Media Guide: How to cover the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games

The media plays a fundamental role in the trans- mission of cultural values and in the production and dissemination of social representation. However, various international studies have shown that the standard of media coverage of the Pa- ralympics has fallen well below the standards set by the Olympics. Unfortunately, the majority of media professionals has little knowledge for the Paralympic Games, which leads to a stereotypical coverage of the event and of the Paralympic athletes. In order to promote a more inclusive and fairer coverage of sports for people with impairment, two academic institutions, the University of Kent and the Federal University of Parana, have joined forces and, with financial support from the Newton Fund/Araucaria Foundation, have produced this guide (which was in its original version is in Portuguese) for the use of professionals in the Brazilian media so that they can promote a more inclusive image of people with impairment during Rio 2016.