Digital and social media has not only changed the sports media landscape forever, but it has also changed the professions within it. As highlighted in previous chapters, a range of new occupations now exist where once they didn’t. Sports organisations currently employ content creators, news reporters and digital and social media strategists to engage with their fans who always crave entertaining, informative, personalised and valuable content. However, while media-related jobs now exist in forms and places they once didn’t, old media professions have also dramatically changed.

In particular, the role of the journalist and news reporter, who once held the responsibility of holding those in power and positions of influence honest and accountable and who acted as the watchdog of society's most influential organisations and institutes on our behalf, have been forced to adapt to modern conventions and consumer demands (Briggs 2015). That's not to say their profession now holds less responsibility or importance or that they’ve ceased to question those in power, fight for the truth and work tirelessly to shed light on issues undoubtedly in the public's interest. However, the environment in which they now work and the demands of the consumers they now seek to enlighten mean the profession of journalist has had to evolve.

Before the age of digitisation and social media, when fewer voices were heard and the media market was more concentrated, news breakers and investigative journalists were the predominant informers of society. They were the conduit between public figures and the public. They revealed the truth when it came to sport's most critical issues and debates (Mackay 2017). This past era was a time when they were well-resourced. Their employer, be they newspapers, radio stations or television networks, took their share of advertising revenues and invested it in ensuring high quality, accurate and vital news coverage (Briggs 2015).

And according to O’Loughlin, it has also changed the way journalists now source content for their news reports.