University of Twente Student Theses
Sensational news reporting and its effect on corporate reputation: harming the innocent!
Regt, I. de (2009) Sensational news reporting and its effect on corporate reputation: harming the innocent!
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| Abstract: | To increase the attractiveness of television programmes, more and more tv-makers add sensational features to their programmes, like zoom-in movements and the eye witness perspective. For tv-makers, the effects of sensationalism seem to be positive, but the effects of this concept for organizations on the other hand, are unclear. The goal of this study is to determine the effect of sensationalism on reputation. Sensational features dramatize and exaggerate news and the effects of this kind of reporting on an aspect as corporate reputation are therefore expected to be bigger compared to objective news reporting. To investigate the role of type of reporting over an accidental or a preventable crisis, four videos were made (accidental-objective, accidental-sensational, preventableobjective, preventable-sensational). The subject of every video was the same: the dereliction of people in a home for elderly. In the preventable conditions, the staff was responsible for the incidents that took place, in the accidental conditions they were not. In the sensational conditions seven form features were applied in the videos, including the eye witness camera. The results show that the same message reported in a different way, can cause the reputation of an organization more harm. Significant differences were found between the conditions as well as within the conditions. The results also indicate that type of reporting has an influence on arousal. No significant results were found on emotional response, attractiveness and recall, however the results suggest that the effect of sensationalism on corporate reputation might decrease over time. |
| Item Type: | Essay (Master) |
| Faculty: | BMS: Behavioural, Management and Social Sciences |
| Subject: | 05 communication studies |
| Programme: | Communication Studies MSc (60713) |
| Link to this item: | https://purl.utwente.nl/essays/59522 |
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