Information fairness and football. The case of the Televisión Canaria

Abstract

Football is a social phenomenon of great informative importance at all levels. It is common to find among the supporters a veiled criticism of the unequal informational treatment that receives their own football teams. In particular, televisions, like other media, are subjected to pressure from their ethical requirements and demands of their communicative contexts. This article focuses these issues on the reality of the Canary Islands and, using a quantitative analysis, investigates the informational treatment that the main regional media, the Televisión Canaria, gives about two teams of more tradition and football reference: Unión Deportiva Las Palmas and Club Deportivo Tenerife. In the Canary Islands this media has always been under suspicion in a cultural context of insular dispute and struggle for political, social and economic hegemony in the region. We try to answer the question: Is there balance in the presentation of information, or one team has more media prominence? And accordingly, are there reasons to report a partial informational treatment to the opposing team? Televisión Canaria occupies a particularly delicate position in this scenario. The results of this research indicate a context of concern for the balance where the Unión Deportiva Las Palmas enjoys greater prominence.