In 2005, Play the Game (an international conference and communication initiative aiming to strengthen the ethical foundation of sport, run by the Danish Institute for Sports Studies (Idan)) launched the biggest survey so far on the content of the newspaper sports pages. 14 research institutions from 10 countries in three continents took part in the International Sports Press Survey 2005, and a total of 37 leading newspapers were analysed. The survey produced unique content and was reflected in a great number of academic and journalistic articles, as may be seen on http://www.playthegame.org/knowledge-bank/theme-pages/the-international-sports-press-survey-2005.html. Six years later, a new survey in the same field is started in order to harvest new data and measure developments since 2005. Once again, the survey will focus on how the written media, i.e. daily newspapers, cover and prioritize sports, sports athletes, sporting events, and the financial, social, cultural and health-related aspects of sports. Not only the sports pages, but the full newspaper content is analysed for its sports content. 80 newspapers from 22 countries are analysed, including the leading national, tabloid and regional newspapers of each country. The survey period consists of 14 days between April and July 2011 (two artificial weeks). § Swiss newspapers in the sample are Neue Zürcher Zeitung, Blick and Tages-Anzeiger from the German-speaking part of the country and Le Temps, Le Matin et 24 Heures from the French-speaking part of the country.
