Framing Assignment-Alec Finley

Source 1-ESPN: http://espn.go.com/espnw/sports/article/15102506/women-national-team-files-wage-discrimination-action-vs-us-soccer-federation

Source 2-Slant News: https://www.slantnews.com/story/2016-03-31-womens-world-cup-stars-file-federal-complaint-alleging-wage-discrimination

Source 3-USA Today: http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/soccer/2016/03/31/us-women-soccer-wage-discrimination-carli-lloyd-alex-morgan/82460844/

The story I chose to compare and focus on is how five members of the United States women’s national soccer team are filing a wage discrimination lawsuit against the U.S. Soccer Federation with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. The women say that despite generating over $20 million more in revenue than the men’s national team they are still paid four-times less. I first looked at this story using the ESPN’s news website, and what I noticed immediately is that the story seemed like it was framed in a way in which the reader is given just the facts, with no opinions or bias by the reporter. The women’s argument is presented as well as the U.S. Soccer Federation’s argument, and there are numbers given about how much the women earn for winning twenty games and how much more the men would earn for winning the same amount of games. Women players are quoted talking about the inequity and need for the team that is more successful (the women’s team) to receive the same treatment and benefits of the men’s team, who hardly wins at all and “get paid more to just show up” according to Hope Solo.

            The ESPN article had to adhere to journalistic standards regarding objectivity, especially because it is part of a news outlet that might be the most popular sports news outlet in the world. This is why the language was professional, the form was more oriented towards presenting only the facts rather than the reporter’s opinions, and sources from both sides of the argument, as well as beyond the argument were used. The second source I used to examine the story and the way it is framed was the activist journalism source The Slant that utilizes use-submitted content and articles. From the opening sentence I knew this article was going to be more opinionated and slanted towards one side, and it definitely felt like it was biased towards the U.S. women’s national team and women’s right. This is not a bad thing, who wouldn’t support the same things? But the framing of the story is definitely much different because of this.

            The Slant article starts with “More American women joined the fight against gendered pay discrimination…” and then proceeds to explain the lawsuit brought forth by the five individuals on the U.S. women’s national team. The article also says the phrase “The gendered pay gap has long plagued the sports world—as it has every other professional environment…” which is another instance where it has clear opinions towards the matter at hand, which is gender equality. The argument of the other side is presented in a bigoted manner wherein the only quote given from a person on the opposing side just sounds like the individual is saying women simply are not as good at sports as men, and many reasons are given for why the women’s team should be given pay raises, i.e. they win more games, they won the most recent world cup, have more fans, etc., but does not really present any evidence for why the other side believes they should not. The fact that this news outlet relies on user content is why the subjective, opinionated approach is acceptable and even presented, but the sources are much less prevalent and only a couple players are quoted.

            The final source I used to examine the framing of the U.S. National Team’s lawsuit was USA Today. The story once again had a much more professional feel, with a definite objectivity being utilized by the reporter, but one could still notice a trace of bias or opinion. The article first named all five women taking action, calling them “standout players,” and then proceeds to use several quotes in which the speaker is saying that it is “about time” that this occurred or even one individual saying that “This is one of the strongest cases of gender discrimination I have ever seen.” The women are portrayed as the side that is doing the right thing, while no other argument or opinion is discussed in the article. Sources from the article are also very professional, but also only sources who agree with the women and/or are on their side, such as their lawyer or even Hope Solo, the women’s national team’s goalie. The focus of the piece stays on the plight of the women and their fight, which is not necessarily biased in any way considering that most people agree with gender equality, but it frames the story in a way in which the women seem like the obviously correct side, and no other sides, arguments, or opinions should even be considered.