Marcia W. DiStaso

THE SOURCE CYCLE

Research has established that sources have the power to influence the news agenda of the media and that media can under certain circumstances act as sources for each other. This study examined the use of weblogs as sources in the traditional media and the use of sources in weblogs in general. A content analysis of 2059 articles over a six-year period from the New York Times and the Washington Post found that the newspapers increasingly legitimized weblogs as credible sources. A separate content analysis of 120 weblogs found that they heavily relied on the traditional media as sources. By allowing each other to influence their news agendas, there is indication that the traditional media and weblogs create what the researchers introduce and define as a news source cycle, in which news content can be passed back and forth from media to media.

Wikipedia versus Encyclopedia Britannica: A Longitudinal Analysis to Identify the Impact of Social Media on the Standards of Knowledge

The collaboratively edited online encyclopedia Wikipedia is among the most popular websites in the world. Subsequently, it poses a great challenge to traditional encyclopedias, which for centuries have set the standards of societys knowledge with their printed editions. It is, therefore, important to study the impact of social media on the standards of our knowledge. This longitudinal panel study analyzed the framing of content in encyclopedia entries of top Fortune companies in Wikipedia and the online version of Encyclopedia Britannica in 2006, 2008, and 2010. Content analyses of the length, tonality, and topics of 3,985 sentences showed that Wikipedia entries were significantly longer, were more positively and negatively framed, and focused more on corporate social responsibilities and legal and ethical issues than the online entries of the traditional encyclopedia, which were predominantly neutral. The findings stress that the knowledge-generation processes in society appear to be fundamentally shifting because of the use of social media collaboration. These changes significantly impact which information becomes available to society and how it is framed.

America's Most Admired Companies Social Media Industry Divide

While public relations and marketing research has analyzed how companies are using individual social media channels, minimal research has explored an organizations social media presence across several channels or identified differences among industries. Using theoretical guidelines for best practices, this study does both by analyzing the complete list of Fortunes “Americas Most Admired Companies” (N = 417) on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. Results found there were differences across industries regarding their adoption and integration of best practices into their social media accounts. A list of 20 gold standard companies is provided.

This blog brought to you by … exploring blogger perceptions of a product endorsement policy and reviews

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore how a change to a US policy about product testimonials affected bloggers and to understand bloggers’ perceptions of the organization-blogger relationship (OBR). Design/methodology/approach – This study utilizes a survey (n=173) with closed and open-ended questions, and both quantitative and qualitative data are analyzed. Findings – Bloggers’ decisions to accept compensation for a review may influence how much control they feel they have over the OBR. Qualitative data indicate that even as bloggers seek access to products to review, they prefer to maintain editorial control over the review process. Research limitations/implications – The study extends the transparency literature in public relations and relationship management theory by exploring the relationship between bloggers and public relations professionals through the lens of a disclosure policy. Practical implications – Recommendations are offered for public relations professionals in how to maintai...

From Owned to Earned Media: An Analysis of Corporate Efforts About Being on Fortune Lists

This study explored changes over time in owned and earned media for companies about their inclusion on two of the most desirable lists: Fortunes Worlds Most Admired Companies and Best Companies to Work For. Overall, companies on the Fortunes Best Companies to Work For list used a higher amount of owned media and receive a higher amount of earned media, but the companies on Fortunes Worlds Most Admired Companies list had a higher return on both social and traditional media efforts.