0000000000005326
AUTHOR
Benno Viererbl
Once a journalist, not always a journalist? Causes and consequences of job changes from journalism to public relations
Increasingly, journalists do not find permanent jobs and seek work in related fields, often in public relations. However, the two professions differ with regard to some of their normative functions: whereas journalists should report objectively and without bias, public relations practitioners are supposed to represent their clients’ particular interests. Hence, shifts from journalism to public relations have the potential for conflict. This study analyzes whether these shifts cause inter-role conflict and examines the reasons for the job changes. We conducted 17 qualitative semi-structured interviews with former journalists from Germany who have permanently transitioned into public relatio…
The disclosure paradox: how persuasion knowledge mediates disclosure effects in sponsored media content
Persuasion knowledge is an established construct in the explanation of recipients’ coping with persuasive communication. It gains particular importance when persuasion attempts are covert. This is ...
Advertising in disguise? How disclosure and content features influence the effects of native advertising
Abstract Native advertising has recently become a prominent buzzword for advertisers and publishers alike. It describes advertising formats which closely adapt their form and style to the editorial environment they appear in, intending to hide the commercial character of these ads. In two experimental studies, we test how advertising disclosures in native ads on news websites affect recipients’ attitudes towards a promoted brand in a short and long-term perspective. In addition, we explore persuasion through certain content features (i. e., message sidedness and use of exemplars) and how they affect disclosure effects. Results show that disclosures increase perceived persuasive intent but d…
The paradoxical effects of communicating CSR activities: Why CSR communication has both positive and negative effects on the perception of a company’s social responsibility
Abstract Supporting societal goals and sustainable developments can help a company to be seen as socially responsible. This corporate social responsibility (CSR) must be communicated effectively as too intensive communication could negatively affect the company’s perception. These negative effects may be caused by an imbalance between the amount of CSR communication and the actual extent of CSR activities. Two experiments show that increased CSR communication has a negative indirect effect on perceptions of a company’s social responsibility, mediated by persuasive intent and reactance. However, depending on the extent of a company’s actual CSR activities, there is also a countervailing dire…
Borderline journalism: Why do journalists accept and justify questionable practices that establish scandals? A quantitative survey
The shift from descriptive reporting toward an interpretive style of journalism can be regarded as one factor to explain the rising number of reported scandals in Western democracies. While most of these critical reports are based on actual misbehaviors, there are scandals triggered by violations of journalistic norms. This article examines the question of how many journalists accept such violations of norms and what arguments they use to justify them. To answer these questions, we conducted a quantitative online survey among German journalists in June and July 2015. Participants were confronted with descriptions of factual violations of the German press codex that triggered major scandals…
Journalists’ Coverage of Online Firestorms in German-Language News Media
When people perceive events that conflict with their expectations they can easily express their agitation and concerns online and likely find others who share their opinion. When large quantities of messages containing negative word-of-mouth suddenly spread in social media we speak of an online firestorm. By covering the outcry, journalists elevate it onto a mainstream communication platform and support the process of scandalization. Content analysis was used to explore how journalists, working for German-language media, cover this phenomenon. Over a period of 16 months, 130 online firestorms were identified and analyzed. Based on a typology of online firestorms, we have found that the majo…