Radio-TV Journalism Division

More like Ken, More like Barbie: Pressures on television news anchors about their appearance • Katherine A. Bradshaw and James C. Foust, Bowling Green State University and Joseph P. Bernt, Ohio University • Anchors at all experience levels face pressures about their appearance from sources with power over them. Females are more pressured than males and generally it continues throughout female’s careers, while males face less pressure with more experience. Female anchors are under more constant pressure from consultants, news directors, and viewers about their on-air wardrobe and their hair.

Televising the 2004 Presidential Debates: Which Format Best Addressed Voters’ Concerns • Paul Brown, University of Texas-Austin • Televised presidential debates have become our nation’s most-watched political event. For only the fourth time in history, one of the 2004 debates allowed uncommitted voters to ask the questions rather than journalists. This quantitative analysis found both the Town Hall and traditional moderator formats did not correlate with the public agenda. Analyzed individually, the Town Hall format proved even less effective in addressing issues deemed most important to the public.

The Effect of CNN and Fox News’ Post-Debate Coverage on Viewers’ Perceptions of Presidential Candidates • Jennifer Brubaker, and Gary Hanson, Kent State University • Television news coverage following a presidential debate is often framed as a contest between winners and losers. The use of this frame helps viewers form their assessments of the candidates’ performances. This study examines the effect of post-debate news analysis on the perceived outcome of the debates and on the perceptions of the personal qualities of the candidates. The study found that the perceptions of Fox News Channel viewers changed after watching the network’s post-debate analysis.

“The Family Business”: Entertainment Products and the Network Morning News Shows • Johanna Cleary, University of Florida and Terry Adams, University of Miami • The morning news programs may provide the perfect forum for networks to benefit from “corporate synergy,” perhaps at the expense of editorial integrity. Whether those making decisions about content can satisfy these competing pressures and still adhere to the social responsibility theory of the press is an increasingly significant question. This study measured the entertainment content of the three network morning shows and correlated that to the ownership of the programs and producing entities.

Before the Bloggers: The Upstart News Technology of Television at the 1948 Political Conventions • Mike Conway, Indiana University • More than a half-century before political bloggers, television was the exciting new technology at the 1948 political conventions. For the first time, millions of viewers got a live look at democracy in action, warts and all, in an era when the conventions still had drama, surprises, and smoke-filled rooms. Television’s impact on the conventions was immediate and lasting. At the same time, those summer sessions provided television with the perfect platform to gain journalistic respect.

Telestrator Terrorism: Fear Messages in the Television News Coverage of Hurricane Ivan • Nancy McKenzie Dupont and Mary Blue, Loyola University New Orleans • This paper examines the role fear-inducing messages in the coverage of Hurricane Ivan in the New Orleans market. Content analysis and personal interviews were used to gather data. The research results find that fear-inducing message were common and not limited to one kind of message-originator nor one television station, which is surprising given that meteorologists admitted that they knew the hurricane would not make a direct hit on New Orleans.

New Radio – A Turn-on for Young Adults and a Turn-off for AM and FM • David Alan Free, University of Texas-Austin • This study examines the relationship between young adults and new forms of radio. AM and FM frequencies have dominated the market, but now, more choices for radio programming are offered by satellite, Internet, and cable radio. The quantitative analysis of the data attempts to discover “why” new radio is chosen over traditional radio by applying the Uses and Gratifications approach. The results provide insight into “why” young adults are switching to new radio.

Competition and Diversity: A Content Analysis of News Diversity between Fox News and CNN • J. Sonia Huang, University of Texas at Austin • The cable news leader, CNN, was turned over by Fox news in January 2002. The present study attempts to examine the competition effect on content diversity. A content analysis of Fox news and CNN from 1998 to 2004 was conducted to examine the content diversity between and with the two channels. Results showed that topic and location diversity decreased significantly over time within each channel. At the same time, diversity of topic, format, and location between the two channels also dropped dramatically.

Television News Coverage of the Iraq War: An Assessment of Second-Level Agenda Setting And Framing • Seok Kang, Arkansas Tech University • This study examined whether a second-level agenda setting and framing effect existed during the Iraq war from March, 2003 to October, 2004. Results demonstrated that news about the Iraq war is more episodic than thematic. There is more positive than negative framing in affective attributes of the war news. Results also found that news attributes about the Iraq war show similarities between the poll results and television news coverage.

But, will it Play in Lawrence? Audience Perceptions of Convergence at the Lawrence-Journal World, News 6 and LJWorld.com • Stan Ketterer, Oklahoma State University, J. Steven Smethers and Bonnie Bressers, Kansas State University • Existing media convergence studies tend to focus on management and content issues. This study looks at the convergence through the lens of the audience in Lawrence Kansas, a converged media market, reflecting attitudes of focus group respondents towards media convergence. While both groups were concerned about the potential development of a media information monopoly, the older group was more tolerant of convergence, viewing it as necessary in order for the community to have local news coverage.

A More Perfect Union’s Jack A Visual Representation of the Debate over Journalistic Mission Within the American Democratic Experiment • Timothy R. Lewis, Lyndon State College • Howard Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences indicates that students who rely on their spatial intelligence need a visual model to comprehend new material. Teachers tapping a student’s spatial intelligence should link new ideas to a visual image. This paper argues a child’s game piece – a toy jack – can be used to illustrate the complex interaction of the press and the governing process in the United States, despite the contradictory elements found in both.

The Impact of Linear vs. Nonlinear Listening to Radio News on Recall and Comprehension • Hesham Mesbah, Kuwait University • An experimental design using 82 undergraduates from Kuwait University was employed to test the research hypotheses. The stimulus is a real newscast that was recorded and manipulated into four versions in line with the research problem: traditional radio newscast, online newscast played with one click, linear interactive netcast with a click for each news item, and a support activity conditions were additional links for details were added to each link.

“News Alert” – Again, And Again, And Again: How 24-Hour Cable News Networks Are Redefining Television Breaking News • Andrea Miller and Lesa Hatley Major, Louisiana State University • This study explores the premise that the current scholarly definition of television breaking news (non-routine) is outdated. A Content analysis of two constructed weeks of three 24-hour cable news outlets (CNN, Fox News and MSNBC) was used to explore how often the networks “break in” and what types of stories are labeled “breaking.” Results showed the networks are significantly more likely to air breaking news during a ratings period.

Comparing Two Kinds of News Reports about Political Ads: A Model to Predict Candidate Evaluation • Lisa Mills, University of Florida and Pilar Bermudez, University of Central Florida • Researchers conducted experiments to compare television news viewers’ perception of political ads, traditional political race profile reports and ad watch reports. Utilizing real ads and television news reports surrounding competing candidates in a 2002 Congressional Race, researchers found evidence to support their hypothesis that viewers perceive ad watches differently from traditional race profile reports that do not attempt to examine ad truthfulness. Subjects found ad watch reports clearer and easier to understand.

Too Little Too Late: Network Coverage of the FCC’s 2003 Media Ownership Rule Changes • Lisa Mills, University of Florida, Pilar Bermudez and Brian Becker, University of Central Florida • This study conducts a content analysis of network news transcripts in the year leading up to the June 2003 FCC media ownership rule changes. The researchers find evidence the two networks owned by media corporations that stood to gain most from the changes provided the most pro-deregulation coverage. They conclude that none of the commercial, cable or public networks provided coverage that was thorough or timely, thus the public was left out of the policy debate.

American Network Television News Coverage of Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia during 1990 and 1991: The Baltic States’ Drive Toward and Attainment of Independence • Anthony Moretti, and Norman E. Youngblood, Texas Tech University • This research examines American network television news coverage of Latvian, Lithuanian, and Estonian efforts in 1990 and 1991 to break free from Soviet domination. This study reports that the evening news programs provided substantive coverage of what was happening in the Baltics until U.S. military forces were deployed to the Middle East because of the Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait. Moreover, this study finds that U.S. sources were used less often than expected based on previous research.

Boo-yah! Sports Journalists Identify ESPN’s Impact on Sports Writing • Scott Reinardy and Earnest L. Perry, University of Missouri • A survey (N = 249) of newspaper sports editors, sports writers, desk personnel (copy editors and page designers) examined the perception of how the language used on ESPN influences the writing style sports writers use in stories. The results indicate that sports journalists believe jargon, entertainment-based writing and ESPN’s SportsCenter is altering the tone of sports writing.

The Impact of Live Versus Packaged News on Television Viewers’ Information Processing of Some Episodes of the Iraq War • Rut Rey, Iowa State University • This study evaluated the impact of two modes of presenting television news, live versus packaged reports, on viewers’ processing of incidents that occurred during the 2003 American intervention in Iraq. An experiment was conducted using 200 volunteer students. No differences were found in the encoding, storage, and retrieval performance between the group that was shown live reports and those who saw the packaged stories.

Intermedia Agenda Setting in the 2004 Presidential Elections: Issue Saliency in Television News, Political Advertising and Blogs • Kaye D. Trammell, Guy Golan, Louisiana State University and Wayne Wanta, University of Missouri • This study examined whether political ads and candidate blogs were successful in influencing the issue and news agenda of the major television news networks during the 2004 presidential election. Data showed strong correlations between blogs and the media agenda. Advertisements did not correlate with the media agenda. Cross-lag analysis showed that the media set the candidates’ agenda. The authors suggest intermedia agenda setting occurred as the media transferred their agenda to campaign blogs.

A Descriptive Analysis of NBC’s Coverage of the 2004 Summer Olympics • C. A. Tuggle, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Suzanne Huffman, Texas Christian University and Dana Scott Rosengard, University of Memphis • This study examines the amount of NBC’s 2004 Olympics coverage devoted to women’s athletics and compares that to 2000 and 1996. Analysis showed that men received more overall coverage, but women’s teams were covered more extensively than were men’s teams. That coverage concentrated on two specific women’s teams, with other women’s team competitors receiving scant coverage. As was the case in 2000 and 1996, women who competed in 2004 in sports involving power or hard physical contact received almost no attention.

<< 2005 Abstracts

Public Relations Divisions

TEACHING
Comparison of Indirect Sources of Efficacy Information in Pretesting Messages to Prevent Drunken Driving • Ronald B. Anderson, University of Texas at Austin • This experiment tested the impact of two forms of symbolic modeling and verbal persuasion on self-efficacy beliefs and intentions to prevent a friend from driving drunk. Three efficacy-information public service announcements were produced to raise participants; beliefs in their abilities to intervene successfully: a behavioral-modeling message, which demonstrated the prevention skills; a verbal-modeling message, which described the skills; and a persuasive message, which only encouraged intervention.

Beating the Odds: How the American Football League Used Public Relations to “Win” a War Against a Monopoly • William B. Anderson, University of Scranton • No professional sports group ever achieved acceptance as widespread within a single decade’s span as the American Football League (AFL). This study chronicles how the AFL used public relations strategies and tactics to garner public acceptance, which in turn helped convince the older National Football League to merge with the upstart league.

Overcoming the Stigma of Discrimination: Applying a New Management Philosophy and Integrated Communication To Restore The Reputation Of Denny’s Restaurants • Alik Anso, Richard Nelson and Stephen Matthews • Abstract not available.

The Effect of Prior Corporate Reputation on Public Attitudes Toward a Company • Public Suspicion as a Mediating Variable • Jiyang Bae, University of Missouri-Columbia • This study attempted to verify whether prior corporate reputation affects public perceptions toward corporate philanthropic messages and ultimately affects public attitudes toward the company. The study’s five hypotheses were all supported with an experiment method. 72 undergraduate students were participated in this study. Participants inferred corporate charitable giving as a mutually beneficial activity when a company had a good reputation (H 1). Participants inferred corporate charitable giving as a self-interested activity when the company had a bad reputation (H2).

Cultural Awareness: Hispanic Public Relations Practitioners’ Perceptions of Effective Communication with Hispanic Publics • Cristina Proañlo Beazley, University of Louisiana at Lafayette • As the Hispanic publics continue to grow in the United States, public relations departments must be prepared to communicate effectively with them. This exploratory study examines cultural awareness from the viewpoint of Hispanic public relations practitioners who communicate with Hispanic publics as part of their practice. In-depth qualitative interviews were conducted with eleven Hispanic public relations practitioners who work with Hispanic publics.

Building Relationships with Child Publics: Study of the Content of Nutrition Websites for Children • Denise Bortree, University of Florida • Abstract not available.

Finding a Conceptual Basis for Communicating about Terrorism: Is Terrorism ‘Extreme’ Activism? How do we Respond Ethically? • Shannon A. Bowen, University of Houston • Abstract not available.

Engineering the Continuation of a Non-judgmental U.S.-China Relations in the Tumultuous Post-Cold War World: An Overview of the Chinese Public Relations Campaign in the U.S. in 1990s Xiaowei Chen, Louisiana State University • This case study of the Chinese public relations campaign examines the geopolitical-ideopolitical context, identifies the key stakeholders, interprets their message strategy and issue management, and finally, illustrates how the Chinese public relations contributes to the delinkage of the U.S.-China trade from human rights issue.

A Study of Journalists’ Perception of Candidates’ Websites and Their Relationships with the Campaign Organization in Taiwan’s 2004 Presidential Election • Yi-Ning Katherine Chen, National Cheng-Chi University • This investigation is designed to gain insight into what the perceptions are for journalists in using a candidate’s website as a news gathering tool. Drawing upon the somewhat limited research to date, this study also seeks to explore how journalists’ perception of the websites affects their relationships with the campaign organization. The results show that the some of the perceptions of such websites, as related to the relationship components, suggest that a candidate’s website may enhance this relationship.

Closing the Deal: The Use of Snow & Benfords’s Core Framing Functions on Activist Websites • Erik L. Collins, University of South Carolina, Lynn M. Zoch, University of Miami and Daniel C. Walsh, University of South Carolina • The researchers used an adapted version of the core framing functions model first introduced by Snow and Benford (1988) in conjunction with a content analysis of Websites to discover whether activist organizations are using methods described in the theory to strengthen the communication on their Websites.

Ethical Discussion in Peer Reviewed Public Relations Journals: A Content Analysis • Benton Danner and Michael A. Mitrook, University of Florida • Content analysis concerning the nature of ethical discussion in peer reviewed public relations journals was performed on a total of 721 articles from four scholarly journals covering the period 1998-2004.

An Evolutionary Model of Organization-Activist Relationships • Elizabeth Dougall • University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill • The propositions of an evolutionary model of organization-activist relationships are advanced anticipating associations between variations in the public opinion environment of an organizational population and the evolution of organization-activist relationships. Variations are described using four dimensions: stability (turnover of issues), complexity (the number of issues in the issue set), intensity (volume of media coverage), and direction (favorability of media coverage for the focal population).

Legal Implications of IMC for Public Relations •Kathy R. Fitzpatrick, DePaul University• The application of First Amendment commercial speech doctrine to integrated marketing communication (IMC) demonstrates that the integration of public relations with advertising and marketing may dilute the constitutional protection afforded corporate speech. This analysis of U.S. Supreme Court decisions shows that by combining political expression, i.e., public relations, with commercial expression, i.e., advertising and marketing, a corporation may expand the range of communications that may be defined and regulated as commercial speech.

The Status of Public Relations Research in the Leading Journals between 1995 and 2004 • Eyun-Jung Ki and Hyoungkoo Khang, University of Florida • This study analyzes the trends, patterns and rigors of research studies pertaining to public relations through a content analysis of published public relations articles from two leading public relations journals between 1995 and 2004. Four hundred and three articles from the two journals were collected. Each article was coded by the year of its publication, the name of the journal, author(s)’ name, affiliation, and country of author(s)’ affiliation, research topics, research methods, sampling methods, response rates, intercoder reliability, and statistical analysis.

Exploring Town-Gown Relations: Community Relations in a University Setting • Sei-Hill Kim, Brigitta R. Brunner and Margaret Fitch-Hauser, Auburn University • Analyzing data from a telephone survey of local residents, this study examined the role of community relations in higher education. Our data supported the idea that various contributions to local communities may produce a favorable pubic image of a university. More importantly, residents who were more aware of the contributions showed greater willingness to support the university.

The News Release Format For The 21 Century: A Receiver-Based Model For The Electronic Medium • Thomas Klipstone, University of South Carolina • A content analysis of electronic news releases shows that electronic news releases are basically an electronic version of traditional print public relations material that is not being formatted or structured to fit the qualities and advantages of the electronic medium. This study reviews the current status of the electronic news release format and suggests an electronic news release format suited to take advantage of the qualities of the receiver-based medium.

Christina’s Doin’ It… So Should I? • The Nature of Celebrity Health Advocacy and Advice in Media • Julie C. Lellis, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill • Abstract not available.

Crisis Communications Preparedness Among U.S. Organizations: Activities and Assessments by Public Relations Practitioners • Rhegan McDaniel and Kirk Hallahan, Colorado State University • A survey of U.S. public relations practitioners (n=126) found that three-quarters of their employer organizations have a written crisis communications plan and that organizations, as a whole, were reasonably prepared to engage in crisis communications. Preparedness was measured based on the presence of a crisis plan as well as a tactics index; a training index; indices related to the maintenance of lists of employees, media and stakeholders; and the monitoring of the print and broadcast media and the Internet.

Assessing and Managing Reputation among Multiple Stakeholder Groups of a Health Care Organization Seen Through the Lens of Identity and Identification • Angela K. Mak, Iowa State University • This paper uses PeaceHealth Medical Group as an example to assess a health care organization’s reputation among various key stakeholder groups seen through the lens of identity and identification. An elite interview and eight focus groups (i.e. donors, volunteers, community leaders, local community, support staff, media, nurses, and doctors) were conducted. The different dimensions of primary and secondary reputation from stakeholder groups revealed that a reputation held by a specific stakeholder group is based on the strength of its relationship with the organization.

The Syllogism of Apologia: Rhetorical Stasis Theory and Crisis Communication • Charles Marsh, University of Kansas • Rhetorical stasis theory – the process of identifying a debate’s core issue – can provide a hierarchical structure for crisis response strategies. The author proposes that the accusation in a crisis situation – the kategoria — has a syllogistic form, allowing crisis managers to decide whether to attack an accusation at its minor premise level, major premise level or conclusion. Stasis theory posits three content-related issues categories.

Is the Press Legitimizing the “Truth”? An Examination of the Third Party Endorsements of the “Truth” National Anti- tobacco Campaign • Jensen Moore and Fred Vultee, University of Missouri-Columbia • This study used discourse analysis to examine the positive press coverage (i.e. third party endorsements) of the “Truth” national anti-tobacco campaign. Thirty-nine national and regional articles from 1999-2005 were analyzed. The findings provide insights into the central themes, identifiable images, and dominant discourse presented by the media about the campaign. Results of this study are important because little is known about the legitimizing force of the press in regard to these campaigns.

Why do Students Major In Public Relations? A Study of Factors Influencing a Student’s Choice of Major, and Gender Similarities and Differences • Gina J. Noble, Oklahoma State University • This study surveyed public relations majors to determine the factors influencing the selection of their major in an effort to help public relations educators, advisers and counselors better understand the motivations and expectations of these students. The study attempts to provide information regarding why students decide to major in public relations, how students perceive the major and its job opportunities, common misperceptions regarding the profession, and gender similarities and differences of students selecting the major.

Sources and Synergies: News Media Discussion of Public Relations and Ethics • Bonnie Parnell Riechert, University of Tennessee • News media discussion of public relations and ethics is investigated in a computer-assisted content analysis of articles mentioning both “public relations” and “ethics” in The New York Times from 1988-2004. Themes in coverage are identified. The Public Relations Society of America and its code of ethics are represented in the coverage, indicating some success in frame sponsorship. The phrase “public relations” is used in a variety of ways; implications for practitioners and educators are discussed.

Effects of Endorsement Type and Expertise Indicators on Web Credibility • Amy Robinson-Russ and Marilee Long, Colorado State University • This study investigated the effects of endorsement type and author expertise on online credibility. It was hypothesized that subjects would perceive an online message endorsed by a third party (news organization) as more credible than one endorsed by a first party (corporation), and that subjects who received additional author information would assign higher credibility to the message than those who received the author’s name. Results showed no significant difference in how subjects perceived message credibility.

The Dialogic Potential of Weblogs in Relationship Building • Trent Seltzer, University of Florida • Previous research has revealed a gap between the relationship-building potential of traditional Websites, the objectives of public relations practitioners, and the actual design of organizational Web sites. A content analysis of 50 environmental weblogs was conducted to identify the existence of dialogic principles that can be used to effectively build relationships online. Comparisons between weblogs and traditional Web sites suggest that weblogs may incorporate these principles to a greater degree than traditional Web sites.

The Death of the Models: A Meta-Analysis of Modem Dimensions in Public Relations • Bey-Ling Sha, San Diego State University • In recent years, the venerated models of public relations have been reconceptualized as dimensions of public relations behavior. This article examines the internal reliabilities of items across three studies constructing the “classic dimensions” of two-way, symmetrical, ethical, interpersonal, and mediated communication – as well as the “cutting-edge dimensions” of social activities and conservation – concluding with recommendations of specific items shown by meta-analysis to be the most valid measures of the new dimensions of public relations.

Crossing boundaries: Comparing online media relations of Fortune 100 companies’ U.S. vs. China corporate sites • Ying Sun, Ohio University • While Web sites have become important corporate communications tools globally, no research has addressed the application of the Web to media relations in an international setting. This exploratory study compared media relations strategies as evident in the U.S. and Chinese corporate sites of American companies. Using content analysis, this paper examined how these sites address journalists’ information needs and facilitate two-way symmetrical communication, and investigated how country-specific contexts influence the application of public relations models

Strategic Public Relations Based on a Scenario Approach: A Case of an Insurance Company • MinJung Sung, University of New York • Abstract not available.

Lowering the Bar: Privileged Court Filings as Substitutes for Press Releases in the Court of Public Opinion • Samuel Terilli, Sigman Splichal and Paul Driscoll University of Miami • In the civil lawsuit against Kobe Bryant for sexual assault, the judge admonished lawyers for engaging in “public relations litigation” – the use of pleadings to attract media attention and try cases in the court of public opinion. This paper looks at the legal ramifications of such practices. It concludes that lawyers and public relations professionals can responsibly use court documents to communicate with the public, so long as they do not abuse the process.

Lobbying as Advocacy Public Relations and its “Unspoken” Code of Ethics • Kati A. Tusinski, University of Oregon • This paper examines lobbying as a form of advocacy public relations. Interviews and document analysis are used to illustrate the advocacy function of lobbying and questions the ethics of such work. This research fills two visible gaps in the public relations body of knowledge by continuing to develop advocacy as a function of public relations and by contributing to the development of lobbying as a profession by studying the ethical frameworks lobbyists employ to their work.

Organizational Credibility as a function of Source Trust • Edward Vieira and Susan Grantham, University of Hartford • This study examined the role of affect and reason in cognitive involvement, comprehension, message credibility, and subsequent attitude formation. The results indicate that the model was driven by comprehension and involvement in processing the message. The non-profit designation (versus for-profit) was significantly linked to level of involvement with the message and subsequently source credibility and a positive attitude toward the topic.

Cross-National Conflict Shifting: A Case Study of the DuPont Teflon Crisis in China • Yimin Wang and Juan-Carlos Molleda, University of Florida • The purpose of this paper is to illustrate and support the theory of cross-national conflict shifting through a case study of a transnational crisis, the DuPont Teflon crisis in China. This recent corporate crisis originated from the United States due to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s administrative action against DuPont, which instantly shifted to China where it transformed into a consumer product safety crisis. A triangulation of qualitative and quantitative methods was used.

Fund Raising on the Internet: A Content Analysis of ePhilanthropy Trends on the Internet sites of the Organizations on the Philanthropy 400 • Richard D. Waters, University of Florida • To evaluate the current status of ePhilanthropy, a stratified random sample of the Chronicle of Philanthropy’s “Philanthropy 400” was content analyzed for variables identified in practitioner and scholarly literature on accountability, fund-raising practices, and communication strategies. Analysis found that the top fund-raising organizations provided their annual reports, organizational goals, and mission statements while second tier organizations were more likely to use a sales and marketing approach by using e-commerce technology to process on-line donations.

The Practitioner Roles of Fund Raising: An Assessment of Gender Differences • Richard D. Waters and Kathleen S. Kelly, University of Florida and Mary Lee Walker, Consultant Orlando, FL • A national study of members of the Association for Healthcare Philanthropy found that Kelly’s (1998) adaptation of public relations roles-liaison, expert prescriber, problem-solving process facilitator, and technician-account for the daily activities of fund-raising practitioners. Similar to public relations studies, all but the last role were found to be highly correlated, indicating a two role typology might be a better descriptor. One-way ANOVAs revealed that males enacted managerial roles more than females; however, no significant differences were found for the technician role.

Web Presence of Universities: Is Higher Education Sending the Right Message Online? • Elizabeth M. Will and Coy Callison, Texas Tech University • Web sites of the 3738 U.S.-based colleges and universities were sampled and analyzed to determine how higher education employs the internet to communicate to key publics overall and students in particular. analysis revealed prospective donors are the most often-targeted public followed by faculty/staff. Prospective and current students followed. In better news to students, the five items students most often seek on the Web were the five most common items linked from university home pages.

A Benchpoint Global Analysis of How Research is Used in Public Relations Throughout the World • Donald K. Wright, University of South Alabama and Michelle Hinson, University of Florida • Although research has been an important part of public relations for more than half a century, the use of research, measurement and evaluation in the field varies dramatically. While many have advocated the use of research through public relations textbooks, the scholarly literature contains few studies measuring how research actually is used in public relations.

An Analysis of Nonprofit Organizations’ Web Pages for Public Relations: Focus on Media Relations, Donor Relations, and Interactive Communication Features • Hye Min Yeon, University of Florida • This study is to examine how the 100 largest nonprofit organizations utilize their Web sites for donor relations, volunteer relations, media relations and their interactive communication features. The result of this study revealed that most of selected organizations were effectively using the Web sites and donor relations were utilized the best. However, there is no relationship neither between public relations activities and grouped Web sites based on the revenues, nor between interactive communication features and the grouped Web sites.

Dictating the News: Understanding Newsworthiness from the Journalistic Perspective • Lynne M. Zoch and Dustin W. Supa, University of Miami • This study looks at previous research done in journalism and public relations to identify eight factors that determine newsworthiness. A content analysis of news releases from public and private corporations was then used to determine if they contained the eight factors identified by the research. The analysis indicated that only two of the eight factors were being used regularly in the releases, and that the majority of the releases would not be considered newsworthy by journalists.

STUDENT

Public Relations Writing: What do Agencies Want? • Kurt Wise, DePaul • This study explored the perceptions of public relations professional working in agency settings concerning the writing skill of entry-level practitioners and public relations writing pedagogy. Focus group participants indicated writing for the Web required a different approach than other writing tasks in an agency setting. Professionals also contended educators spend too much time emphasizing news releases and not enough time on other types of writing such as telephone and/or email pitches.

What Do They Get When They “Give Back?” A Three-Year Study of Public Relations Student Attitudes Toward Civic Engagement • Lisa T. Fall, University of Tennessee • The purpose of this three-year study is to assess how using what students learn in the classroom during internships influences their attitudes toward certain civic engagement issues. Results demonstrate that having more opportunities to use what they learned while on the job significantly predicts career choices as well as attitudes toward who they believe benefits most (themselves, organization, supervisor, community, target public/s) and how valued they believe their contributions are to their employer and to them personally.

Why are More Women than Men Attracted to the Field of Public Relations? Analyzing Students’ Reasons for Studying PR • J. Rebecca Folmar and Lois A. Boynton, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill • This quantitative study explores why more young women than young men are attracted to the collegiate study of public relations and choose to join the public relations workforce professionally. Women’s reasons for being attracted to public relations included: it is a profession for which they feel well-suited, allowing opportunities for relationship building, interpersonal communication, and creativity; and it is a broad, portable career path that allows opportunities for advancement as well as flexibility for family demands.

The Gatekeeper Interview Assignment: Teaching Public Relations Students How to Write for the News Media and to Conduct Media Relations Effectively • Elizabeth A. Johnson and Lynne M. Sallot, University of Georgia • This study uses the results of two focus group discussions, and telephone and e-mail interviews with 33 students who had completed “gatekeeper interviews” in public relations writing courses to judge the pedagogical value of the assignment. The gatekeeper interview requires students to interview in the newsroom working journalists who make decisions about using content that has a public relations practitioner influence in the news.

Teaching (About) International Public Relations: An Examination of Individual and Institutional Attributes of Public Relations Educators in the United States • Angela K. Mak and Jane W. Peterson, Iowa State University • This paper updates Parker’s (1995) international public relations (IPR) education study by surveying PR educators on the AEJMC PRD mailing list. Results show significant changes in the past ten years in international perspectives in PR courses, the number of IPR courses offered by schools, and individual and institutional attributes between educators who teach IPR and those who do not. Suggestions for PR educators, school administrators, and graduate students in the US are discussed.

Building a Stronger PRSSA chapter: What Self Determination Theory Tells Us About the Importance of Motivation and Need Satisfaction • Robert S. Pritchard, Vincent F. Filak and Lindsay L. Beach, Ball State University • This study uses self-determination theory to predict the impact of need satisfaction and intrinsic motivation on PRSSA members. While higher levels of need satisfaction universally predicted more positive ratings of both the PRSSA chapter and adviser, Teahan award winners were significantly more positive in their ratings of all of these variables. Furthermore, students who felt more intrinsically motivated reported a greater likelihood that they would persist in PRSSA and transition to PRSA upon graduation.

Sources and Synergies: News Media Discussion of Public Relations and Ethics • Bonnie Parnell Riechert, Tennessee • Abstract not available.

Portrayal of Public Relations in Mass Communication Textbooks • Candace White and Thomasena Shaw, University of Tennessee • A qualitative textual analysis of how public relations is portrayed in the most commonly used textbooks in introductory mass communication courses was conducted to see if portrayal has improved since Carolyn Cline’s similar study in 1982. The theoretical premise was that the literature indicates that journalists are socialized to hold negative attitudes toward public relations, and that socialization begins in the academy. Results show portrayal has improved, but negative attitudes continue to be expressed in textbooks.

<< 2005 Abstracts

Newspaper Division

Survival in Paradise: How Local Identity Helped Save the Honolulu Star Bulletin • Ann Auman, University of Hawaii • This study analyzes identity and culture at the Honolulu Star-Bulletin and how these helped save it from a closure attempt by Gannett Co. Inc. This paper theorizes that distinctive attributes related to the paper’s identity, history and cultural and political influences that were unique to Hawaii kept it afloat. This study analyzes interviews with newsroom staff members and articles to illuminate the Star-Bulletin’s identity and its connection to its survival.

Shielded From the Feds? An Examination of the Proposed Federal Shield Laws • Courtney Barclay, Florida • Journalists are facing an unprecedented use of federal subpoenas to compel the disclosure of confidential and non-confidential information. The lower federal courts, in determining the extent of protection of a reporter’s privilege, have been inconsistent. However, Congress may finally be ready to defend the reporter’s privilege–creating a federal shield law. This paper analyzes the two bills proposed before Congress in 2005 that, if passed, would create a statutory reporter’s privilege.

Hype or Hope? Washington Post Coverage of Hormone Replacement: 1950-2004 • Marlene Cimons, Maryland • The purpose of this study was to examine more than a half-century of Washington Post coverage of hormone replacement therapy (HRT). A content analysis and critical reading found positive themes during early years; risks were reported later, a harbinger of the results of the 2002 Women’s Health Initiative. Within an agenda setting framework, it appears the media reported the dangers, but readers did not take them seriously until the coverage became too prominent to ignore.

Newsroom Marriage Encounters: The Extent to Which Cross-Media Partnerships Display Convergence-based Behaviors • Larry Dailey, Lori Demo, and Mary Spillman, Ball State • This national study of newspaper editors and television news directors provides a snapshot of the state of news convergence. The study found almost 30 percent of newspapers and half of television news departments have convergence partnerships. It suggests that a few partnerships are relatively committed to their convergence efforts, while some are still trying to define them or have partnerships in name only. Finally, it finds the competitive spirit between newspaper and television newsrooms remains intact.

Framing of the Iraq War in the Online New York Times • Daniela Dimitrova, Iowa State • This study examined the framing of the 2003 Iraq War on the home page of the New York Times. The content analysis revealed that violence of war and military conflict frames dominated the coverage overall. Human interest stories and rebuilding of Iraq frames were also common. Missing from the coverage were the reasons leading up to the war. A change in frames occurred over time, indicating a shift in focus from episodic to thematic frames.

Beyond Props and Flak Jackets: A New Model to Define Modern Parachute Journalism • Emily Erickson and John Hamilton, Louisiana State • The common understanding of parachute journalism posits a large media organization whose cutbacks have obliterated its foreign bureaus and forced it to send out ad hoc reporters to do superficial coverage of crises abroad. But this ignores a greater variety in the nature and performance of these reporters and assignments. This study examines how newspapers are engaging in parachute journalism today, and proposes a typology that acknowledges the breadth and complexity of the phenomenon.

Analyzing the Federal Shield Law Proposals: What Congress Can Learn from the States • Anthony Fargo, Indiana • After a rash of cases in which journalists faced jail time for refusing to reveal confidential sources, two bills were introduced in Congress to create a federal privilege. This analysis of the bills finds they are similar. However, one provides a broader definition of who would be protected and the other would discourage subpoenas for reporters’ phone and computer records. Both bills appear to avoid many of the problems that have befallen state shield laws.

An Analysis of the Bush Administration’s Social Security Propaganda Campaign in Major U.S. Newspapers • Lillie Fears, Arkansas State • This investigation uses Jowett and O’Donnell’s 10-Step plan for analyzing Bush administration’s Social Security propaganda campaign as it is revealed in major U.S. newspapers. The plan assists the analysts in identifying several propaganda tactics within the president’s proposal, including its purpose, target audiences, media techniques, and counterpropaganda. In addition, the plan offers useful guidance for evaluating the Bush proposal.

Plagiarism Persists Despite Journalists’ Changing Attitudes • Fred Fedler, Central Florida • Well into the 1900s, it was common for newspaper reporters and editors to copy one another. For years, journalists accepted the practice as necessary and normal. Changes in journalists’ attitudes were gradual as society, technology, and the newspaper industry changed. Today, plagiarism is almost universally condemned, yet eliminating all plagiarism may be impossible. Most newspapers have no written policies or adopt policies that simply prohibit plagiarism without defining it or providing useful guidelines.

Male and Female Sources in Newspaper Coverage of Male and Female Candidates in U.S. Senate Races in 2004 • Eric Freedman, Frederick Fico, and Brad Love, Central Michigan • This study assessed how the largest dailies in states with female Senate candidates in 2004 used male and female expert sand non-expert, uncommitted sources in covering campaigns. Male nonpartisan sources appeared more frequently and prominently than female sources. Female reporters cited male nonpartisan sources more often than did male reporters; reporters of both genders cited female sources equally rarely,. There was a negative correlation between gender diversity in sourcing and both newsroom diversity and circulation.

Why Journalism Students Don’t Know Grammar • Gerald Grow, Florida A&M, and Glen Bleske, California State-Chico • Many college journalism teachers find themselves teaching high school grammar because students never mastered the skills. This paper discusses how grammar education at high school and college levels changed in recent decades, describes some ways of teaching grammar, and reports results of a pilot study of journalism students and their views about grammar skills. The survey indicated that confidence and anxiety may play key roles in how journalism students learn or do not learn grammar.

The Influence of Newspapers on Rural Economic Development • C. Ann Hollifield, Hugh J. Martin, and Cunfang Ren, Georgia • This study tests the theory that mass media have positive effects on local economic development. Rural areas lost newspapers over the 10 years studied. The presence of local daily newspapers in rural counties was related to lower poverty and higher retail sales, while circulation from non-local papers was negatively related to local retail sales. Weeklies had no impact on economic development. Consolidation of daily newspapers in rural areas may undercut the economic sustainability of communities.

Interactive Content & Online Newspapers: A Content Analysis of Online Versions of Korean and U.S. Newspapers • Moonki Hong, Yongrak Park, and Steven McClung, Florida State • Interactivity is considered as the best approaches for contribution of online journalism. Analyzing interactive features in the 116 online versions of Korean and U.S. newspapers in March 2005, the researchers found that U.S. online newspapers need to provide more “active” interactivity content increasing users’ involvement. This study measured two different interactivity levels according to users participation based on online reading and writing.

Jesse James and Late-Nineteenth Century Missouri Newspapers: They Never Did His Legend Wrong • Cathy Jackson, Norfolk State • This descriptive study notes the journalistic and folkloric rise of Jesse James, a Missouri native, who robbed and killed, yet became an American outlaw hero. Through the use of folklore and sociological theories, this study places him and stories written about him as products of Missouri’s crisis-filled, post-Civil War society. An analysis of 36 Missouri newspapers from 1866-1882 reveals stories infused with heroic motifs, insuring that James achieved hero status during his life and in history.

An Experimental Investigation of the Hostile Media Effect in Singapore • Wei Ling Koh, Diana Wong, Joel Yong, and Stella Chia, Nanyang Technological University • This study examines hostile media perceptions, which suggests the tendency for partisans from both sides of a controversial issue to regard the same media coverage as biased against their own viewpoint. Our data found support for hostile media perceptions and also showed that personal opinion remains the main contributing factor for perceived media bias.

Making Sports News: A Case Study of Sports Newsworkers • Dan Kozlowski, North Carolina • Utilizing data from fieldwork in the sports department of a metropolitan daily and interviews with sportswriters, this paper argues that what becomes sports news in the daily press is the product of a convergence of organizational bureaucracy, routines institutionalized to accommodate the exigencies of newswork, and an enigmatic conception of the audience, created and projected on the reader and then used to explain news judgment.

Says Who? Examining the Use of Anonymous Sourcing in News Stories • Martin Kratzer Renee, and Esther Thorson, Missouri • Recent media scandals and the new sourcing policies of three national elite newspapers have focused attention on the use of anonymous sources in newspapers. This content analysis reveals that there has been a decline in the number of anonymous sources from 2003 to 2004; however, the renewed focus on sourcing in the newspaper industry has not extended to the network industry where the number of unnamed sources has increased.

Cancer Stories in Black vs. Mainstream Newspapers: Is There a Public Health Perspective? • Jeongsub Lim, Jiyang Bae, Charlene Caburnay, Jon Stemmle, Shelly Rodgers, Doug Luke, Glen Cameron, and Matthew Kreuter, Missouri • This study compared the content of cancer news stories in black and mainstream newspapers to examine the presence of public health facts. The method was a content analysis of 24 Black and 12 mainstream newspapers, randomly selected from 24 cities in the U.S. Public health facts included prevention, mobilization information, perspective, monetary care, and consequences of cancer. Black newspapers provided more public health facts about cancer perspective and personal behavior mobilization than did mainstream newspapers.

Media Frames and Fairness and Balance of Five U.S. Newspapers’ Coverage of Same-Sex Marriage • Xudong Liu, Louisiana State and Xigen Li, Arkansas State • A content analysis of 209 stories on same-sex marriage found overall coverage of same-sex marriage was fair and balanced. Source dominance of the stories was associated with balance of the coverage. The stories framed as thematic were more likely to be fair and balanced than the stories framed as episodic. The findings did not support the general belief that prestige newspapers do better than high circulation newspapers in fairness and balance of news coverage.

Walking in Step to the Future 2005: Views of Journalism Education by Practitioners and Educators • Ernest Martin, June Nicholson, Paula Otto, Jeff South, Judy Turk, and Debora Wenger, Virginia Commonwealth • This 2005 Internet survey of 343 journalism educators, newspaper editors and television and online news executives contrasts views about preparation of students for current and future jobs by showing gaps between what employers’ value most in job applicants and what educational programs are providing. Second, it addresses newsroom challenges that are shaping the industry and journalism education. Third, it examines views on blogging and on newsroom support for First Amendment legal disputes.

Model of the Practice of News Immediacy by Web Newspapers • Brian Massey, Utah • Research tends to take a discrete view of the Web-newspaper practice of immediacy. This article proposes a holistic approach that encompasses the journalistic, commercial, audience and organizational-decision sides of the practice. It represents that approach in a model that conceives of Web-news immediacy as involving dimensions of “time,” “form” and content,” and starting with a “trigger” decision within the newspaper organization. Also discusses are influences that may work on that decision.

Connecting With Readers: Why Newspapers Should Consider Incorporating Blogs Into Their Online Content • Liz Matson, Northeastern • This paper argues that blogs can be an extension of a newspaper’s daily news reporting and a means of connecting with the audience in a more immediate way. Using examples of current newspaper blogs, the paper presents six ways a newspaper can incorporate blogs into the editorial content of the paper’s Website. The paper also presents a content analysis of 81 major metro and national newspaper Websites, which was undertaken in March 2005.

Young Adults’ New Sense of Community Calls for a New Newspaper • Rachel Davis Mersey, North Carolina • Relying on sense of community research and utilizing a uses and gratifications lens, this research asserts that the frame of relevance for young adults is markedly different from that for traditional newspaper consumers, and that the root of this is a revised sense of community, which relies on the idea that relationships–not place–build communities. This geographically-unbound perspective calls for continued research and perhaps ultimately a departure from the conventional newspaper.

What’s Good for Business is Good for America? The Framing of Outsourcing in Business Newspapers and General-Interest Newspapers • Joshua Mound, Ohio • When offshore outsourcing created controversy, it became not just a business matter, but a social and political issue framed by the press in numerous ways. Through the comparison of multiple groups of publications–each consisting of two general-interest newspapers with demographically different audiences and one business newspaper, all from the same city–this study examines the way in which the variables of class and business-orientation affect the framing of outsourcing.

Covering Campaign Finance: A Content Analysis of Articles, Editorials and Columns on the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002 • Samuel Murphey, Christina Collison and Anthony Albrecht, Truman State • This paper analyzes the framing of the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002. We use content analysis methodology to analyze 96 news articles, editorials, and columns from seven newspapers. Our research shows that newspapers emphasized the legislative process frame more often than justification or issue frames. Further, most newspaper coverage was of a reactionary rather than a proactive nature. The findings prove that significant changes are needed to inform the public about legislative policy making.

Newshole Changes in Three Large Newspapers with Different Ownership Patterns • Geneva Overholser, Esther Thorson, Yan Jin, and Yonghoi Song, Missouri, and Steve Lacy, Central Michigan • This paper examined the Front and Metro newshole in Cleveland Plain Dealer (privately owned), Philadelphia Inquirer (publicly traded), and Minneapolis Star Tribune (owned by two-tiered companies) in 1987 and 2001 (before 9-11) to test the hypothesis that differential profit pressure known to exist in the three ownership patterns would impact the size and distribution news in the newshole. The results are discussed in terms of economic theory relating ownership to newspaper quality indexed by newshole.

When the Barbaric Becomes Sublime: Early New York Times Coverage of the Iraq War • Victor Pickard, Illinois • The historical account of U.S. press coverage of events leading up to and during war suggests the press plays an integral role in bolstering the case for military operations to an often-ambivalent public. Through careful reading of New York Times coverage of the early stages of the Iraq War, this paper examines one news tendency——namely, the technologizing of war——in the process of rendering the phenomenon of war as something natural and awe-inspiring.

Watchdog or Good Neighbor? The Public’s Expectations of Local News Paula Poindexter, Don Heider and Maxwell McCombs, Texas • After an earlier study found the public expected the press to be a good neighbor, the present study set out to determine what that meant. The survey revealed being a good neighbor was strongly valued by women, African-Americans, and Hispanics and over half wanted more coverage of education, health and medicine, science, and arts and culture. Concerns included crime and social issues. Television was viewed as best able to address the public’s concerns.

Mental Map Making: The Role of Black Newspapers in Shaping Perceptions of Cancer in Black Community • Qi Qiu, Cynthia Frisby, Shelly Rodgers and Glen Cameron, Missouri • Using case study meta-analysis, content analysis of black and mainstream papers was combined with survey findings from the same newspaper markets to explore news coverage in relation to mental maps of cancer. Findings indicate that cognitive and affective media attributes were associated with audiences’ cancer knowledge and attitudes, supporting second-level agenda-setting. Less positive black newspapers correlated with higher levels of cancer anxiety among black women. Exposed to more positive headlines, white women had less fear.

The Public’s Views of Ethics in Managing ‘Letters to the Editor’ • Bill Reader and Daniel Riffe, Ohio • This survey poses questions about attitudes toward the importance of LTEs and about ethics related to LTE selection, specifically letters that might be “hostile” toward the respondent’s personal views. Results show that political/ideological views have almost no bearing on attitudes toward the ethics of publishing letters, with most people supporting publication of divisive letters. The exception was with a letter advocating racial segregation, which most respondents said would be “highly unethical” to publish.

It’s Gametime: The Maslach Burnout Inventory Measures Burnout of Sports Journalists • Scott Reinardy, Missouri • A survey (N = 249) of newspaper sports journalists utilized the Maslach Burnout Inventory to examined burnout. Sports journalists suffer moderate rates of emotional exhaustion and depersonalization, and have a high rate of personal accomplishment. Sports editors have a higher rate of emotional exhaustion and depersonalization than sports writers or desk personnel, and a lower rate of personal accomplishment. Younger, less experienced sports journalists at smaller newspapers suffer a higher rate of emotional exhaustion and depersonalization.

More Heat Than Light: A Case Study of Crime-Victim Identification in Theory and in Practice • Kathleen Richardson and Herb Strentz, Drake • This project had intended to study how newspaper identification of accusers in sexual abuse cases affected victim willingness to report crimes. Instead the research became a case study of the efficacy of such identification and the usefulness of statutory access to police records. The study found that police kept most reports of abuse secret, and suggests that debate over victim identification sheds more heat than light when it comes to news coverage of sexual abuse.

‘Journalism is a Loose-Jointed Thing’: A Content Analysis of Editor & Publisher’s Discussion of Journalistic Conduct Prior to the Canons of Journalism • Ronald Rodgers, Ohio • With a category system drawn from the ethical elements listed in the Canons of Journalism, this analysis examined Editor & Publisher’s discussion of the problems of journalism on its editorial page in the more than twenty years leading up to ASNE’s adoption of that code in 1923. This study confirmed the presumption that code was a culmination of the ongoing and historical discourse in the newspaper industry’s primary trade journal.

Second Servings: Online Publication and Its Impact on Second-Day Leads in Newspapers • Jack Rosenberry, St. John Fisher • A content analysis comparing contemporary newspaper leads to ones from 15 years earlier, before Internet publication became commonplace, determined that use of “first day” (direct/summary) leads has declined over that time. The findings support an argument that newspapers’ print editions have become a permanent second-day publication concurrent with the rise of the 24-hour news cycle and the phenomenon of newspapers using their online editions to break news.

The Popular Ideology of Freedom of Expression: An Analysis of Newspaper Political Columns • Thomas Schwartz, Ohio State • This paper addresses the literature on public attitudes toward freedom of expression by analyzing 139 columns by 31 nationally syndicated newspaper columnists in an attempt to describe what the paper calls a popular ideology of freedom of expression. The paper explains what seem to be the conservative and liberal views but also notes “new right” and “feminist-critical” subgroups.

The Influence of Expert Opinion on Media Coverage of the Heisman Trophy Race • Trent Seltzer and Michael Mitrook, Florida • This study examines the 2001-2003 Heisman Trophy races to determine the relationship among the agendas of expert opinion, media coverage, and Heisman voters. The study analyzed 717 media stories, 50 AP college football polls, and 40 Rocky Mountain News expert opinion polls. The results provide support for the agenda-setting and framing influence of expert opinion and media coverage on the Heisman vote, suggesting the important role of expert opinion in the agenda-setting and framing process.

Taking Up Space: Growing Newspaper Groups, Their Markets, and the Makeup of Local Content • Joshua Shear, Syracuse • In this paper, the author predicts that large newspapers groups prefer economies of scale to putting reporters on the streets at each of their newspapers, and that certain types and subjects of news will be more prevalent in group-owned papers than their independent counterparts. Relationships are also predicted between market variables and story topics. The author’s hypotheses are rejected, but interesting relationships are discovered in post-hoc analysis.

Stepping Back from the Gate: Online Newspaper Editors and the Co-Production of Content in Campaign 2004 • Jane Singer, Iowa • In their coverage of the 2004 political campaign, editors of Web sites affiliated with major U.S. newspapers continued to emphasize the provision of credible information. But they moved toward seeing that information less as an end product and more as a basis for user engagement, participation, and personalization. This study suggests a way that journalists might preserve their gatekeeping role in our democracy while simultaneously accommodating the interactive nature of the Internet.

Use of Anonymous, Government and Other Types of Sources in Newspaper Investigative Stories • Miglena Sternadori, Missouri • The study content analyzed winning and non-winning newspaper articles entered in the annual contest of Investigative Reporters and Editors from 1995 to 2002. Sourcing patterns were compared, and — contrary to expectations based on normative prescriptions — winning stories used more anonymous sources than non-winners. The frequency of use of government-affiliated sources was about the same. Occasional granting of anonymity appears to continue to be an acceptable practice in investigative reporting, especially in stories on government wrongdoing.

The Right of Review: Signs of Growing Cooperation with Sources • Duane Stoltzfus, Goshen • In thirty years since James W. Tankard Jr. and Michael Ryan considered the accuracy of science coverage in newspapers and challenged the accepted wisdom about prepublication review, it would appear that journalists have moved closer to an approach favored by the two researchers. A survey of the top 50 newspapers in the country shows that the majority often give staff members significant freedom to negotiate prepublication review.

Slave Reparations Dismissed in the News: An Examination of Reparations Coverage in Daily U.S. Newspapers • Venise Wagner, San Francisco State • This study examines coverage of the issue of slave reparations in daily U.S. newspapers. Using content analysis of articles pulled from Jan. 1- Dec. 31, 2002, the study explored how print press treated the story, assessing placement of stories, length, story types, use of sources and the inclusion or exclusion of contextual elements that portray the history of slavery, the legacy of slavery and the economic outcomes of slavery.

The Internet’s Influence on Newspaper’s Agenda: A Content Analysis of News Coverage in the New York Times, 1999-2003 • Xiaopeng Wang and Ying Sun, Ohio • From the inter-media agenda setting perspective, the authors conducted a content analysis to examine the general picture of how online information affected traditional media’s agenda and whether newspapers treated the Internet as a reliable source. The authors found that political entities have utilized new information technology to maintain and promote their interest. In the newspaper newsrooms, the Internet was regarded as a new medium, but not a reliable news source.

The Dominance of Bearish News? Investigating the News Coverage Against the State of the Economy • Denis Wu and Anita Day, Louisiana State • This paper investigated the economic coverage of four local and two national media. Most economic news were found negative in nature. The local media are more likely than the national media to deliver a rosy picture of the economy. Government budget and company performances are two dominant topics, although local and national media differ on the angle used to report on the topics. The New York Times was found to reflect more closely the economy.

Neutral Reportage’ as a Libel Defense • Kyu Youm, Oregon • The “neutral reportage” doctrine immunizes the press from liability for republishing in a neutral manner “newsworthy” allegations made by any “responsible” speaker about public figures. The debate about the validity of neutral reportage as a constitutional libel defense continues, although it was first enunciated in 1977. On March 28, 2005, the U.S. Supreme Court refused to rule on the validity of the neutral reportage doctrine. This paper reexamines the uniquely media-friendly libel defense.

Shaping Feelings: Newspaper Agenda Setting, Level 3: A Hypothesis • Jason Yu and Donald Shaw, North Carolina • We hypothesize that agenda setting exists at the level of affect, agenda setting, level 3. Using New York Times and Gallup Poll data, we found evidence that the affect associated with news messages is transferred to audiences. The study suggests that newspapers may suggest to readers how to feel about topics, a step beyond agenda setting, level 1 (objects), and agenda setting, level 2 (attribute framing).

The Framing of the 2004 Olympic Games in the U.S. Press • Thimios Zaharopoulos, Washburn U• This examines the framing of the 2004 Olympic Games as reflected in the coverage on the New York Times web site. It reinforces views about news media practices that emphasize conflict frames reflecting news values like balance and deviance; and economic consequences frames. However, frames Olympic organizers desired were hardly reflected in the coverage. Certain news frames are related to more contextual coverage, to more negative tone of coverage, and to shorter news coverage than others.

Similar Content, Different Packages: Covering the 9/11 Attack in U.S. and British Major Newspapers • Li Zeng, Arkansas State • This study examined the coverage of the “9/11” attack in U.S. and British major newspapers during the first week after the event. It found that the newspapers in the two countries portrayed the same event in different ways. British newspapers tended to provide more background information through features stories. In both story headlines and non-commentary stories, British newspapers were more likely to use a characterization word to describe the perpetrators than their U.S. counterparts.

<< 2005 Abstracts

Minorities and Communication Division

STUDENTS
The Effects of Social Identity on Perception of Racism in U.S. Print News Media • Omotayo Banjo, Michelle Early, Earlissa Grange, Penn State University • This study examines the relationship between social identity and perception of bias in crime news. We hypothesized that students who strongly identified with mainstream identity would be less likely to perceive bias; that there would be a significant difference among race for perception of bias; and that the individuals who strongly identified with Blacks will be more likely to perceive bias. We found significant effects of mainstream identity on perceptions of bias.

Black and White Racial Comparisons of TV Uses and Gratifications on Life Satisfaction • Bettye A. Grable, Louisiana State University • Television’s viewing influence on college students’ life satisfaction opinions was studied. The project sought to understand the uses and gratifications of television viewing related to life satisfaction opinions. Findings from this study indicted similar uses of television texts by blacks and whites. The hypothesis was significantly supported. Individuals seek information from television to improve their life satisfaction.

Hispanic Media Use: A Literature Review • Farhana Hibbert, Idaho State University • This paper examines peer-reviewed and published research about Hispanic media use. This review is exemplary of the literature available on the topic. First, the general statement of the problem is shared: What are the basic trends and developments in research on Hispanic media use? Then, a summary of the literature is presented. Finally, the literature is critically evaluated: strengths and limitations of the literature are identified, and suggestions for further study are proposed.

Light or Heavy? Idealized Body-Type Images in Women’s Magazines, and Their Effects on African-American Adolescent Females’ Self-Body Image • Rajah Maples-Wallace, University of Missouri • This study examines media effects on African-American females’ moods and self-body images. Forty-two African-American females were exposed to four fictitious magazine advertisements. Twenty-eight subjects were exposed to two ads that displayed extremely thin models, while 14 subjects were exposed to two ads that displayed extremely heavy models. Both groups’ mood scores and body self-esteem scores decreased after viewing the idealized images; however, body self-esteem scores for the women who saw the heavier models decreased more.

Good or Bad TV? Mediating Race and Racism on MTV’s The Real World • Ji Hoon Park, University of Pennsylvania • This study explores the democratic potential of reality TV shows through a textual and audience analysis of two episodes of The Real World Philadelphia. The findings suggest that The Real World Philadelphia served as an important cultural forum that offered an opportunity to witness an incident of racial profiling. Not only did white and nonwhite viewers alike sympathize with the victim, they all engaged in thinking of solutions for gaining a mutual understanding of the cast members who had different racial experiences.

Stalemate, Xenophobia and the Framing of the Immigration Debate • Brendan R. Watson, University of Missouri • Overall newspaper coverage of Hispanic immigration is balanced. However, the dominant conflict frame used to cover the issue may be contributing to the lack of progress towards meeting some of the objectives President George W. Bush laid out to overhaul the nation’s immigration laws in January 2004. An analysis of coverage since that time also reveals significant differences in how Hispanics and non-Hispanics report on immigration, both in regards to the frames they use and how they source their stories.

<< 2005 Abstracts

Media Management and Economics Division

Effects of Ownership Structure on the Financial Performance of Publicly-Traded Newspaper Companies • Soontae An, Hyun Seung Jin, and Todd Simon, Kansas State University • This study examined the effects of ownership structure on the financial performance of twelve publicly traded newspaper companies. Institutional ownership of shares, ownership concentration by major institutional investors, and insider ownership by managers were analyzed longitudinally to see effects on financial performance. The results showed that the level of institutional ownership in one year was negatively associated with the subsequent year’s profitability, as measured by return on equity and return on assets.

Stability and Strategy: Consequences of Clusters in the Radio Industry • Todd Chambers, Texas Tech University • The passage of the Telecommunications Act of 1996 led to the development of local radio clusters where one company could control five, six, seven or eight stations. This study examined issues of program diversity, market share stability and programming strategies within clusters. Using a random sample of 50 radio markets, measures for market share, ownership concentration and format diversity were compared between a time-period for 2000 and 2003/2004.

Content Development for the Third Screen: The Business and Strategy of Mobile Content and Applications in the United States • Sylvia Chan-Olmsted, University of Florida • Next to television sets and computer monitors, today’s mobile telephones offer a “third screen” that delivers information, entertainment, communication, and even transactional services to a growingly mobile society. Applying a value chain framework, the author examined the state of the mobile phone industry and assessed the strategies that established media firms have adopted in exploring this emerging platform. It was found that media conglomerates with strong brands have an advantage in this new content market.

Television Program Trade in East Asia • Jae Eun Chung, Indiana University • International flow of television programs has long been a one-way flow from U.S. East Asia, however, recently saw an increase in regional television program trade. Employing home market model, this paper explains the recent increase in the regional trade and concludes that the increased regional trade is attributable to the media liberalization and deregulation, the advancement of new multi-channel video delivery service system, such as cable and satellite television, and the cultural proximity within the region.

Microniche, Microdimension, Macrodollars: An Examination of Cable Sports Networks and Niche Resource Expansion • Amy Jo Coffey, University of Georgia • America can’t get enough cable sports networks. Far from being ESPN, the second wave of networks that emerged in the 1990s are “microniche” networks such as The Golf Channel, Outdoor Life Network, and Speed Channel. This paper explores the concept of resource expansion in the niche. The national advertising microdimension is compared with the number of networks in the niche over a tenyear period, revealing strong correlation and, moreover, resource expansion under competitive conditions.

Strength and Success in the Weekly Newspaper Industry: A theoretical Model of Ownership and Resource Partitioning • Rita Colistra, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill • This paper examines the weekly newspaper industry and explains some forces that have led to its success. Weekly newspaper ownership is examined to determine whether the trend toward concentration has moved to engulf the weekly industry. Aspects from Carroll’s resource partitioning model and findings from an earlier study are used to create a model explaining ownership trends of weeklies in differing markets. This model will be useful to researchers interested in newspaper ownership concentration.

A Proposed Measure of the Potential for Scope Economies in Communication Firms • John Dimmick, Ohio State University and Alan Albarran, University of North Texas • In the realm of media firms Bogart (1995, p. 51) defined synergy as “… the transfer of symbolic messages across media boundaries [which] permits a “synergy” that makes the whole larger and more profitable than the sum of its separate parts.” Synergy, then, is achieved by the use of the same or similar symbols in different media to create efficiencies and, thus, higher profits.

Where Do We Fit? What Do We Do? Occupational Role Dilemmas of Advertorialists Within a News Organization • Alyssa Eckman and Thomas R. Lindlof, University of Kentucky • This study examines the effect that working between two organizational spheres – advertising and news – has on newspaper advertorialists and the messages they produce. Qualitative methods, including ethnographic field study, are used to examine the occupational roles of advertorialists and relates those roles to changing meanings of news and advertising. A more complete set of terms and descriptions are offered to define advertorials and enhance understanding of the occupational roles and practices of newspaper advertorialists.

Developing Media Managers for Convergence • Holly Fisher, University of South Carolina • This paper looks at convergent journalism from a management perspective. It addresses accepted definitions of convergence and common media management theories, bringing them together to create directives for media managers who are creating converged newsrooms. The paper looks at how to physically structure the newsroom, developing newsroom roles, how to address newsroom cultural changes, communicating with and managing media employees, and the need for training at all levels needed for implementing convergence in a newsroom.

What Is Means to be the Editor: Top Newsroom Editors’ Management Styles and Attitudes about their Organizational Roles and Support • Peter Gade, University of Oklahoma • A survey of a probability sample of top editors at U.S. newspapers explored their attitudes toward several variables, including two organizational variables considered important to understanding organizational change — organizational integration and perceived organizational support. Responding editors indicated they perceive they are working in integrated organizations, and the level of integration is correlated with their perceived organizational support.

Metroplex Newspapers: A Different Kind of Organization • Steve Hallock, Ohio University • analysis of editorials in two metroplex markets — separately owned newspapers based in neighboring communities that compete for advertisers and readers—found measurable diversity of opinion. But these newspapers differed from directly competing newspapers in their relative lack of attention to local issues of shared interest by their different communities.

Determinants of Cable Program Diversity • Louisa Ha and Lisa Marshall, Bowling Green State University • This paper proposes a framework that examines the determinants of cable program diversity, which includes market competition, the gatekeeping effects of cable system operators, the vertical and horizontal integration of multiple cable system operators (MSOs) and cable networks, the financing of cable networks, and consumers’ demand and viewing habits of television programs. The study shows a 20-year diversity trend of cable networks with policy recommendations addressing these factors to achieve content diversity in cable.

Do Medium and Small Market Dailies Produce Abnormal Profits? • Stephen Lacy and Arvind Diddi, Michigan State University and Esther Thorson, University of Missouri • Data from 1,485 Inland Press Association dailies with less than 85,000 circulation from 1998 through 2002 indicated that most medium and small dailies made abnormal profits, with normal profits defined as the return on 30- year U.S. Treasury bonds. However, dailies under 25,000 circulation averaged about half the profit margin of dailies with 25,000 to 85,000 circulation, and each year, almost 20% of the small dailies actually lost money.

Confrontation or Conciliation? The Plight of Small Media Brands in a Zero-Sum Marketplace • Walter McDowell, University of Miami • Small media brands, operating in a highly competitive zero sum marketplace, reach inevitably a strategic crossroads in which they must decide on confrontation or conciliation with larger incumbent brands. Frontal assaults may foster the promise of market share growth but also provoke serious retaliation. Conversely, appeasement maneuvers may foster reassurance of market survival but also perpetuate economic stagnation.

Exploring the Relationship Between Commercial Pricing and Inventory Sellout Across TV Program Segments: A Case Study • Walter S. McDowell, University of Miami and Steven Dick, Southern Illinois University • Although most television stations already use a number of diagnostic tools to monitor the performance of their sales efforts, there is void in evaluating the relationship between average unit pricing and percent inventory sellout. Using one typical commercial television station as a case study, a correlation analysis of six months of proprietary sales data, representing nine distinct program segments revealed that this pricing/inventory relationship varied considerably across program segments.

Self Sufficiency or Market Transaction? Vertical Integration in the U.S. Television Syndication Market • Goro Oba and Sylvia Chan-Olmsted, University of Florida • This study explores the programming relationship between vertically integrated syndicators and their affiliated stations in the context of two theoretical frameworks associated with the advantages of vertical integration, the transaction cost and vertical foreclosure theories. The programming on stations vertically integrated with syndicators was assessed along with the destination of programming distributed by those syndicators. The results indicated that vertically integrated syndicators struck the right balance between self-sufficiency and the advantage derived from market transaction.

Managing News in a Managed Media: Mediating the Message in Malaysiakini.com • Augustine Pang, University of Missouri-Columbia • Widely regarded as a deviant web newspaper in Malaysia, Malaysiakini.com is proving that managing an independent media in a government-managed media landscape is more than a Sisyphean struggle. Using ethnography and interviews, this study seeks to understand media management through news management, using Shoemaker and Reese’s (1996) model. Findings show that despite its attempts to minimize governmental influences through media socialization, the greatest impediment to editorial freedom are pressures from extramedia forces, which act as a surrogate ideology.

Video On Demand: Pragmatics of the Holy Grail • Eun-A Park, Penn State University • Many market analysts have prospected that most of on-demand video delivery will be occupied by digital cable VOD outpacing the Internet or other options. Nevertheless, past predictions of when cable VOD would come to the mass market have never materialized. Ultimately, it can be argued that consumers would select a service for watching movies based on their juggling of time, money and utility regardless of the innovativeness of the service.

The effect of mulitmarket contacts on radio station revenue per listener • Heather Polinsky, Central Michigan University • This study investigates the effects of multimarket contacts between the top ten national radio station group owners in 2001. A positive correlation was found between multimarket contacts among the top ten radio station group owners and radio station revenue per thousand listeners, but no evidence of mutual forbearance between the top ten radio group owners was established. However, there is evidence that the top ten radio group owners have an impact on radio market competition.

The News-Sports Management Disconnect in Local Television • Brad Schultz, University of Mississippi and Mary Lou Sheffer, Louisiana State University • A theoretical framework of administrative behavior was applied to the management relationship between news and sports departments in local television. While such departments cooperated to a degree, there was a decided lack of communication on long-range issues such as strategy, audience and implementation. The resulting problems and issues of this management ‘disconnect’ had implications not only for sports, but also for the entire structure and management of local television news.

Digital Technologies and Media Management: Rough Waters Ahead • Dan Shaver, University of Central Florida • In the decades ahead, traditional media organizations will face a transformation in information creation, distribution, and consumption patterns more fundamental than any change since the printing press created the basis for mass communication. “Information” is used here in the broadest sense, including the full array of media content from entertainment to commercial information to news.

Laws of the Marketplace or a Market Culture? The Place of Markets in Explaining the Origins of Political Broadcasting Policy • Tim P. Vos, Seton Hall University • This paper explores how markets were invoked during the early legislative battles over political broadcasting policy. Two distinct logics of historical explanation are considered: 1) an explanation that conceptualizes markets as a real ontological force, i.e., as an extension of the laws of nature, and 2) an explanation that conceptualizes markets as a cultural force, i.e., as part of a market culture. The paper concludes that the historical record best supports a cultural explanation.

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