Negative Media Coverage Research Articles

INDIAN AGRICULTURAL POLICIES AND MEDIA REPRESENTATIONS DURING COLD WAR

The article examines the relationship between Indian agricultural policies and media representations during the Cold War. Drawing on archival research, the authors argue that the Indian government’s agricultural policies were shaped by a complex interplay of domestic and international factors, including the country’s growing population, the need for self-sufficiency in food production, and Cold War geopolitics. The authors suggest that the media played a crucial role in shaping public perceptions of Indian agricultural policies during this period. They argue that the media, both in India and abroad, often portrayed Indian agriculture as backward and inefficient, and highlighted the country’s dependence on foreign aid to support its food production. At the same time, the authors note that there were also alternative voices in the media that challenged these dominant narratives and called for a more nuanced understanding of Indian agriculture. These alternative voices included journalists, scholars, and activists who argued that Indian agriculture was undergoing a transformation, and that the country had the potential to become a major food producer in the world. The authors suggest that these diverse media representations had important implications for Indian agricultural policies. On the one hand, negative media coverage reinforced the Indian government’s commitment to self-sufficiency in food production, and spurred it to pursue policies aimed at increasing agricultural productivity and modernising the sector. On the other hand, the authors argue that the media also had a more critical role to play in holding the government accountable for its policies, and in promoting a more nuanced understanding of Indian agriculture. They suggest that this critical function of the media was particularly important in the context of Cold War geopolitics, which often shaped the international aid and development programs that supported Indian agriculture.

Economic policy uncertainty and imitation behaviors of corporate social responsibility practices: Evidence from China

In this paper, we examine whether firms facing higher economic policy uncertainty (EPU) are more likely to show similar corporate social responsibility (CSR) practices compared with their peer firms. Drawing upon institutional theory, in response to uncertainty under complex circumstances, managers tend to imitate peer firms' strategic actions to acquire legitimacy. Consistent with our theoretical expectations, we find that EPU increases the likelihood that a focal firm will show CSR practices similar to its peer firms. Such a likelihood is amplified for firms that (1) bear more negative media coverage, (2) have higher industry competition intensity, (3) belong to heavy-polluting industries, and (4) for the first-time disclosures. Our results hold when we employ a series of endogeneity tests and robustness checks.

Effects of Media Coverage on Budget Transparency in Croatian Local Administrative Units

Abstract This paper evaluates positive and negative media coverage of online local budget transparency (OLBT) and its impact on budget transparency in Croatian local administrative units in 2018. Using multinomial logistic regression, research confirmed a strong impact of media coverage on budget transparency. Positive media coverage of OLBT increases the probability that local administrative units will attain a higher level of transparency, while negative media coverage is accompanied by a higher likelihood of local units’ retention in the lower transparency range. The implications of these findings are clearly emphasized through a deeper understanding of the role of the media in public sector economics, precisely in the context of budget transparency. This study contributes to public sector literature by identifying the effects of positive and negative media coverage on budget transparency.

Repairing damaged reputations through targeted poverty alleviation: Evidence from private companies’ strategies to deal with negative media coverage

When negative media coverage causes reputational crises, companies must find suitable tools to repair their reputation and reverse their negative image. As a CSR activity with political- and livelihood-related implications, targeted poverty alleviation may be an effective tool. Using data on negative media coverage of Chinese A-share private listed companies, we examine whether companies engage in targeted poverty alleviation in response to reputational crises caused by negative media coverage. We find that negative media coverage leads private companies to engage more actively and intensively in targeted poverty alleviation because of the significant increase in public attention to the bad news. These companies must urgently rebuild their positive image using targeted poverty alleviation to resolve their public opinion crisis. Further analyses suggest that original and in-depth negative media coverage is more likely to cause companies’ active participation in targeted poverty alleviation. In addition, negative media coverage is more likely to lead companies to engage in targeted poverty alleviation when they are in heavily polluting industries or face greater pressure from external investors. Finally, we find that active involvement in targeted poverty alleviation helps companies improve their market reputation and thus effectively manage public relations crises caused by negative media coverage.

Does Violent Protest Receive Negative Coverage?—Media Framing of Hong Kong Anti-Extradition Bill Movement and French Yellow Vest Movement

Regarding media framing of protests, current studies have primarily focused on the negative side of framing tools, that is, marginalization devices that news media employ to belittle and demonize a protest. Yet little scholarship has scrutinized the positive side of framing tools, i.e., affirmation devices that mass media adopt to convey sympathy for and approval of a protest. Through comparing U.S. media coverage of two recent large anti-government movements taking place in China and France—the movements sharing similarities in vital factors impacting media coverage—this paper illustrates a series of affirmation devices, including highlighting issues and downplaying violence, blaming violence on authorities, stressing public approval, backing protest goals, and understating a movement’s dark side. A systematic examination of affirmation devices contributes to a more comprehensive understanding of media framing and the relations between the media and social movements. This exploration also challenges the popular conception that violence by protesters typically leads to negative media coverage.

How do co‐shareholding networks affect negative media coverage? Evidence from China

AbstractThis paper explores the relationship between the co‐shareholding network and negative media coverage in the context of China. We find that the high degree centrality and structural holes of firm's co‐shareholding networks have negative effects on the amount and severity of negative media coverage but through differentiated mechanisms. Focal firms in high degree centrality positions can decrease negative coverage by information sharing through the network, but focal firms in the position of structural holes reduce negative coverage through information control. Our findings can complement both research on the disparate impacts of co‐shareholding networks and the media spin effect.

Research on the Influence Mechanism of Media Supervision on Audit Fees

As an informal external governance mechanism, media supervision is known as the "fourth party right" independent of the legislative, judicial and administrative systems, and plays the role of "economic police". Its corporate governance effect has been unanimously recognized by scholars at home and abroad. Audit fees have always been a hot issue in the field of finance. There are many factors that affect audit fees, from the characteristics of companies and firms to risk factors such as corporate governance, and then to the external environment. At present, formal external environmental mechanisms such as laws and regulations and government supervision are considered in the study of the influence of external environmental factors on audit fees. Based on the audit contract theory and signal transmission theory, the "agenda-setting" theory of journalism and communication, the "bedding effect" and "framework" theory of psychology as the analytical framework, this paper uses the controllable accrued profit as the measurement index of audit quality, and studies the mechanism of media supervision on the audit quality from the perspective of negative media reports and media supervision environment, as well as the impact of media supervision on the audit quality of auditor changes. The research shows that the degree of negative media coverage of listed companies and the media supervision environment are positively correlated with audit quality.

Chinese International Students Studying Experiences During the COVID-19 Pandemic in the UK

As the number of Chinese international students studying abroad continues to rise, they often encounter difficulties in adjusting to college life in a foreign country. These challenges can include difficulties in adapting to new environments, cultural differences, feelings of isolation due to being away from their parents, and academic pressures. However, during the COVID-19 pandemic, negative media coverage and social stigmatization of Asians, such as the use of terms like “Chinese virus,” have led to increased discrimination against Asians, particularly Chinese international students, which has had a significant impact on their mental health. To explore these issues further, the authors conducted semi-structured interviews with five Chinese international students studying in the UK, examining the challenges and concerns they faced before and after the pandemic and how they coped with them.

Did a Nocebo Effect Contribute to the Rise in Special Education Enrollment Following the Flint, Michigan Water Crisis?

Exposure to waterborne lead during the Flint Water Crisis during April 2014-October 2015 is believed to have caused increased special education enrollment in Flint children. This retrospective population-based cohort study utilized de-identified data for children under six years of age who had their blood lead tested during 2011 to 2019, and special education outcomes data for children enrolled in public schools for corresponding academic years (2011-12 to 2019-20) in Flint, Detroit (control city) and the State of Michigan. Trends in the following crisis-related covariates were also evaluated: waterborne contaminants, poverty, nutrition, city governance, school district policies, negative community expectations, media coverage and social media interactions. Between 2011 and 2019, including the 2014-15 crisis period, the incidence of elevated blood lead in Flint children (≥ 5µg/dL) was always at least 47% lower than in the control city of Detroit (p < .0001) and was also never significantly higher than that for all children tested in Michigan (p = 0.33). Nonetheless, special education enrollment in Flint spiked relative to Detroit and Michigan (p < .0001). There is actually an inverse relationship between childhood blood lead and special education enrollment in Flint. This study failed to confirm any positive association between actual childhood blood lead levels and special education enrollment in Flint. Negative psychological effects associated with media predictions of brain damage could have created a self-fulfilling prophecy via a nocebo effect. The findings demonstrate a need for improved media coverage of complex events like the Flint Water Crisis.

Business power against redistribution: The case of watered-down tax reform in Poland

AbstractIn 2021 the ruling party in Poland proposed a reform to reverse the regressivity of the Polish tax system. Although the number of potential beneficiaries significantly exceeded the number of sufferers, the media coverage of the reform was strongly negative. This pushed the government to introduce reform adjustments, all of which benefited the high-income self-employed, increasing the cost of the reform and reducing its redistributive effect. To explain this, we analyze articles on the reform published in the three most opinion-forming newspapers. We demonstrate that the negative media coverage stemmed from successful incorporation of business narratives in the public debate by the business lobbying associations. It was supported by the weakness of workers’ organizations and a low level of citizens’ trust in government.

Determinants of Journalists’ Trust in Public Institutions: A Macro and Micro Analysis Across 67 Countries

ABSTRACT Scholars have repeatedly expressed concern about the societal consequences of negative media coverage toward public institutions and political actors. Yet, there remains a lack of systemic understanding about the determinants of this cynical attitude. To examine this issue, we combine aggregate data on political and economic performance with Worlds of Journalism Study (WJS) survey data on journalists’ institutional trust, watchdog and loyalty roles, editorial autonomy, professional experience, and news media ownership. Derived from interviews with 27, 657 journalists from 67 countries included in the second wave of the WJS (2012–2016), results show that democracy and press freedom are negatively correlated with journalists’ institutional trust. Quite notably, autonomous and watchdog journalists are less trusting than loyal journalists. The findings also suggest that corruption levels, annual economic growth, and type of media ownership are essential determinants in this regard.

The power of minority shareholders: evidence from voting on the related party transaction proposals in China

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to evaluate the impact of minority shareholders’ attendance at shareholders meetings on related party transaction (RPT) proposals.Design/methodology/approachThis paper empirically examines the impact of minority shareholders’ attendance in shareholders’ meetings on the voting results of RPT proposals based on the hand-collected voting data of Chinese listed companies.FindingsThe empirical result shows a significant positive relationship between the attendance of minority shareholders and the nonagreeable vote rate of RPT proposals. Moreover, this positive relationship is strengthened when the corporate governance is poor, the negative media coverage is high, and the on-site attendance of minority shareholders is high. Conversely, good corporate governance and high positive media coverage can weaken this positive correlation. The additional analysis reveals that the number of RPTs and better market performance in the future can be significantly reduced when minority shareholders express their nonagreeable voice actively.Originality/valueThis paper analytically and empirically examines the impact of minority shareholders’ attendance in shareholders’ meetings on the voting results of RPT proposals based on the hand-collected voting data of Chinese listed companies. It provides direct and convincing evidence for the impact of minority shareholders’ attendance and exercise of voting rights in shareholders’ meetings on the outcome of RPT proposals. It complements the literature on the governance effects of minority shareholders’ attendance in shareholders’ meetings to exercise their voting rights in emerging capital markets. This study has practical value by guiding minority investors to participate actively in corporate governance.

Rodzicielstwo w Sieci w kontekście mediów olsztyńskich. Wybrane aspekty

This article is an exploratory study of online parenthood, combining research with popularization. The author has set two main objectives: 1) to present selected proparenting groups and foundations in Olsztyn that follow attachment parenting (AP) and nonviolent communication (NVC), and 2) to examine their image in the local press. Using publications from the Olsztyn edition of Gazeta Wyborcza, the author highlights the fact that attachment parenting and nonviolent communication are part of worldwide trends in parenting and that they are often the subject of negative media coverage. The study includes results from an uncategorized interview, and the author argues that local media plays a significant role in shaping public perception of the phenomenon.

Harm reduction or amplification? The adverse impact of a supervised injection room on housing prices

A medically supervised injecting room (MSIR) —a facility for the safe injection of illicit drugs—is an example of a harm reduction approach against opioid epidemics. An economic theory of moral hazard suggests that such a facility can intensify drug use by reducing the risk of lethal overdose, mediating an increase in crime, death, and nuisance behavior, thus, depressing local urban development. Beyond that, negative media coverage can generate similar adverse outcomes even without any factual drug intensification. Accordingly, using non-parametric methods and spatial double and triple difference design on the data from Victoria, Australia, we show that the MSIR's opening causes around 5%–7% reduction in housing value. We conclude that the harm reduction approach can have nontrivial indirect costs outside health domains.

Media Coverage of Child Welfare Social Workers and its Effect on Professional Self-Esteem: The Moderating Role of Family and Social Support

Abstract Negative coverage in the media of social workers employed in the field of child welfare frequently appears in the wake of tragedies within families. Though social workers cannot always prevent incidents of this kind, the media, and consequently the public, blame them for dereliction of duty, an attitude that can affect their professional self-esteem. The present research poses the question of how negative versus positive media coverage of social workers in the field of child welfare affects their professional self-esteem, and whether family and social support can moderate such an outcome. In order to examine this question, a controlled empirical study was carried out with ninety-nine social workers. The participants were divided randomly into three groups, each exposed to media coverage of a different nature: positive, negative and neutral. They were then asked to complete a professional self-esteem questionnaire. The results point to a significant relationship between education, professional seniority, family and social support and professional self-esteem. Thus it was found that family and social support moderated the effects of negative media coverage on professional self-esteem. The implications of the findings for the professional practice of social workers are discussed.

The legitimacy defeat of Huawei in the media: Cause, context, and process

Emerging market multinational enterprises (EMNEs) seem to face almost continuous negative media coverage in many Western countries. Our study scrutinizes this phenomenon to examine why and how EMNEs are confronting increasing negative media coverage. We empirically examine how the British newspaper media reported on the governmental banning of Huawei from fifth-generation network development in the UK. Our findings suggest that liabilities of origin (LOR) trigger negative media coverage of EMNEs, and that the geopolitical context and media framing make LOR more salient and harmful for EMNEs in developed countries. We propose a contextualized explanation for EMNEs’ legitimacy defeats in the media by identifying the cause (i.e., LOR), context (i.e., geopolitical rivalry), and process (i.e., media framing) in such a de-legitimization mechanism. Indeed, we crystalize the matter of how the media frames LOR and de-legitimizes EMNEs. We also examine EMNEs’ voice strategies for mitigating negative media coverage and defending legitimacy.

Ten years of coverage of trophy hunting in UK newspapers

Hunting is an increasingly contentious topic. Trophy hunting, whereby people hunt individual animals with desirable characteristics in order to keep body parts (e.g. horns, heads, hides, antlers) as mementos, is especially contested. Political pressure, often in the form of trophy import bans, is being applied in multiple nations, and campaigns to ban trophy hunting, or trophy imports, attract considerable media attention. However, trophy hunting often has conservation value, acting to protect habitat and provide income for local communities. Assuming that media coverage can influence public and political opinion, negative or simplistic media coverage of trophy hunting has the potential to cause adverse outcomes for conservation and local communities. Here, we analyse coverage of trophy hunting from July 2010 - June 2020 (five years before and five years after the death of Cecil the Lion) in the most popular UK media outlets (624 articles in total), assessing the overall sentiment of each article, and the species and countries covered. Ninety percent of all coverage occurred after the death of Cecil the lion, marking this event as a watershed moment in UK mainstream media depiction of trophy hunting. The overall sentiment of articles was largely against trophy hunting (63.1%), and this was more pronounced in tabloids (84.2%) than broadsheets (42.2%). Pro-trophy hunting articles were very uncommon overall (3.5%). Articles that described the complexity of trophy hunting decreased following Cecil and were most common in pre-Cecil broadsheets (35.7%, dropping to 30.6%) and rarest in post-Cecil tabloids (3.1%). Articles focussed mainly on charismatic but rarely hunted species including lion, elephant and rhino, with commonly hunted species (such as impala or Cape buffalo) only rarely being mentioned. When countries were mentioned, southern African nations predominated, with four nations (Zimbabwe, South Africa, Namibia and Botswana) being named in 68% of qualifying articles. We conclude that simplistic media depiction of trophy hunting has the potential to cause negative outcomes for conservation through its impact on public perception and political opinion.

The Symbolic Boundary Work of Incels: Subcultural Negotiation of Meaning and Identity Online

ABSTRACT This article explores the boundary work of incels (involuntary celibates), to counter negative media coverage and online ridicule. Attempting to claim rational status, incels have created alternative information channels that reframe their situation of involuntary celibacy as a legitimate life circumstance. I examine the symbolic boundaries within the incel subculture, using the Incel Wikipedia page as a specialized encyclopedia for their online milieu. After describing the incel worldview and subcultural identity, I analyze how incels engage in boundary work to differentiate and solidify their status – categorizing themselves and other people. The article draws on theories of narrative and cultural criminology to present how incels negotiate their identity by establishing symbolic boundaries that exclude out-groups such as women, sexually successful men, and mainstream society. It concludes by considering how boundaries within the in-group are based on degrees of inceldom, gender, and violent actors. As a site of resistance, the boundary work of the incel wiki reveals how the social incel identity is formed and given meaning by contrast to symbolic others. I argue that narrative and cultural criminology can help us unravel the online ecosystem by analyzing the negotiation of external and internal subcultural boundaries.

THE ROLE OF A FIRM’S NEGATIVE MEDIA COVERAGE OF CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY PRACTICES IN PREDICTING THE SUPPLY OF CASH FLOW FORECASTS

Analysts seek to provide investors with an accurate picture of firm value using tangible and intangible criteria. Researchers use one intangible measure, corporate social responsibility (CSR), to proxy for the firm’s relationship with its stakeholders. The purpose of this paper is to advance research in two ways. First, we examine cash flow forecasts because they are less subjective than earnings forecasts. Second, we focus on a firm’s corporate social irresponsibility (CSIR) reputation formed through negative media coverage of environmental, social, and governance practices. Our paper posits that analysts are less likely to provide cash flow forecasts for a firm with a poor CSIR reputation. We conducted a study with 50,365 firm-year observations over twelve years. We support our hypothesis after controlling for endogeneity: The likelihood of analyst cash flow forecast issuance is associated negatively with firm negative media coverage. Additional analyses show that numerous firm and industry-related variables moderate this effect. This decrease in cash flow forecast issuance likelihood occurs, even if the poor CSIR reputation is from as long ago as three years prior or is due to environmental, social, or governance issues. Furthermore, increases in cash flow volatility and capital intensity positively moderate the likelihood of issuing a cash flow forecast, while increases in ROA and Tobin’s q negatively moderate the likelihood of issuing a cash flow.

Can inconsistent media coverage increase hotel survival? The bright side of controversy

PurposeThe impact of a mixture of positive and negative media coverage on long-run hotel survival remains unknown. This paper aims to investigate how the mixed positive and negative media coverage, namely, inconsistent media coverage, influences long-run hotel survival.Design/methodology/approachA yearly panel data set covering 792 news-reported hotels in Guangdong province of China, over the period 2010–2020, is analyzed using an inconsistency analysis framework consisting of text mining and survival analysis. The estimates of exponential models on the same observations and Cox estimates on alternative observations are used for robustness checks.FindingsThe inconsistency calculation method proposed here can measure the controversy degree well. There exists a U-shaped relationship between inconsistency of media coverage and hotel longevity, and hotel survival is significantly reduced only when the degree of inconsistency is within the range of 17.8%–53.6%. The U-shaped relationship is moderated by negative hotel image and by online media coverage on hotel operation strategy topics.Practical implicationsThis study provides suggestions for hotel managers to use media coverage inconsistency to increase long-run hotel survival in the digital era.Originality/valueTo the best of the authors’ knowledge, this paper is one of the first to investigate long-run hotel survival factors from the perspective of media coverage inconsistency. It also proposes a method to calculate the degree of media coverage controversy, which helps to quantify the relationship between the degree of inconsistency and hotel survival.