there had been more stories in recent years and issues such as bullying in governing bodies, but questioned whether withdrawal of funding would target the right people. A way to change leadership of bodies might be more effective. Funding could depend on good governance rather than participation levels.

Lord Knight asked if it was necessary for journalists to have a “cosy relationship” with the clubs and people they were reporting on. Ed Malyon said the subscription model of publications enabled investigative journalism.

Panel 1 witnesses:

• Matt Hughes, Chief Sports Reporter, Daily Mail
• Jordan Jarrett-Bryan, Sports Reporter, Channel 4
• Anna Kessel MBE, Women's Sport Editor, The Telegraph

Lord Willis asked about the role of the media in sport and recreation. Jordan Jarrett-Bryan said it depended on the audience. He saw his role as reporting on the most interesting stories, even if it meant being disruptive and asking difficult questions. Matt Hughes added that journalists’ jobs were to hold people to account and in some instance to bring about change. Anna Kessel said sports media was largely driven by white men and this reflected coverage. The direction at The Telegraph was changing with the creation of a women’s department and her own appointment. The head of the sports department at The Telegraph was committed to improving coverage of participation and the recreational side of sport. Matt Hughes said the Daily Mail had a monthly supplement on participation. The next one, on January 26 would coincide with Sport England’s report on the subject, which he feared would make ‘grim reading.’ Jordan Jarrett-Bryan said Channel 4 had a remit to cover sports that did not necessarily get mass attention.

Baroness Sater asked about the impact on sport and recreation of the pandemic and why some clubs or sports had fared better than others. Anna Kessel gave examples of how the impact on women and girls had been disproportionate, exposing the existing gender gap and inequalities. Jordan Jarrett-Bryan said the impact had been financially ruinous for many clubs; disabled sports had struggled to continue; and questions had been raised about sustainability in the event of future events. Matt Hughes agreed that the pandemic had highlighted inequalities based on various elements, including gender, class and finance.

Lord Snape asked about the government’s response to the pandemic. Anna Kessel repeated that the categorising of elite sport had not taken into account women and girls. Physical activity had not been prioritised and the lack of children’s activity was particularly disturbing. Women faced particular challenges which the government had not prioritised. Matt Hughes disagreed on the subject of elite sport, saying the government did work well to get elite sports back as soon as possible, which had helped sport in general. But he did agree that the government had not done enough to prioritise children, with mixed messages about what was allowed.

Baroness Blower questioned whether elite sports had done enough to support the grassroots. Jordan Jarrett-Bryan said more could be done. The question raised the issue of medals over participation. Anna Kessel said there were good examples of work done by governing bodies, especially in support of girls. This Girl Can was “phenomenal” and busted many taboos. The government could do more to target younger age groups, working together with schools to overcome economy and cultural barriers. Governing bodies, the government and education authorities could work more effectively to, for example, ensure that girls were given equal space to enjoy sport.

Lord Willis commented that in the previous answers, none of the witnesses had commented on the “excellent work” being done by Sport England. Jordan Jarrett-Bryan praised Sport England for providing funding. Matt Hughes said Sport England had had a “good crisis,” not least in promoting digital output to get people active at home and the dispersal of the government’s winter sport fund. Anna Kessel said Sport England’s work on monitoring, particularly during the pandemic, had been crucial.

Baroness Grey-Thompson asked if it was the role of the media to challenge governing bodies on diversity and inclusion, both in the media and in sport. Had anything improved during the pandemic that the witnesses would not want to see changed? Matt Hughes felt the media was shining a light on governance that it had not done in the past. He pointed out that Sports England’s governance guidelines would be published in February, a story he would be monitoring closely. Jordan Jarrett-Bryan said there was a realisation that it was important to have more diversity in the media to reflect the diversity of the audience. He would like it to be compulsory for all sports bodies to submit data on who holds senior roles. Anna Kessel said an organisation that did not reflect the diversity of its audience was not fit for purpose. One problem was that there were no sanctions against bodies which did not meet gender or ethnicity targets.

Lord Knight asked about whether sports governing bodies were fit for purpose. Matt Hughes said a lot of bodies were hamstrung by old constitutions. Jordan Jarrett-Bryan said the FA was failing in terms or race and women. Anna Kessel said she would like to see Baroness Grey-Thompson’s Duty of Care report acted upon.