Media Reputation Research Articles

Reputation Management and Administrative Reorganization: How Different Media Reputation Dimensions Matter for Agency Termination

AbstractStudies on public organization reform have convincingly demonstrated the relevance of media salience for administrative reorganization. However, an understanding of how different media reputation dimensions influence government decisions to terminate administrative agencies is required. This study combined insights from bureaucratic reputation and agency termination theories to determine if media reputation dimensions (performative, moral, procedural, and technical) increase the probability of agency survival. These findings were based on advanced machine learning coding of 4,95,384 articles on 449 central agencies in China published in the People’s Daily from 1949 to 2019. Event history analyses and piecewise constant exponential models revealed that media salience significantly and negatively influenced agency termination probability. The procedural dimension consistently mitigated agency termination risk, and the moral and performative dimensions only periodically mitigated agency termination risk. The findings suggested that the appearance in the media and specific reputation dimensions were critical for agency survival. In addition, agencies should strategically manage their media reputation to meet the expectations of multifaceted audiences and decrease the risk of agency termination.

Review of the Factors of Trust or Distrust in News Media

The trust of audiences in media comes from their trust in media news. Communication studies experts believe that the symbol of trust in the media should be seen in terms of increasing trust in news and media news programs. Since trust can influence general thoughts, it should be considered separately in each media organization based on the type of organization. The more citizens believe in the authenticity of a particular type of media, the more likely they are to be influenced by their thoughts. Numerous studies in the field of social psychology show that authentic sources have more persuasive power than the sources that are less trusted by their audiences.
 Since the media have a mediating role in the transmission of news and information, they are a kind of link between the government and the people and have a great impact on the convergence and divergence of the people and the government. The success of any program depends entirely on gaining the trust of the people, so the effects of the media should exist in a way that can increase the coefficient of trust and confidence among the people, and if the current situation is such that this coefficient works in the opposite direction, it should think of solutions and reform. Thus, the discussion of news engineering is analyzed based on recognizing the components of building trust, but it is necessary before recognizing the audience because it is the perception of the audience and the level of their trust that creates the media reputation and determines their position.

The role of social media in the political involvement of millennials

Purpose This study aims to examine the relationship of information quality of social media, social media reputation, social media political marketing activities, trust and political involvement of millennials. Methodology The empirical analysis was conducted using a sample of 309 millennials. This study used online survey for the data collection. After passing reliability and validity tests, the data were analyzed with partial least squares structural equation modeling. Findings The results show that information quality of social media has positive and significant direct influence on reputation and trust. Information quality of social media also has a significant indirect influence on trust through social media reputation. However, there is no significant relationship between information quality and political involvement. Social media political marketing activities also have a direct and indirect significant effect on political involvement through trust. Finally, trust also has a positive and significant impact on political involvement. Practical implications This research may contribute to the political marketing experts and politicians in increasing the quality and credibility of advertisements on social media, which will affect trust and political involvement of millennial generation. Moreover, politicians and political marketing experts who have an online-based community should optimize their marketing activities in social media to encourage positive behavior and trust from social media users. Value This study has shown a more comprehensive model of the relationship between information quality of social media and political involvement. This study also reveals the significant indirect effect of the trust on the relationship between information quality on social media, social media political marketing activities and political involvement.

Newsworthiness of Multiple Identity Organizations

Media reputation is an important asset of every organization but might even be more delicate for a multiple identity organization (MIO). MIOs usually have central, distinctive, and enduring characteristics belonging to two antithetical value systems, often the ideological and the utilitarian value system. This qualitative interview study explores journalists' understanding and coverage of MIOs and how both are impacted by journalistic role perceptions and by the nature and behavior of such organizations. The findings of this research provide insight into the journalistic production process and could be instructive for the media management of MIOs. The interviewees recognized the potentially problematic character of an MIO but were divided about the newsworthiness of organizational identity multiplicity. Besides a group of “explainer” journalists, who were neutral towards MIOs, there were “watchdog” journalists who were extra sharp-eyed when an MIO was involved. They observed a lack of transparency about the commercial goals and profits. Controversy in terms of internal and external tensions was found to be a particularly salient news value with respect to an MIO. During the COVID-19 pandemic the journalist's interest in the tension between the organization's identities seemed to disappear. The central conclusion is that organizational identity multiplicity may trigger the critical attention of journalists. MIOs should improve transparency, especially considering their commercial activities. • Journalists criticize the commercial identity of non-profits. • Hitching a ride on a media storm generates positive media coverage. • Controversy in a multiple identity organization triggers media attention.

News by Popular Demand: Ideological Congruence, Issue Salience, and Media Reputation in News Sharing

Social media news sharing has become a central subject of scholarly research in communication studies. To test current theories, it is of an utmost importance to estimate the meaningful parameters of news sharing behavior from observational data. In this article, we retrieve measures of ideological congruence, issue salience, and media reputation to explain news sharing in social media. We describe how the proposed statistical model connects to different strands of the news sharing literature. We then exemplify the usefulness of the model with an analysis of the relationship between ideological congruence and issue salience. Results show that if ideology and salience correlate with each other, the preferences of ideologues (i.e., users who give higher weight to ideological congruence) will be overrepresented in observational data. This will result in the heightened perceptions of polarization. We test the performance of the model using data from Brazil, Argentina, and the United States.

An opportunity to reset

Purpose: This paper aims to review the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoint practical implications from cutting-edge research and case studies. Design: This briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds their own impartial comments and places the articles in context. Findings: CEOs of Fortune firms can benefit both in terms of social media reputation but also firm performance through disseminating SDG-related messaging on social media. Originality: The briefing saves busy executives, strategists and researchers hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent information and presenting it in a condensed and easy-to-digest format.

The Role of Source Credibility and Message Credibility in Fake News Engagement. Perspectives from an Experimental Study

Nowadays controversial stories, conspiracy theories, or false information are massively shared on social media. Fake news is supported by the online environment because it generates traffic and financial benefits (Tandoc et al., 2018). It is a chain — users share the news on their feed, then they receive the same type of content, later on, creating the illusion of veracity through popularity. Media credibility becomes more and more relevant in the context of the proliferation of fake news. The present paper addresses the mediating role of source and message credibility in relationship with the engagement with ‘poor journalistic’ content. We aimed to identify the effects of media reputation and of the facticity of the news on (digital) behavior such as the intent to disseminate or to comment on fake news on social media and also on discussing these contents with friends. For this purpose, we applied a 2x2 between subjects online experiment by manipulating the (1) the source (high vs. low reputation online media outlets) and (2) information facticity (high vs. low). Participants (N=177), aged 18 to 53 years were selected via Facebook and the study was carried out in February 2020. The results of our research are in line with previous literature that underlined the role of source and message credibility in influencing online and offline news engagement. We observed that source credibility has an impact on news sharing on Facebook and that message credibility encourages discussion with friends. This applies to both veridical and false information. The most important takeaway of our study is perhaps that users are aware that high reputation media outlets can make mistakes. Besides, media reputation is subject to change and is related to the audiences.

How does organizational task matter for the reputation of public agencies?

AbstractThe study of organizational task for understanding how organizations behave and evolve has been one of the classic topics in organization theory and public administration. Reputation scholarship has appeared as a promising perspective to understand internal and external organizational dynamics. Reputation scholars, too, emphasize the critical importance of task. Despite this recognition, the literature is characterized by a lack of theorization, and large‐scale comparative analyses on how task characteristics are related to reputational dynamics. This study aims to address these concerns, relying on an extensive longitudinal dataset on the media reputation of 40 agencies in two countries to explain organizations' likelihood of attracting reputational threats (both in general and targeting specific reputational dimensions) through different task characteristics. Our main finding is that as agencies perform tasks of a more coercive and authoritative nature (regulatory tasks and, to a lesser extent, redistributive tasks), they are more likely to attract reputational threats (both in general and to all dimensions).

News in the Digital Age: A Case Study of CITE as a Digital Public Sphere in Zimbabwe

ABSTRACT There is growing scholarship on how social media are shaping the practice and performance of mainstream media organisations. Platforms such as Facebook and Twitter provide journalists with information and sources on issues happening across the globe. Journalists and news organisations are appropriating social media tools to generate story ideas and interact with audiences. Concerns about the quality of information circulated on these platforms and the growing misinformation and disinformation remain, affecting the reputation of mainstream media and digital start-ups. This study investigates the Centre for Innovation and Technology (CITE), a digital start-up in Zimbabwe, focusing on its role as a digital public sphere in the country’s news ecosystem thus contributing to understandings of the role and importance of the digital public sphere in the Zimbabwean context. Drawing upon the digital public sphere and social constructionism as frameworks for conceptualising digital tools and journalism practice, this research interrogates the role of this digital start-up. We argue that CITE has appropriated and adopted digital tools to transform its news making practice in ways that provide a platform for excluded and marginalised communities.

How does entrepreneurial orientation and SDG orientation of CEOs evolve before and during a pandemic

PurposeAligning business innovation with the sustainable development goals (SDGs) creates immense opportunities to solve societal challenges along with business growth and productivity. This study aims to understand the evolution of Fortune firms' strategic addressing of SDG on social media as a step towards post-pandemic recovery. Using attribution theory as a theoretical lens, the authors try to investigate how entrepreneurial orientation (EO) and SDG orientation evolve with the crisis and affect the appreciation and advocacy of the SDG-related posts.Design/methodology/approachA mixed methodology of machine learning and Social media analytics such as content analysis, sentiment analysis and space–time analysis have been used, followed by multivariate analysis to validate the findings.FindingsAn evolution in CEOs’ strategic focus surrounding SDG dimensions was found, from economic in pre-pandemic phase to social and environment during the pandemic. The SDG disclosure on social media by the Fortune CEOs seems to have an influence on their social media reputation, whereas EO has no impact on social media reputation.Research limitations/implicationsWise practice of EO in information diffusion by CEOs on social media may lead to a healthy relationship with the stakeholders and better firm performance. The SDG adoption at organisation level contributes towards a sustainable society and helps tackling the challenges faced during the pandemic.Originality/valueThis study analyses the contribution of the Fortune firms to achieve a sustainable society in a pandemic environment by strategic adoption of SDGs and effective use of digital platforms.

Agencies in the news? Public agencies' media evaluations in a low‐trust context

AbstractBureaucratic reputations are largely shaped by the media's evaluations of such agencies. However, the research overlooks how the media evaluates public agencies, particularly in low‐trust contexts. Using inductive machine‐learning techniques, we uncover the media's evaluations of Brazilian regulatory agencies based on more than 38,000 stories published within the last 20 years with the aim of exploring what drives their media evaluations and which reputational dimensions are privileged in the negative media coverage of regulatory agencies. We find different patterns of media evaluations that reflect a unique interplay of media logic, agency strategizing, and the quality of the policy context in which the agencies operate. However, even in a low‐trust context, some agencies are able to build a favorable media reputation. In contrast, agencies with unfavorable media reputations are systematically questioned along many reputational dimensions and are subject to stronger negativity bias.

Study on the Reputation of the (MASS) Media in Romania

Abstract Part of a bigger research project conducted by Media Reputation Lab (Media REP Lab) on the reputation of media in Europe, the study explores the reputation of media among informed population in Romania. A sample of 100 cases was involved in the online survey taking place in December 2019. The results provide a description of the country’s media reputation (media in general: radio, print, digital and television). For each one of these media, the valuation obtained by each of the reputational attributes (credibility, rigor, impartiality, willingness to rectify) by the informed population would be indicated. Moreover, insights on the knowledge and use, as well as on the reputation (overall and by category, considering ten key reputation aspects) - of twelve selected media - would be provided.

Comparing the Five Measures of Media Reputation Attributes in Local and National Newspapers

Researchers have developed multiple measures to assess media reputation as a driving force of corporate reputation. This study compared five measures that have been used to examine the seven attributes of media reputation. These five measures of media reputation have different fundamental assumptions such as linearity, inclusion of neutral tone items, and negative items. A content analysis of 2,817 news articles regarding nine big food corporations revealed significant differences in the media reputation attribute scores between elite national newspapers and local newspapers using the five measures. The findings indicate that these measures cannot substitute for one another, and using elite national newspapers versus local newspapers would lead to significantly different assessments of media reputation.

Corporate communication strategies: Differentiation strategies and corporate communication plan for dissemination of disease surveillance research outcomes at Kenya Medical Research Institute

Globally, differentiation strategies and corporate communication plan inform corporate communication strategies, for disseminating disease surveillance research outcomes. Study respondents are also stakeholders in research outcomes alongside the scientific community. This study examined differentiation strategies and corporate communication plans, as corporate communication strategies for dissemination of research outcomes at KEMRI. It also investigated the influence of the corporate communication plan in place for dissemination of disease surveillance research outcomes to study respondents at KEMRI. The study employed a purposive sampling design utilizing mixed methods using self-administered questionnaires and in-depth interview guides. The study adopted the pragmatic research paradigm. This case study utilised descriptive study design to collect primary data. The study was anchored on excellence theory and complimented by communication theory. The Krejcie Morgan table was utilised to determine a sample size of 76. Data was collected from a response rate of 79 per cent. From a target population of 76, the researcher purposively selected 60 respondents. The study findings were differentiation strategies (48.3%) and corporate communication plan (51.7 per cent). Recommendations on the communication plan comprised: elevation of Corporate Affairs (CA) to top management, to manage the communication plan for disseminating research outcomes. KEMRI to incorporate a communication plan for scientists and CA, for translating research jargon to research respondents and other stakeholders. Enhancement of differentiation strategies by continually maintaining image, identity and corporate visual identity (CVI). Empower CA to manage media relations, identity, reputation, and media audits. Propagate unified consistence in messaging, identifying KEMRI as an authority in communicating research outcomes. The study concluded that study respondents felt ignored during dissemination research outcomes at KEMRI, Nairobi. The findings enhanced the body of knowledge on, corporate communication strategies incorporating study respondents as stakeholders in research outcomes dissemination.

Роль молодежных НКО в формировании и развитии социальных лифтов в современной России

Youth non-profit organizations are described considering their participation in the modern political life of Russian society and their role in the political socialization of young people. The author raises the problem of formation and development of social elevators in the context of ensuring social mobility of young people, as well as the possibility of access to this tool in modern Russia. As part of the study of youth non-profit organizations, the author gave a charateristics of the organizations operating on a national scale, which have a media reputation, and develop projects focused on the vertical mobility of their participants. Arguments are given in favor of individual and collective social elevators within the framework of youth non-profit organizations. The conclusions presented in the study allow us to evaluate the activities of youth non-profit organizations as a mechanism for changing the social status of an individual in the stratification structure of society, a channel for vertical social mobility, and prospects for further development of non-profit organizations in this direction.

The Reputational Costs of Corporate Litigation: Long-Term Media Reputation Damages to Firms’ Involvement in Litigation

Extensive research on the financial costs and risks associated with firms targeted for litigation assumes that being sued negatively impacts firm reputation. Yet, research on the consequences of corporate litigation has focused almost exclusively on the financial ramifications associated with being defendants, solely equating reputational costs with financial costs. I challenge this overly narrow view of reputation and utilize two unique datasets—one for legal actions and the other one comprising affective content analysis across 2000 media sources—for the SP I find that when firms are identified as corporate defendants, overall sentiment and optimism towards these firms suffer, while affective conflict about the focal firm is increased, for at least 1 year and even beyond. These findings strongly inform research on corporate wrongdoing and litigation as well as impression management research and raise the need to expand the view of the costs of corporate litigation, beyond financial implications.

СЕМІОТИКА ПОЛТАВСЬКИХ ЗМІ В ГЕНДЕРНОМУ ДИСКУРСІ

The article studies the problem of interconnection and interpenetration of semiotic and gender discourses. The main linguistic level of gender representation is the lexical level in combination with the semantic one because the semantic parameters of the linguistic picture of the world are verbalized in the vocabulary. It is proved that with the help of feminine words the online newspaper Kolo solves a number of problems due to the institutional parameters of media discourse, which determine its context and represent four groups: social, cultural, ideological, communicative, semiotic. The general tendencies of the functioning of feminine words both in headings, and in texts are formulated: formation of public opinion (appeal to the formed stereotypes); subordination of plans of expression and content to the conditions of the mass communication environment (the question of interaction of language signs with signs of other types); establishing and maintaining trust in the sender of information by the recipient in order to ensure the reputation of mass media (compliance with the requirements of a gender-sensitive environment); preservation or violation of legal, cultural, ethical norms, worldview paradigm and picture of the world (correspondence and influence on the conceptual paradigm of the world). Gender discourse is presented in materials about the historical past, political, socio-economic, socio-domestic, cultural, sports, family life, criminal chronicle, health. Explicitly marked elements of gender form mainly the following lexical and semantic groups: names of persons by professional activity, occupation, names of persons by ethnicity, nationality, religion and belief, a territory of residence, position, rank, belonging to political groups, parties, character relationships with people of the opposite sex. Modern media realia make new demands on the online newspaper as: the publication of news in the form of a post, so it should be visible in the news feed. This task is realized by influencing through two channels of perception simultaneously: visual (image) and verbal (text). The course of all information processes takes place with the use of signs and sign systems. The visual content of the issues of the online newspaper Kolo includes illustrations – photos of men and women, as well as shared photos, gender accents are shifted to the female component. It is determined that the Ukrainian word-forming formant (-к-, -иц-, -ин-) in nouns of female names is the main feminine marker.

Media reputation: a source of banks' financial performance

PurposeBased on the resource-based view (RBV) and the signaling theory, this paper examines the effect of media reputation on financial performance as well as the moderating role of bank characteristics (risk management and financial capacities) in this relationship, using Vietnamese commercial bank data for the period 2007–2018.Design/methodology/approachWe rely on the agenda-setting theory to measure the media reputation of banks. Return on average equity (ROE) is used as a proxy of financial performance. We regress financial performance on media reputation with fixed effects to control unobserved variables. In addition, the instrumental variable (IV) method is applied to deal with the endogeneity problem. We use the change in bank logo as an IV for media reputation.FindingsWe find that media reputation has a positive effect on financial performance. This effect becomes prominent for large banks, listed banks or banks that demonstrate good risk management capacities, and is particularly strong when we control for endogeneity bias. The effect of media reputation on financial performance is transmitted through the non-performing loan (NPL) channel.Research limitations/implicationsThe research findings further endorse the positive impact of media reputation on financial performance in the low-quality institutional settings. Moreover, these findings expand the existing knowledge regarding the relationship between media reputation and financial performance by affirming two strategies which could be used to leverage the contribution of media reputation including improving banks' risk management capacities and raising financial capital.Originality/valueThis is the first known paper to examine the effect of media reputation on financial performance in commercial banks in an underdeveloped institutional setting while exploring the moderators in this relationship. This study, therefore, provides insightful implications for different bank segments in managing NPL and taking advantage of media reputation as a potential resource of financial performance.

Zhang, X. (2020). The Measurement of Media Reputation. Lexington Books

Zhang, X. (2020). The Measurement of Media Reputation. Lexington Books

The relationships of communication intensity, CEO commitment, cause fit and media reputation: evidence from Chinese marathon title sponsors

PurposeThis research aims to explore ways to build a corporate media reputation by sponsoring a sports event (i.e. a marathon), by examining the effects of communication intensity, CEO commitment and cause fit that are most conducive to helping a sponsor gain media reputation benefits.Design/methodology/approachAn empirical study of 122 Chinese marathon title sponsorships is employed that explores the relationship between sponsorship attributes and media reputation construction from the perspective of cause-related marketing theory. Hypotheses are tested with hierarchical regression and interaction analysis.FindingsThe results show that a high level of sponsorship communication intensity, the proximity of the sponsor to a sport property, the level of CEO commitment and the level of cause fit contribute to the media reputation of enterprise sponsors. Further analysis also reveals the different interaction effects of technical fit and institutional fit in the process.Practical implicationsThis research has practical implications related to sport sponsorship management for event organizers and business operators that seek to promote the healthy and dynamic operations of the sponsor market. Several suggestions for future studies and strategies to increase the media reputation benefits can be drawn from the results of this paper. Sports sponsoring is a process of system engineering and strategic planning, and the integration and coordination of various types of resources are needed.Originality/valueThis study advances the current research about the impact of sponsorship attributes on the media reputation of sports sponsors. The differentiation and exploration of the two kinds of cause fit (i.e. technical fit and institutional fit) expand the dimension of fit in the field of sponsorship. Furthermore, this research provides an in-depth understanding of the mechanism that determines the media reputation benefits that sponsors can reap from a property's activities.