Aimei Yang

Assessing Global Inequality of Bribery for News Coverage: A Cross-National Study

Bribery for news coverage has a negative impact on the credibility of media; it also restricts the free flow of information and violates the publics right to know. Further, research showed that there exists considerable inequality among countries in terms of the extent to which bribery for news coverage exists in media system. This study provides the first quantitative cross-national assessment of a set of predictors of the likelihood that bribery for news coverage exists in a countrys media system and tested competing arguments derived from the literature. Data of this study are drawn from 66 nation states. The analysis shows that 5 groups of political, economic, cultural, educational, and technological variables have direct or indirect impacts on a countrys media bribery level. The interactions between these variables are also analyzed. The study concludes by discussing how analyses of the nature of the international media bribery problem contribute to finding multiple approaches to solutions to this problem.

Public diplomacy in a networked society: The Chinese government–NGO coalition network on acquired immune deficiency syndrome prevention

In the era of globalization, the line between domestic and international communication is becoming increasingly blurred. Public diplomacy communication is one such case. Public diplomacy has evolved from a focus on mass media to communication efforts to build transnational communication networks of relationships with respected international non-governmental organizations. This article explores how the Chinese government communicated with and collaborated with transnational human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immune deficiency syndrome international non-governmental organizations. The findings of a network analysis of Chinese-international non-governmental organizations public diplomacy suggest that the Chinese government is strategically communicating with international organizations to help address a domestic issue. Additionally, the findings of a content analysis of international media coverage of China’s management of the human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immune deficiency syndrome issue suggest that more positive frames are occurring in the news. China is now viewed as making progress in its handling of the health crisis.

A Global Perspective on Public Relations Professionalism Mapping the Structure of Public Relations Associations’ International Networks

Associations play a powerful role in socializing practitioners. The presence of public relations associations across the world is one more step toward professionalization for the entire profession. This study examines the structure of global public relations professionalization manifested through the networks among international and national public relations professional associations. The findings of a cross-national, multilevel network analysis suggest that despite the overall dominance of international public relations associations, at the regional level, local centers have also emerged. In addition, European public relations associations have developed more relationships with other national, regional, and international associations than American-based professional associations.

Shareholder communication and issue salience: corporate responses to ‘social’ shareholder activism

ABSTRACT This study focuses on corporate engagement when shareholder activists raise concerns about social issues during annual shareholder meetings. Building upon strategic communication, social activism, and management research, the study combines Stakeholder Salience Theory (SST) and Issues Management Theory to explain corporate responses to shareholder activism. The researchers constructed a dataset of 844 shareholder actions in the U.S., all concerning environmental issues from 2006 to 2014. The analyses revealed that the urgency of the shareholder requests was the main driver of saliency. Moreover, shareholder activism strategies that engage corporations in private negotiations appeared to be effective in eliciting positive corporate responses. The findings contribute to applied communication theory and research by advancing SST with an issues management perspective in the context of shareholder activism.

The Value of Freedom of Expression and Information on Countries’ Human Rights Performance: A Cross-National Longitudinal Study

The current study explores the influence of communication variables on human rights protection. The effects of international and domestic mass communication and digital media were assessed among global social, economic, and political factors. The statistical analyses on a sample of 101 nation states over the most recent decade reveal several important findings: (a) top-down, internationally initiated human rights discourse and monitoring were not as effective as bottom-up, domestically initiated human rights dialogues; (b) access to the Internet and access to a mobile phone have different effects on human rights performance, and Internet availability played an especially important role; (c) economic development, political system, and population size are powerful predictors of nations’ human rights performance, but a large population size diminishes the effect of economic development; and (d) economic development can moderate the effect of political context on human rights performance. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

Anti-Muslim prejudice in the virtual space: A case study of blog network structure and message features of the ‘Ground Zero mosque controversy’

The purpose of this study is to understand how an extremist blog advanced its perspective in the public sphere and further generated public support for prejudicial opinions against Muslims in the US. The authors utilize the case study method, hyperlink network analysis and centering resonance analysis to uncover details of the linkage and message features of the blog. The findings show that this blog developed a highly polarized network that engaged like-minded others, prominent public figures and mainstream media. Additionally, content of the blog employed cultural stereotypes that resonated deeply with public sentiments. Further, the network position and content features of the blog were not static attributions, but constantly evolved as the issue developed. Theoretical and political implications are discussed.

Reconsidering Power in Multistakeholder Relationship Management

Multistakeholder issue networks have been characterized as power-free, egalitarian forms of corporate–civil society engagement. Using a communication-centered conceptualization of power, our study finds that potential sources of power subtly manifest through communication and interaction patterns in multistakeholder issue networks. Our results indicate that organizations’ institutional status and resources are significant predictors of network power.

NGOs’ Advocacy in the 2015 Refugee Crisis: A Study of Agenda Building in the Digital Age:

In the 2015 European refugee crisis, nonprofit and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) offered help and actively advocated for millions of refugees. The current study aims to understand what communication strategies are most effective for NGOs to influence media coverage and the public’s social media conversations about refugees. We found that agenda building on traditional media and in social media conversations require different strategies. Specifically, although providing information subsidies could powerfully influence traditional media coverage, its effect waned in the context of social media conversations. In contrast, NGOs’ hyperlink network positions emerged as the one of the influential factors for NGOs’ prominence in social media conversations. Moreover, stakeholder-initiated engagement could influence agenda building both in traditional media coverage and social media conversations. Finally, organizational resources and characteristics are important factors as well. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

Nationalism Versus Animal Rights A Semantic Network Analysis of Value Advocacy in Corporate Crisis

This case study provides an illustrative example of how nationalism can be exploited to shift media attention in a crisis involving international organizations. Semantic network analysis is used to explore the relationships among different meanings packaged in a corporation’s value advocacy messages. The semantic network analysis shows the semantic structure of the value advocacy messages and maps the structure of media coverage before and after the advocacy messages were released. The findings indicate that the value advocacy campaign effectively diversified the focus of media coverage. Implications for business communication research and practice are provided.