Advertising 2005 Abstracts

Advertising Division

TEACHING

Service Learning Across the Curriculum: A Collaboration to Promote Smoking Cessation • Jean M. Grow and Joyce M. Wolburg, Marquette University • This paper focuses on how pedagogy, service and scholarship can be combined across the advertising curriculum through service learning, which invigorates collaboration between faculty members, student teams and advertising professionals. The authors demonstrate how service-learning projects integrate curricula (pedagogy) using a community-based client (service), ultimately leading to scholarship and professional outcomes. Specifically, this study analyzes the launch of a service learning based smoking cessation campaign on a mid-west college campus.

Ethical Justification: Too Frequently a “Black Hole” in Advertising Education? • David L. Martinson, Florida International University-North Miami • Ethics involves making judgments, judgments about good and bad, right and wrong. Advertising practitioners have long struggled in an attempt to balance their responsibilities vis-a-vis persuasive communication efforts on behalf of clients against their responsibilities to be genuinely truthful in regard to impacted third parties.

Advertising Professionals in the Classroom: Comparing Electronic versus In-Person Visits • Jay Newell Iowa State University • Advertising industry experts are invited to speak in professional programs on an on-going basis. However, there is scant research to establish the pedagogical advantages of guest experts in the classroom, and little investigation into the effectiveness of new technology such as videoconferencing to effectively bridge the distance between media company offices and university classrooms. This exploratory research, using elaboration-likelihood model factors, tracks the acceptance of 10 guest speakers by students (N=86) in multiple advertising courses over 3 semesters.

Student Teams as Therapy Groups How progress and conflict follow strikingly similar patterns. • Tom Weir, Roy Kelsey, and Susan Weir, Oklahoma State University • This study attempts to draw comparisons between college students working closely in a team environment with patterns of interaction in psychotherapy groups. The literature indicates similarities in the process of both types of groups. Data is gathered from a student group using the GCQ (short form) (MacKinzie, 1983). Important similarities are found between the scores of the student group and those demonstrated for therapy groups, indicating that the group learning process involves similar fundamental stages.

RESEARCH

Advertising and Audience Offense: The Effects of Media Type and Potentially Offensive Products, Services and Themes • Frank K. Beard, University of Oklahoma • A growing research literature suggests when and why audiences will be offended by advertisements. The content analysis reported in this paper tests hypotheses derived from the literature using actual consumer complaints about real advertisements. Findings supported four of the study’s five hypotheses, supporting conclusions that audience members are more likely to be offended by offensive themes than the products, services or ideas advertised; some themes are predictably more offensive than others.

Direct-to-Consumer Prescription Drug Advertising for Stigmatized Illnesses • Soontae An and Hyun Seung Jin, Kansas State University • This study examined the effects of direct-to-consumer (DTC) prescription drug advertising on consumers’ perceptions toward stigmatized illnesses, erectile dysfunction and overactive bladder. Telephone interviews were conducted to assess individuals’ media consumption level, attention to DTC ads, perceived prevalence of erectile dysfunction and overactive bladder, and attitudes toward these stigmatized illnesses. The results showed that those with high DTC ad attention tended to estimate the likelihood of having those illnesses high, and the heightened perceived prevalence led to less stigmatization.

Cancer Ads: A Comparison of Advertising Strategies in Black vs. Mainstream Newspapers • Jiyang Bae, Crystal Y. Lumpkins, Shelly Rodgers, Glen Cameron, University of Missouri-Columbia, Doug Luke, and Matthew Kreuter, St. Louis University • The primary purpose of this study was to compare cancer-related ads in Black vs. mainstream newspapers to determine whether there were differences in advertising strategies used. Advertising strategies that were examined included sociocultural factors (collectivism, religiosity and racial pride), appeal (emotional, informational), referral to resources (website, 800 number, brochure), and angle (local, regional, national). The method was a content analysis of 24 Black and 12 Mainstream newspapers, randomly selected from 24 U.S. cities.

Examining the Source Element at the Interpersonal Level: A Case Study of the Body Donation Campaign in Taiwan • Hao-Chieh Chang, Chinese University of Hong Kong • This study examines the source strategies employed in the body donation campaign in Taiwan. Typical studies on the source element of campaigns focus on the effects of source qualities on persuasion. Specifically, the “who” and “what” factors were assessed to evaluate the source effect. This study explores how the campaign sources at the interpersonal level deliver the message to the target. In-depth interviews with four interpersonal sources were conducted.

The Effect of Negative Publicity on Consumers’ Brand Evaluations: The Moderating Role of Corporate Advertising • Yoon Yong Cho, and Shelly Rodgers, University of Missouri-Columbia • The purpose of this research was to examine the effects of negative publicity on consumers’ attitudes toward the corporation and its brands. The moderating effect of corporate advertising as a counter strategy for recovering negative image was also examined. The method was an experiment. Negative publicity had a negative impact, and positive publicity had a positive impact on brand and company evaluations. However, negatively primed attitudes toward the company and its brand shifted in a positive direction after being exposed to corporate advertising.

From Big-Five Framework Perspective: Does Online Brand Have Personality? • Hwiman Chung, New Mexico State University And Youngjun Sung, University of Georgia • This paper examines the generalizability of Aaker’ s theoretical framework of the dimensions of brand personality (the five factors of Sincerity, Excitement, Competence, Sophistication, and Ruggedness) across online brands. In this study, which examined online brand personality dimensions, 308 subjects evaluated three global online brands by using 70 brand personality traits.

A Qualitative Investigation of Older Adults’ Perceptions of the Influence of D.C Advertising on Self and Others • Denise E. DeLorme, University of Central Florida, Jisu Huh, University of Minnesota and Leonard N. Reid, University of Georgia • A series of in-depth interviews was conducted to examine older adults’ perceptions of DTC advertising influence on themselves and others. Results give empirical voice to previous survey findings and provide additional evidence to support the third-person effect in DTC advertising. Older adults do not perceive DTC ad effects on themselves when asked directly, but do indicate behaving in DTC-ad-expected ways in particular situations. They also perceive different types of DTC ad effects on others than on themselves.

The Influence of Movie Genre on Audience Reaction to Product Placement • Steven David Garza and Coy Callison, Texas Tech University • Participants completed measures after viewing movie clips categorized by genre-comedy, drama, and science fiction. The experiment compared brand recall, brand liking, and opinions toward brand placement across genre. Humor research suggests product placements in comedies would be more effective than placements in other genres. Results indicate that comedy does not outrank other genres as a vehicle for product placement. Previous research findings were confirmed in that prominent placements were more successful than subtle placements.

The Third-Person Effect In Controversial Product Advertising • Keith Jensen And Steve Collins, University of Central Florida • This research seeks to determine if there is a third-person effect in the realm of controversial product advertising. Survey participants rated their perceived levels of personal offense to product categories as well as the expected offense levels of other groups of people. The results show a significant third-person effect for five of six product categories where an effect was expected. In the case of advertising for racial extremist groups, a first-person effect existed as predicted.

The Effects of Self-Efficacy Statements in Humorous Anti-Alcohol Abuse Messages Targeting College Students: Who is in Charge? • Moon J. Lee and Myiah Hutchens Hively, Washington State University • This study examined the effects of self-efficacy statements in humorous, positively reinforced anti-alcohol abuse messages. The experiment was a post-test only design with 124 college students. Results indicate that highly rebellious individuals who watched ads with a self-efficacy statement (i.e. You are in control of the situation) indicated lower alcohol expectancies, higher risk perceptions, and higher intentions to change their drinking behavior than those in the non-self-efficacy condition.

Advertising Practitioners’ Opinions on Professional Training and Advertising Programs • Tien-Tsung Lee, Washington State University And William E. Ryan, University of Oregon • This study surveyed some of the most creative minds in advertising, asking them to assess the value of their educations and to share their opinions on a number of related topics. How well did their programs of study prepare them for work in advertising? Where should an advertising program be placed in the academy: journalism and communication departments, business schools, fine arts or design programs? What is the professional and personal value of an advertising degree?

Stoic and Aloof for Eternity: An Analysis of Multiple-Male Images in Men’s Magazine Advertising • Katie McRee and Bryan E. Denham, Clemson University • While existing research provides a wealth of information regarding the portrayal of females in advertising, relatively few studies have focused on images of males. The present research builds on the few studies that do exist, examining multiple-male images (n=291) in advertisements featured in four men’s magazines: Details, Esquire, GQ and Playboy. Content analysis revealed continued imagery of the stereotypical, aloof American cowboy in the context of advertisements, but also provided interesting data on the sexualized nature of male models.

Consumers’ Processing of Interactive Web Sites: The Effects of Motivation, Opportunity, Ability and Comprehension • Wendy Macias University of Georgia • This research is a pilot for a larger scale study of how consumers’ process branded Web site material. An experiment was conducted to test the effect that interactivity level had on comprehension. Additional covariates were tested to better understand the effect that motivation, opportunity and ability have on the processing capacity. The results indicate that, of the three processing variables, motivation (specifically the message attention part of advertising message involvement) had the greatest impact on comprehension.

Advocacy Advertising to Community Stakeholders: Perceptions of Risks, Benefits, and Trust in the Coal Industry • Barbara Miller and Janas Sinclair, North Carolina-Chapel Hill • Community stakeholders, who live where a business or industry is located, are an important audience for advocacy messages about industry benefits and risks. In focus groups, West Virginia residents defined risks and benefits of the local coal industry primarily in terms of community identity.

An Exploratory Study of Young American and Korean Consumers’ Intentions to opt-in to SMS Advertising • Alexander Muk, University of Wisconsin-Whitewater and Christina Chung, University of Southern Mississippi • The convergence of the Internet and wireless telephony and the fast adoption rate of the mobile phone have combined to present a new platform for advertising. SMS advertising uses push advertising strategy to deliver advertising messages to users’ mobile phones in text formats. It has considerable scope for one to one marketing based on the private and direct nature of the medium and situations of the users.

Is the Fruit Better if More Wasps Eat It: Exploring the Effects of Self-monitoring and Visual and Verbal Message Strategies on Social Approval Appeals • Jun Rong Myers, Soyoen Cho, Sela Sar And Ron Faber, University of Minnesota • This paper investigates the moderating role of self-monitoring and the effects of visual and verbal message strategies in social approval appeals in advertisement. An experimental study was conducted with undergraduate students (N=153) testing the interactive relationship between self-monitoring, verbal claims and visual cues of social approval appeal and persuasion effects. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed relating to advertising research and creative strategy.

The Effects of Consensus between Third-Party Endorsements on Audience Attitude and Behavioral Intent • Alex Wang, University of Connecticut • This study examines the process by which audiences integrate third-party endorsements into their product evaluations and how endorsement consensus affects this process. The results suggest that positive endorsements enhance audiences’ attitudes while audiences’ needs for consensus play a crucial role in determining how audiences will form their behavioral intents. Consensus is important because it determines whether a given product is perceived as meeting or falling short of product evaluations.

Promotion Of Destinations After Disasters: An Experimental Examination Of Communication-Evoked-Imagery Effects • Linda Wang-Stewart, Pacific Lutheran University • In facing the challenge of promoting tourism destinations damaged by disasters, this study was designed to examine the interaction effects of Communication-Evoked Imagery ads and memory. College students (= 116) participated in a 2 (Imagery) X 2 (Memory) X 3 (Countries) X 6 (Orders) within subject experiment. The results indicated significant main effects and interaction effects of imagery and memory congruency. The findings suggested that Communication-Evoked Imagery ads are effective to encourage audience’s information processing, especially in message-memory incongruent conditions.

The Effects of Ethnic identity on Audience’s Evaluation of HIV Public Service Announcements • Xiao Wang, and Laura M. Arpan Florida State University • An experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of participants’ ethnic identity in the context of health communication. Results indicate there was a marginally significant interaction effect of black participants’ ethnic identity and source ethnicity on the evaluation of the overall credibility of the spokespersons, but not on the evaluation of public service announcements. No significant interaction effects were found among white participants on either of the dependent variables.

Military Recruitment Advertising: The Effectiveness of Advertising in Persuading Women to Consider the Military as a Career Option • Maura Mollet, And Tom Weir, Oklahoma State University • This study assesses the relative effectiveness of military recruiting advertisements to attract women to the military, and makes use of a combination of Osgood’s congruity theory (1955; in Severin and Tankard, 1988) and Goffman’s (1979) gender roles in advertisements. This study showed no consistent relationship between gender roles in recruiting materials and the likelihood that participants might consider military service, but did reveal interesting relationships among other variables.

The Influence of Humanlike Navigation Interface on Users’ Responses to Internet Advertising • Kenneth C. C. Yang, University of Texas – El Paso • The present study integrates literature from the interface design and Internet advertising effectiveness literature to examine whether a humanlike navigation interface will increase the effectiveness of Internet advertising. The study employs a post-test only with a control group experiment design to examine whether and how a humanlike navigation interface will have effects on users’ responses to Internet advertising.

Cultural Values Reflected in Chinese and American Web Service Advertising • Jie Zhang and Doyle Yoon, University of Oklahoma • This study examines cultural values and information cues as reflected in U.S. and Chinese Web service advertising appeals. Also, the distribution of service categories between the two countries is explored. Content analysis of the 836 service advertisements from 74 selected Chinese and U.S. Websites reveals that collectivism and individualism remain to be the most important cultural constructs differentiating Western cultures from East Asian cultures.

The Role of Involvement and Previous Evaluation in Attractiveness Match-Up Hypothesis • Yanjun Zhao And James Kelly, Southern Illinois University Carbondale • This study concerns the match-up hypothesis that effectiveness of an attractive model in an ad varies in product. This study was the first to consider the potential role of individuals’ previous evaluation and involvement about a product in the interaction between model attractiveness (more vs. less attractive) and product type (perfume v. vacuum) in advertising effectiveness.

The Effect of Fear Appeals in AIDS Prevention Ads on Attention, Interest, Liking and Intent to Adopt Recommended Behavior • Yanjun Zhao And Jyotika Ramaprasad, Southern Illinois University Carbondale • This study examined the influence of fear appeals as well as efficacy and relevance on ad attention, interest, and liking, as well as intent to behave (as per the recommended behavior–using condoms) in AIDS prevention advertisements. Results of a repeated measures experiment showed that fear appeal, efficacy and relevance were significant predictors of participants’ response. In addition, the study also found two interaction effects. Implications for practice in anti-AIDS/HIV advertising and experiment methodology were discussed.

PF&R

Subliminal advertising: A reply to August Bullock’s not-so-secret sales pitch • Sheri Broyles, University of North Texas • On June 11, 2004, August Bullock posted a message on the AdForum listserve touting his new book The Secret Sales Pitch: An Overview of Subliminal Advertising. This posting created a great deal of discussion, proving what a hot topic subliminal advertising continues to be. This paper is a response to that book.

Effects of Gay-Themed Advertising Content on Emotional Response, Attitude Toward the Ad, and Changes in Attitude Toward the Brand • Joe Bob Hester, Rhonda Gibson, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill • The amount of gay-themed advertising is increasing, and there is much speculation about the effects on consumers, both gay and straight. But there has been very little mpirica1 investigation of the effects on individuals’ attitudes toward the brand advertised or toward the issue of homosexuality.

Are You Talking To Me?: Advertising Content Analysis of Queer Eye for the Straight Guy • Eunsun Lee, Jounghwa Choi and Teresa Mastin, Michigan State University • The study examines advertising strategies that advertisers employ to target gay consumers through mainstream media. A content analysis of commercials placed on Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, a gay-themed makeover cable TV show, was conducted. The result showed that advertisers use an implicit approach through gay window advertising and window advertising can be characterized by cues based on the stereotypes of gay consumers.

Celebrity Endorsers and Generation Y: New Insights for Advertisers • Olaf Werder and Stephynie Chapman Perkins – New Mexico • Abstract not available.

SPECIAL TOPICS

The Super Bowl: ‘Tis the Season for Self Promotion • Sue Westcott Alessandri • Abstract not available.

The Great Divide? Defining Multiculturalism and Globalization in Advertising • Frauke Hachtmann and Sloane Signal, University of Nebraska-Lincoln • As we move toward a truly global economy advertising practitioners must be equally comfortable communicating with multicultural audiences in the United States as well as different cultures abroad. The authors propose that communicating to and with global audiences should be seen as an extension of multiculturalism in the United States and not as separate areas of scholarship.

Against Advertising: Humorous Critiques in The Wall Street Journal Cartoons • Michael Maynard Temple University • The editorial page cartoon, when not overtly political, offers a compelling site for researching how a newspaper airs critiques of advertising through humor. Using the release mechanism theory of humor, this study content analyzes 2,959 Pepper… and Salt cartoons from the editorial pages of The Wall Street Journal and finds 82 cartoons targeting advertising.

Got Rights? PETA Says No: Nonprofit Issue Advertising and Celebrity Right of Publicity • Rachel Mersey, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill • This research examines the construct of commercial use as applied in right of publicity and First Amendment commercial speech cases to determine whether nonprofit issue advertising campaigns, such as PETA’s featuring former President Ronald Reagan and the tagline: “Win one for the Gipper: Animal fats DOUBLE your risk of Alzheimer’s,” would qualify either as a commercial use or for constitutional protection of the highest order, concluding that philosophical-based advertising is fully protected by the First Amendment.

From Subservient Chickens to Brawny Men: A Comparison of Viral Advertising to Television Advertising • Lance Porter and Guy Golan, Louisiana State University • The diffusion of the Internet into American homes along with the growing penetration of high speed Internet via cable and satellite have changed the very nature of online advertising. The current study focuses on one of the most recent online advertising phenomenon -viral advertising. The study provides an historical account of the viral marketing, provides a definition for viral advertising and then moves on to provide what may be the first empirical investigation of viral ads.

Advertising and the Pluralism of Indonesian Middle Class Identity: the Global-Local Nexus in Tempo Magazine • Janet Steele, George Washington University • An examination of advertising in Tempo magazine can offer clues to the global-local nexus in a developing country. Although Tempo’s readers are believed to be from the middle class, the advertising images are hardly monolithic. Some advertisements put being “Western” in the forefront, while others celebrate the local – suggesting the pluralism of middle class aspirations, and raising doubts about the notion of a capitalist “mono-culture.”

Outside the Box, Inside the Circle: Using the Six-Segment Strategy Wheel To Predict the Direction of Change in Message Strategies • Ronald Taylor, University of Tennessee • This research challenges the popular claim-“breakthrough creative”– made by advertisers and agencies that often accompany announcements of changes in message strategies. Based on analysis of 50 announced changes in strategy, this paper suggests that the direction of change in message strategy is predictable. Strategies are predictable because advertisers and their agencies tend to choose new strategies from a rather narrow range of many possible message strategies.

Celebrity Endorsers And Generation Y: New Insights For Advertisers • Olaf Werder and Stephanie C. Perkins, University of New Mexico • Generation Y has been found to be cynical toward campaigns using celebrities. The present study uses a case study design to document how college-age members of this cohort describe in their own words their beliefs about celebrity endorsers. The results of the study indicate that the fit and meaning transfer between celebrity image and ideal self-image are important for a Gen Y-oriented campaign. Findings and implications for advertising theorists and practitioners are discussed.

Content Comparison of Presidential Election Campaigns: Functional Approach to the Candidate’s and their Party’s Web sites and TV Spots • Doyle Yoon and Joseph Seth, University Of Oklahoma • This study attempted to examine how two presidential election camps utilize two media, television and the Internet, in 2000 and 2004 presidential election campaigns. Content analysis with both candidates’ and their parties’ television spots and Web sites of the 2000 and 2004 presidential election campaigns were conducted to examine the role of the Internet as a new tool for political campaigns, compared to television spots.

The Genealogy of an Icon • Margaret Young, Bradley University • Phoebe Snow was the first feminine iconic merchandising supermodel; the unrecognized prototype for all Ronald McDonalds to come. Her quiet demeanor, “lost in thought”, elegant image inspired poets, playwrights, marriage proposals, fashion designers, women and men young and old. Though she was not human in a flesh blood format, she was real. This paper traces her 70+ years through America pop culture.

STUDENT PAPERS

Direct-To-Consumer Television Advertisements Of Prescription Drugs And Their Impact On Physician Prescription-Writing Tendencies • Jocelyn Kay Albertson, Iowa State University • This study explores the impact of direct-to-consumer television prescription drug advertisements on Iowa physicians’ attitudes toward drug products and their tendency to prescribe those products. Using the tenets of diffusion of innovations theory and the two-step flow hypothesis, the findings of this survey indicate that physicians are not in favor of televised DTC advertising of prescription products and that their negative attitudes are important contributors to their tendencies to prescribe products shown in the ads.

Content Analysis of Automotive Company Websites as Internet Advertising: A Cross-Cultural Study • Chan-pyo Hong, Youngrak Park and Kenneth Kim, Florida State University • A comparative content analysis was conducted on a total of 34 automotive company websites targeting Korean and US consumers in order to investigate the current contents (as attitude function-based advertising appeals) of the websites. Texts, hyperlinks, and images in the selected websites were analyzed on the theoretical basis of instrumental versus symbolic function dichotomy. The analysis of the results reveals that there are cultural differences in terms of two function-related items identified in the automotive websites.

Length Versus Frequency: Deconstructing Myths In Advertising Research • Yongick Jeong, North Carolina – Chapel Hill • This study examined empirically the impact of commercial length and frequency on advertising effectiveness. The results supported hypotheses that predicted advantages of frequency over commercial length in enhancing audiences’ brand recognition and advertising liking. Although both commercial frequency and length were found to be significant, the impact obtained by running an additional commercial was considerably higher than the impact acquired by increasing average and total commercial length. Marketing implications for the results are discussed.

Cultural Differences in Specific versus Diffuse Dimension: A Design and Message Comparison between American and Korean Brand • Jong Woo Jun And Hyung-Seok Lee, University of Florida • This study explores the differences in brand execution for different cultures, Korea and the U. S. The purpose of this paper is to identify the role of specific/diffuse dimension on brand-marks and taglines. The finding indicates that Korean brands are generally more diffusive than those of the U. S.

The Influence of Appraisal and Emotion on Message Effectiveness of PSAs • Yahui Kang, University of Pennsylvania • The study adopts a new approach to message effectiveness by adapting traditional appraisal studies to mass media context; treating appraisal as a measure of message content; and identifying message content that is more conducive to emotional reactions and message persuasiveness. Using Scherer’s appraisal theory, the appraisal-emotion link found in the interpersonal context is replicated in the media context. Negative emotions elicited by PSAs contribute to perceived message effectiveness. Implications for PSA designing are discussed.

Toward Developing Conceptual Foundations of Internet Brand Community • Juran Kim, University of Tennessee • Recently, Internet brand communities are attracting attention from advertisers. One purpose of this study is to offer conceptual foundations of Internet brand community by developing an integrated overview of the current research. Concepts from the Structuration theory are used for synthesizing the consumer behavior literature. This stud attempts to find and till the gaps between brand community and Internet brand community in the literature h’ considering critical characteristics of the Internet environment.

Drama as Mediator or Magnifier of Emotional Responses to Irritation in Advertising: An Exploratory Study • Jennifer L. Lemanski, University of Florida • An exploratory experiment manipulating ad format type (drama versus argument) and irritation level (low versus high) was conducted to learn more about the effects on attitude toward the ad and recall of the ad when drama and irritation are involved.

Elaboration Likelihood Model of Persuasion + Uses & Gratifications: An Enhanced Model of Comparative Advertising Effectiveness • Amy Shirong Lu, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill • This study draws from the Elaboration Likelihood Model of Persuasion and Uses and Gratifications to advocate a new model for the effectiveness of comparative advertising. The proposed model is highly conceptualized and awaits further theoretical input and more empirical testing. However, it is precisely the different natures of the ELM and U&G that make it important to find a way to bring together the two theories, which have been divided for too long.

Unselling the Cigarette: A Content Analysis of Persuasive Elements of Two Types of National Anti-Tobacco Advertisements • Jensen Moore & Keith Greenwood University of Missouri – Columbia • The purpose of this study was to examine the persuasive elements of a traditional anti-tobacco social marketing campaign to an industry manipulation campaign. It was suggested that because of reported effectiveness differences between the two campaigns, that different persuasive elements were being used. Ninety-Six print advertisements were content analyzed for visual and verbal persuasive elements.

A Content Analysis of Direct-to-consumer Pharmaceutical Television Commercials: A Look at the Information Cues Again • Daniel Ng, University of Leicester • The debate of direct to consumer ads has been a controversial one. Marketers enjoy huge advantages while advocate groups still fight for consumers’ rights. Both has entirely different point of view yet not one side has a convincing footing. A re-look at the information cues via using content analysis of television commercials indicate that there has nothing change except consumers certainly overloaded with overwhelming medical information. Some cues obviously appear more importantly than others.

Market Scarcity and Persuasion • Feng Shen, University of Florida • This study examined the role of purchase quantity restriction, a type of market scarcity, in persuasion. Purchase quantity restriction alone decreased message elaboration and product attitude favorability. The effect was further moderated by message quality. When a weaker message was present, the restriction still decreased message elaboration and product attitude favorability. When a stronger message was present, the restriction increased message elaboration and product attitude favorability.

The Master Settlement Agreement and Visual Imagery of Cigarette Advertising in Two Popular Youth Magazines • Yongjun Sung, and Heidi J. Hennink-Kaminski, University of Georgia • The 1998 Master Settlement Agreement (MSA) between tobacco companies and forty-six states bans tobacco companies from targeting youth through advertising and promotions. While previous studies examined the effect of the MSA on the overall cigarette marketing environment changes, no study has addressed possible shifts in the visual imagery and claims of cigarette ads in youth magazines since the MSA took effect in 1998. To address this issue, we analyzed cigarette advertisements in two popular youth magazines across two eras (pre-MSA vs. post-MSA).

The Mediating Role of Attitude toward the Ad and Identification with the Spokesperson Xiao Wang, Florida State University • This study examined the underlying psychological process of participants’ evaluation of source ethnicity and expertise on their acceptance of a public service announcement. The study proposed the effects of such evaluation were mediated by identification with the spokesperson and attitude toward the ad. Five hundred and twenty two participants evaluated one of four PSAs for HIV awareness campaigns.

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Science Communication 2006 Abstracts

Science Communication Interest Group

Media Use and Procedural Fairness Perceptions in the Context of Local Cancer Cluster Investigations • John Besley, Cornell University • Research on procedural justice argues that individuals often care as much about fair process and they do about fair outcome when it comes to assessing political authorities. Previous media research, however, has failed to consider whether a relationship exists between news media use and fairness perceptions.

Dispensing Information or Propaganda? Appraising Frames in News Coverage of Prescription Drug Advertisements • Cynthia-Lou Coleman and L. David Ritchie, Portland State University • One of the key arguments in favor of prescription drug advertisements has been that they inform and educate consumers. We explore how news stories about direct-to-consumer advertising from 1997 through 2004 qualitatively framed the concept of information, including salient metaphors used to enrich the term. The study is informed by theories of news construction, framing and agenda building in the context of conveying “information.”

Framing Coastal Erosion: A Qualitative Assessment of National Media’s Coverage of Louisiana Coastal Erosion Pre- and Post-Katrina • Jane Dailey and Lisa Lundy, Louisiana State University • This study examined how the media framed the issue of coastal erosion before and after Hurricane Katrina. We examined newspaper coverage of Louisiana’s America’s Wetland campaign and coastal erosion problems in other coastal areas around the country. The results generally show that newspaper coverage of coastal erosion was scant but increased rapidly following Hurricane Katrina.

Reporting on a Potential Pandemic: A Content Analysis of Avian Influenza Newspaper Coverage • Anthony D. Dudo and Michael F. Dahlstrom, University of Wisconsin-Madison • While quality information does not guarantee accurate risk perceptions, it provides the public with the means to perform an informed assessment of a risk. We analyzed four American newspapers to assess the quality of coverage related to avian flu. Quality was conceptualized around five dimensions: risk magnitude, self efficacy, risk comparisons, sensationalism, and thematic and episodic framing. Coverage exhibited high quality only in terms of risk magnitude and risk comparison information.

After the Flood: Anger, Attribution and the Seeking of Information • Robert J. Griffin, Marquette University and Janet Yang, Cornell and Ellen ter Huurne, University of Twente, THE NETHERLANDS and Francesca Boerner and Sherry Ortiz, Marquette University and Sharon Dunwoody, University of Wisconsin-Madison • In an effort to understand what motivates people to attend to information about flood risks, this study applies the Risk Information Seeking and Processing model to explore how local residents responded to damaging river flooding in the Milwaukee area. Anger at managing agencies was associated with the desire for information and active information seeking and processing, as well as with risk judgment, personal efficacy, lower institutional trust, and attributions for the causes of flood losses.

The Effects of Mr. and Mrs. Reeve on Public Health and Social Issues: Celebrity Identification and Parasocial Interaction • Bumsub Jin, University of Florida • This research assessed whether celebrity identification process affects individual concerns with and attitudes toward public health and socially relevant issues. A survey study indicated that identification with Christopher Reeve led to individual concerns with health insurance coverage, research on spinal cord injuries, and legislation to legalize research on stem cells. An experimental study also revealed that identification with Christopher and Dana Reeve predicted individuals? positive attitude toward supporting quality of life for the disabled.

Genetic Science Information in News about Obesity: Effects on Controllability Attribution of Others’ Obesity and Perceptions about One’s Own Weight Problem • Se-Hoon Jeong, University of Pennsylvania • This study tests the effects of genetic explanations of obesity in news stories with a nationally representative sample. Surprisingly, with regard to one’s own obesity, subjects reported the most negative attitudes toward weight loss (i.e., difficult to lose weight) after reading the strong behavioral news story.

Can a Personality Trait Predict Talk about Science? Sensation Seeking as a Science Communication Targeting Variable • Yoori Hwang and Brian Southwell, University of Minnesota • Sensation seeking, a trait that has been invoked by public health campaign scholars as a targeting variable, also holds promise for informal science education professionals who seek to engage social networks in their promotion efforts. We contend here that sensation seeking should positively predict talk about science, even after controlling for often-cited predictors such as education, perceived understanding of science, and relevant employment.

Where Do Ohioans Get Their Environmental News? • Stephen Lacy, Michigan State University and Daniel Riffe, Ohio University and Miron Varouhakis, Michigan State University • A survey of 971 Ohio residents in February 2005 found a high percentage of people attended to environmental news at all geographic levels, but the percentages declined as the focus of the environmental news got “closer to home.” Newspapers and television news continued to dominate environmental news at all levels, with newspapers edging television as environmental problems become more local.

The Method Had Originally Been the Theory: How the Media Describes Science, Scientific Theories, and Scientific Method • Bruce Lewenstein and Sara Ball, Cornell University • Recent public debates about “intelligent design” have often highlighted definitions of science, scientific theories, and scientific method. We identified 324 newspaper articles in the past year that used the terms; about half referred to “intelligent design.” The data suggest that no single definition is presented in the media. Although there were clear differences between stories that focused on intelligent design and those that didn’t, the diversity was present in both types of stories.

American Newspapers and the Great Meteor Storm of 1833: A Case Study in Science Journalism • Mark Littman, University of Tennessee • On November 13, 1833 Americans witnessed an unprecedented meteor storm. The response of American newspapers was surprising. Papers of this period focused on national politics, were highly partisan, and ignored local happenings and science. Yet confronted with an unexpected celestial spectacle, American newspaper coverage of the 1833 Leonid meteor storm was so accurate, innovative, responsible, and extensive that it quieted fear and superstition and helped to found a new branch of astronomy, meteor science.

Nanotechnology: Constructing the Public and Public Constructions • Susanna Priest and Hillary Fussell, University of South Carolina • Nanotechnology is following in biotechnology’s wake as the next wave of major technoscientific advancement. In the U.S., perhaps because the introduction of biotechnology was rockier than expected, substantial public resources are being invested in public outreach and education efforts for nanotechnology. Risk communication specialists are key players in this effort.

Metaphor Use in Stem Cell Research Coverage: A Comparison of U.S. and South Korean Newspapers • Lulu Rodriguez and Hye Hyun Hong, Iowa State University • A qualitative content analysis of the metaphors applied by two elite newspapers, the Chosun Ilbo of South Korea and the New York Times in the U.S., in their coverage of stem cell research over a five-year period (2001-2005) was conducted to compare their intensity of and differences in metaphor use.

Penchant for Print: Media Strategies and Choices of Agricultural Communication Professionals • Amanda Ruth, College of Charleston • The purpose of this study was to explore the media strategies and choices of agricultural communication professionals in their role as sources of agricultural information for the news media. This applied-exploratory study utilized qualitative methods in order to gather rich data through 12 in-depth interviews and three online asynchronous focus groups from a snowball sample of agricultural communication professionals. Overall, the data suggests a preference for working with trade, print media outlets.

Persuasion Theory: Frame and Source in the Promotion of Regular Physical Activity • Wanda Siu, Chinese University of Hong Kong • This study integrates framing postulate of prospect theory and the source factor to study the promotion of regular physical activity. Results show that a match of frame valence and source valence (gain frame-healthy source, cost frame-unhealthy source) enhanced message evaluation. Also, the effects of a semantic match of frame and source on message evaluation were moderated by enhanced message elaboration.

Stem Cell Research: Visual Framing of the Ethical Debate in Time and Newsweek • Nicole Smith, University of North Carolina• The ethical controversy surrounding stem cell research is fueling increasing debate. Based on the ability of a photograph to provoke emotion that words alone cannot do, the research study examined how newsmagazine photographs frame this ethical debate. Previous scholars have indicated that framing is particularly relevant when the topic is political and/or social, such stem cell research. Qualitative analysis of newsmagazine photos found that four themes emerged as news frames: science, politics, medical, and religion.

Assessing the Impact of Media Literacy Training on Middle School-Aged Children’s Attitudes toward Women in Science, Engineering, and Technology • Jocelyn Steinke, Western Michigan University and Maria Lapinski, Michigan State University and Aletta Zietsman-Thomas, Northwest University in Potchefstroom and Paul Nwulu, Nikki Crocker, Yaschica Williams, Stephanie Higdon and Sarvani Kuchibhotla, Western Michigan University • This study examined the efficacy of media literacy training on middle school-aged children’s recognition of gender stereotypes, perceptions of women in SET, and attitudes toward SET and SET careers. A total of 302 seventh-grade students were randomly assigned to one of three conditions: discussion, discussion plus viewing of media images of women, or a control. The implications for future research on media influences on middle school-aged children’s perceptions of gender and science will be addressed.

A Comparison of Media Portrayals of Nano R&D in Major Newspapers in China (PRC), the United States and Europe, 2004-2005 • Lowndes Stephens and Qingjiang Yao, University of South Carolina and Zhao Xi Liu, University of Missouri • We examine news narratives about nanoscale science and technology from 2004-2005 in a sample of major newspapers in the United States (n=150 articles), Europe (n=73 articles) and China (n=143 articles) and compare the breadth of and dominant frames/themes with similar content analytic studies in U.S. and British newspapers. Dominant frames are “finance, intellectual property and PR” in the U.S., “ELSIs” in Europe, and “general commercial or consumer applications” in China.

Trolleys and Other Health Service Targets: Irish Journalists’ Perceptions of their Influence on Health Policy Development • Kim Walsh-Childers, University of Florida • This study examined perceptions news media influence on Irish health policy development among Irish journalists who specialize in covering health issues. In-depth interviews with eight of the most influential Irish health journalists revealed three themes: perceptions of the role of journalism in Irish society; assessments of the quality of and problems with news coverage of health, especially health policy; and perceptions of the influence of news coverage on health policy development.

<< 2006 Abstracts

Graduate Education 2006 Abstracts

Graduate Education Interest Group

Cultivating Political Activism Online: A Case Study of Democratic Meetup Groups in the 2004 Presidential Election • Carole V. Bell, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill • Political interest groups and candidates are increasingly turning to the Internet for a variety of political communication functions, from fundraising to volunteer mobilization. Much of this renewed attention results from the successes of the 2004 presidential primaries, most spectacularly the growth of Meetup.com, an online service that enables people with common interests to meet.

The Media’s Role in Declining Voter Turnout in Presidential Elections, 1960-2004 • Andrew Kaplan, University of Maryland • Voter turnout has declined precipitously in the past 45 years for presidential elections, from about 73% of the non-South in 1960 (the South is not counted due to discriminatory practices) to 54% in 2000 and 60% in 2004. In 1996, nearly half the country did not vote. For decades, scholars asserted that as education levels rose, voter participation would also increase. Yet, it has sharply declined.

Triple play competition in U.S. telecommunications industry: Exploring factors affecting cable operators’ adoption of triple-play services • Sangho Seo, Penn State University • The primary purpose of this study is to estimate empirically factors affecting adoption of triple-play bundled services of a cable operator in U.S. local telecommunications market and discovered what factors are important in order to lead to additional convergence in the future.

“Hidden cameras” in Bollywood: Indian responses to the journalistic ethics of undercover reporting of celebrities • Jaya Shroff and Mansi Tiwari, Ohio University • The paper discusses the serious and the ethical issues associated with the methods of investigation and news gathering namely the hidden cameras and changed identities. It looks at several cases from India and the United States with a focus on the IndiaTV controversy of March 2005 and analyses the responses from across the media to the newsgathering methods involved. The main concerns raised in the article deal with deception and invasion of privacy.

Supervision and Accuracy in an Online Newsroom: A Pilot Study • David Stanton, Diane Hickey and Keith Saliba, University of Florida • The current study examines supervision of a Web-driven news production and editing course at a large, southeastern university. The course, which has been taught for over a decade, recently transitioned from a static HTML Web site to a dynamic site driven by a relational database and XML. Content management systems (CMS) allow journalists to remotely input content, edit and deliver the final product to print and Web-based publications.

“I’m confident I’ll vote for you, but only if you go to church with me:” Motivated message processing, religious ideology and evaluation of political candidates • John Wirtz and Penelope Sheets, University of Minnesota • The current paper examines the relationship between commitment to religious beliefs, need for closure (Kruglanski, Webster, & Klem, 1993), and the level of confidence individuals place in the inferences they draw when given limited information about a political candidate. A statistically significant relationship (F(1, 74)=4.103, p<.O5) was found between participants’ commitment to Christian orthodox beliefs and the level of confidence they placed in their inferences about a political candidate.

<< 2006 Abstracts

Community Journalism 2006 Abstracts

Community Journalism Interest Group

Weekly Dilemmas: A Study of Community Journalism, Connections, and Ethics in Small Towns • Lisa Coble-Krings, Kansas • Small-town journalists are able to connect with their communities by practicing community journalism. This form of journalism is explained by examining community ties and the potential problems close connections can cause for small-town journalists. The data used in this study was gathered during visits to five weekly newspapers and from interviews with journalists and non-journalists. Conclusions developed from this study show how small-town journalists answer ethical questions and how community members feel about their newspapers.

The Historical Mission and Evolution of the Capital Outlook Newspaper • Yanela Gordon, Florida A&M • This study explores the history and mission of the Capital Outlook, Tallahassee’s only African-American owned newspaper. Established in 1975, the Capital Outlook has existed under five-periods of ownership. For thirty years, the newspaper has been a voice of victory and vision for African Americans living in Florida, especially within the North Florida region. The Capital Outlook has distinguished itself having been awarded, three times, the A. Philip Randolph Messenger Award, known as the Black Pulitzer.

No Union in Humboldt, Kansas: Readers’ Perceptions of Loss When a Community Loses Its Newspaper • J. Steven Smethers, Bonnie Bressers, Amber Willard, Linda Harvey and Gloria Freeland, Kansas State • This study seeks to gauge perception of loss among newspaper readers in Humboldt, Kansas, in the aftermath of losing their community newspaper, the Humboldt Union. Variables relating to newspaper use and the degree to which readers miss certain features in the Union are examined, along with perceptions about the role of the newspaper in the community and the effectiveness of other area media outlets in filling the communications void left by the Union’s demise.

The Rumble in the Dark: Regional Newspaper Coverage of the West Virginia Buffalo Creek Mine Disaster of 1972 • Rita Colistra, North Carolina-Chapel Hill • The flood caused by the Buffalo Creek coal mine disaster was one of the worst on record in West Virginia history. This paper examines news coverage of the disaster by two regional newspapers with historically different stances on the coal industry and unions.

Toward a measure of community journalism • Wilson Lowrey, Amanda Brozana and Jean Mackay, Alabama • This paper represents a first step toward an index measure of community journalism. Academic literature over the last 10 years that focuses on the relationship between news media and community were systematically explored. Definitions of “community” and of “community journalism” from the literature were organized, and models of community and community journalism are proposed.

<< 2006 Abstracts

Public Relations 2006 Abstracts

Public Relations Division

College students and Creatine: Are Fear Appeals Effective in Communicating Health Risks? • Hyang Sook Kim, Donna Sheffield and Talal Almutairi, Kansas State University • This study looks at the effect of fear appeals on self-protective behavior. A total of 121 college students viewed advertisements depicting side effects of creatine consumption. Comparing three groups with different levels of knowledge, we found that messages were most effective on those who were familiar with creatine, but had never used it. Primary results suggest that previous knowledge is a factor to be considered when presenting threatening health information.

Examining the Social Context of the College Learning Environment for the Growing Population of Older Adult Students • Terri Ann Bailey, University of North Carolina • Age-based nontraditional students, defined as students 25 years old or greater, represent the fastest growing postsecondary educational group in the United States. The size and growth of the population of older adult students suggests that information about their unique experiences has implications for public relations faculty in developing more open pedagogies and mentoring strategies.

A Sense of Agency: Utilizing Firms in the Public Relations Campaigns Course • Vince Benigni, College of Charleston and J. Christopher Wood, University of Georgia and Glen T. Cameron, University of Missouri • Extending Benigni and Cameron (1999) and subsequent works, this essay espouses the notion of agency partnership in the public relations campaigns course. Because 90 percent of campaigns professors utilize an “agency structure” in this capstone course, it stands to reason that area firms are a natural bridge to fully embracing the concept. The authors examine pedagogical, role definition, and careerist literature, and offer a 10-part list of best practices for agency partnership.

An Investigation of Public Relations’ Role in Supporting Corporate Culture: A Case Study of a Regional Healthcare Facility • Pamela G. Bourland-Davis and Beverly L. Graham, Georgia Southern University • Tapping into the stories of an organization provides an opportunity to capture an organization’s culture. This study examined an organization’s culture to assess the public relations role in regard to the culture. Focused interviews of employees and a content analysis of newsletters identified recurring cultural themes. The results provide support for public relations playing an integral role in advocating for or supporting the culture of the organization as identified in the key themes generated.

The Power of Public Relations in Media Relations: A National Survey of Health PR Practitioners • Sooyoung Choo, University of South Carolina • Based on the typology of power suggested by French and Raven, this study identified five types of power PR practitioners have in media relations. The survey results suggest that PR practitioners working for health organizations have “expert power” in the media relations. Especially, those who work for non-profit organizations, who have frequent contacts with reporters, and who develop close relationships with reporters have “expert power.”

The Role of Public Relations Practitioners’ Communication Networks: A Social Network Perspective on Public Relations Management • Joungwha Choi, Michigan State University • This study examines the relationship between public relations practitioners’ and departments’ communication networks and organizations’ public relations performance. Based on the social network approach and the Excellence theory of public relations, theoretical propositions are provided on the relationships between the network structure that PR practitioners have and public relations excellence.

Effects of Entertainment Television Program Viewing on Student’s Perceptions of Public Relations Functions • Youjin Choi, University of Florida • This study conducted a survey with students in an introductory public relations course to examine the effects of television viewing of entertainment programs with public relations characters on the perceptions about public relations functions. A factor analysis classified students’ perceptions into five categories: two-way communications, political communication, spokesperson, writing, and informal media relations.

Excuse us, please: Examining the Effect of Excuses on Corporate Credibility after an Adverse Incident • Colleen Connolly-Ahern, Penn State University • Crisis communication is an important area of public relations research. This paper details the results of an experiment that examined the effectiveness of different types of excuses and different delivery formats for those excuses on the credibility of a fictitious company after an adverse incident. Results indicate that excuses help corporations regain some their credibility after an adverse incident.

Persuasion and Ethics: Towards a Taxonomy of Means and Ends • Brenton Danner and Spiro Kiousis, University of Florida • The literature on persuasion ethics either largely ignores the distinction between the means and ends of ethical persuasion or at least does not recognize the finer distinctions at work. This paper provides a review of the current literature on persuasion ethics with particular attention to the distinction between when it is ethical to engage in persuasion and the ethical boundaries when performing persuasive acts in a public relations context.

Relationship Types and Outcomes: A Case Study of Internal Military Relationships • Tiffany Derville and Teresa Heisler, University of Maryland University College • Internal military base relationships were examined through 18 interviews and a focus group. The researchers found that the order of importance for relationship outcomes is either situational or in need of adjustment; publics with long relationships with organizations evaluate them against their histories with them; and the need to carry concerns up a chain of management results in dissatisfaction, even when needs are ultimately met. A three-tiered method for classifying relationship types is proposed.

Building an Understanding of the Main Elements of Management in the Communication/ Public Relations Context: A Study of U.S. Practitioner Practices • Barbara DeSanto, University of North Carolina-Charlotte and Danny Moss, Manchester Metropolitan University and Andrew J. Newman, Manchester Business School • This study is the U.S. stage of an international research program identifying the managerial elements of public relations work. Building on previous research studies, this study had two aims: (1) examining the efficacy of the five-factor model emerging from the previous U.K. study, and (2) identifying and exploring the U.S. practitioners’ managerial elements. The results include the validation of the five-factor model among U.S. practitioners, along with identification of managerial role characteristics in U.S. organizations.

Transparency in Government Communication • Jenille Fairbanks, Kenneth Plowman and Brad Rawlins, Brigham Young University • Basic to a successful democracy is the existence of a public informed about government actions. This requires government information to be open and accessible to the public. This study sought to understand how communicators in government value and practice transparency. Constant comparative thematic analysis of 18 semi-structured interviews of government communicators revealed a transparency model for government communication. This paper outlines that model and identifies practices and structures that promote transparent communication practices.

Man or Mouse – Which is Better: Proctored or Online Exams? A Comparison of Test Score Among a Graduate Public Relations Management Course • Lisa T. Fall, University of Tennessee • The purpose of this study is to determine if online exam administration is inferior to traditional face-to-face proctored (pen and paper) administration. The population for this sample consists of 186 graduate students enrolled in an online Master’s degree in Science Administration program at a mid-sized Midwestern state university. In particular, these students have all taken JRN 670 (Public Relations Management) as an elective course toward their degree.

The Intersection of Administration Support for the Faculty Advisor and Student Need Satisfaction • Vincent F. Filak and Robert S. Pritchard, Ball State University • This paper investigates a “motivation transference” wherein instructors receiving administration support are likely to perceive greater student motivation and need satisfaction. A survey of PRSSA faculty advisors (n=104) found that higher levels of administrative support and self-determined motivation predicted the advisor’s own rating of how positive they thought their students would be in rating their performance as the advisor.

Extending Models of International Public Relations Practice: An Analysis of the Arla Foods Crisis • T. Kenn Gaither, Elon University and Patricia A. Curtin, University of Oregon • This study examines communications materials from the Arla Foods case to test models of international public relations practice, extend theory in the discipline, and provide suggestions for international practice. It begins by classifying the models according to their underlying macro-level philosophical assumptions and outlining the ramifications of those assumptions.

Communicating During Times of Crises: An Analysis of Press Releases from the Federal Government Before, During, and After Hurricanes Katrina and Rita • Amanda Hall Gallagher, Maria Fontenot and Kris Boyle, Texas Tech University • This paper examines crisis communication strategies before, during, and after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Press releases from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency, Homeland Security, and U.S. Senators and Governors from Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas were analyzed using Coomb’s (1995; 1996; 1998; 1999) symbolic approach to crisis communication. Findings from the study demonstrate that the tactic used most commonly by state officials were suffering and attacking the accuser.

Predicting Media Coverage of Corporate Performance • Soo Yeon Hong, Kiuli Wang, Syracuse University • This study collected and analyzed 838 news stories to identify predictors of corporate performance coverage in the media. A context of company’s quarterly earnings reported to the Securities and Exchange Commission was used. The hierarchical regression analyses found that economic power and earnings per share surprise are significant predictors.

Contemporary Attitudes Toward Integrated Marketing Communication • Jeffrey D. Hutson, Ball State University • This research explored whether attitudes regarding integrated marketing communication (IMC) among both educators and practitioners can place IMC in an inductive or pre-theory stage of theory development. The analysis indicates an acceptance of IMC methods. However the data does not place attitudes regarding IMC in an inductive or pre-theory stage of development. This then permits the conclusion that IMC at present is a communications management approach, not a nascent communication theory.

What you Don’t Know will Hurt You: Information Literacy, Service Learning, and Future Public Relations Practitioners • Ann D. Jabro, Robert Morris University • Students’ information literacy skills of “know” and “access” were determined to be inadequate during a 15-week course titled “Writing for Advertising and Public Relations,” a writing and research-intensive course featuring a service learning component. Pre- and Post- course assessment surveys, weekly student journals, and research portfolio analyses support that students’ information literacy skills can be enhanced by altering pedagogic practices, consulting with experts and empowering students to seek assistance.

Building Online Dialogic Relationship: The U.S. Fortune 500 versus China 500 Corporate Web Sites • Jing Jiang, California Lutheran University • This study explored the similarities and differences of corporate Web sites in the use of dialogic principles to build online dialogic relationship by the U.S. Fortune 500 and China 500 companies. Consistent with previous studies, the results show that both the U.S. Fortune 500 and China 500 companies corporate Web sites do meet the prerequisites of dialogue, namely, they are easily navigated, contain useful information for customer, investor, and media publics, and provide features to maintain visitors on the site.

An Analysis of the Literature on Third-Person Effect for Implications in Public Relations Strategic Message Design • Deena G. Kemp, University of South Florida • Third-person effect (TPE) theory states that people respond to messages based on the expectation that others will be more influenced than themselves. For public relations, TPE can result in unintended outcomes or may be used strategically to achieve communication goals. This paper reviews seven studies that examine TPE for strategic communication in order to formulate a TPE research agenda for public relations in the areas of audience analysis, message design, and program evaluation.

Exploring the Effects of Negative Publicity: News Coverage and Public Perceptions of a University • Sei-Hill Kim, John P. Carvalho and Christy E. Cooksey, Auburn University • Using content analysis of a local newspaper and data from a survey of local residents, this study examines the effects of negative publicity on public perceptions of and support for a university. Our data indicated that greater exposure to unfavorable news articles was associated with lower levels of perceived reputation and trust in the university. Unfavorable perceptions were also related to decreased support for the university.

Differences in Gender Roles in Public Relations and South Korea • Sora Kim and Roxanne Hovland, University of Tennessee • This study examined gender differences in the roles of public relations practitioners, inclusion in influential networks, and relationships with mentors in South Korea. Altogether 102 South Korean public relations practitioners participated in the survey from January to February 2006. The results of the study confirm some of the findings of Western research as well as suggest new insights about important cultural differences in the roles of practitioners as managers and technicians.

The Portrayal of Public Relations Practitioners in The West Wing • Emily Kinsky, Texas Tech University • An investigation of the portrayal of public relations practitioners was performed using content analysis of the 22 episodes in the debut season of The West Wing. The practitioners were coded based on demonstrated traits and work performed or discussed. Significant differences were found between male and female practitioners being included or disciplined, appearing as major characters, dealing with government officials and the media, discussing speech writing, and appearing silly.

Understanding Influence on Corporate Reputation: An Examination of Public Relations Efforts, Media Coverage, Public Opinion, and Financial Performance from an Agenda-Building and Agenda-Setting Perspective • Spiro Kiousis, Christina Popescu and Michael Mitrook, University of Florida • This study investigates public relations efforts and media coverage beyond message outputs and media placement, by tracing the impact of public relations efforts and media coverage on corporate reputation through the theoretical grounding of first- and second-level agenda-building and agenda-setting. A triangulation of research methods compared public relations content, news coverage, public opinion, and corporate financial performance for 28 companies from the annual Harris Interactive (2005) Reputation Quotient.

Going Public to Restore a Tarnished Image: A Content Analysis of President Bush’s Major Post-Katrina Speeches • Brooke Fisher Liu, University of North Carolina • When Hurricane Katrina swept the Gulf Coast, President Bush’s newly formed Department of Homeland Security received its first test and failed. In this paper, I apply image repair discourse theory to analyze the major speeches Bush gave after Katrina. I examine: (1) how Bush presented his response to Katrina in his speeches; (2) how Bush responded to the public’s criticism in his speeches; and (3) how effective the speeches were in repairing Bush’s tarnished image.

Practicing Public Relations in China: An Examination of Multinational Public Relations Firms • Yi Luo, University of Maryland • This study of five multinational public relations firms in China seeks to (a) examine the multinational public relations firms’ sensitivity to societal culture and (b) explore three core concerns in public relations management: function, gender diversity and communication models. Results with 16 practitioners in the firms supported global public relations theory. Suggestions for specific application of global public relations theory are recommended.

Challenging the Monolithic View of Ethnic Minorities in Public Relations Strategies: Hispanic Culture-frames of the Healthcare Issue • Belio A. Martinez, Jr., University of Florida • Framing, and etic/emic concepts are combined to formulate a culture-framing model to discern between minority subgroup issue-frames. An analysis of 21 in-depth interviews with Colombian, Cuban and Puerto Rican Americans in the state of Florida resulted in five unique healthcare frames for these Latino subgroups. Findings in this study challenge the myth of a monolithic Hispanic community and call for more nuanced public relations research and campaign efforts targeting multicultural publics.

The Secret Key to Beautiful Skin is not a Secret Anymore: A Case Study of SK-II’s Image Restoration Strategies • Juan Meng, University of Alabama • SK-II, a high profile beauty line of Proctor & Gamble, was sued by a Chinese consumer in 2005, which raised serious questions about SK-II’s product safety and the credibility of its advertisements. The theory of image restoration discourse was applied in this case to analyze SK-II’s attempts to restore its tarnished reputation in the Asian market. More rigorous image restoration strategies for multinational corporations (MNCs) in the Asian market were also recommended.

Digging Deeper: Crisis Management in the Coal Industry • Barbara Miller and J. Suzanne Horsley, University of North Carolina • Through an analysis of the coal industry, this study provides insight into the unique considerations associated with responding to crises among risk-related industries. Given the often-negative image associated with risk industries, crises may be a context for improving existing public perceptions by demonstrating a commitment to responding to crises effectively.

The Academy versus the Profession: A Comparative Analysis of Ethical Discussion in Public Relations Publications • Michael A. Mitrook and Benton Danner, University of Florida • Content analysis concerning the nature of ethical discussion in both peer reviewed public relations journals and public relations industry publications. Of the 35,944 articles from four scholarly journals and four industry publications covering the period 1998-2005, 1057 mentioned ethics in some substantive way and were further analyzed in four categories: appeal to a normative ethical theory; mention of a code of ethics; mention of metaethical issues; and relating ethics to a particular public relations theory.

Cultivation of Relationships as Resource Management: Employee-organization Relationships (EOR) in the Context of Globalization • Lan Ni, University of Texas at San Antonio • Applying the framework of resource management to the cultivation of relationships for achieving organizational goals, this study examined how the cultivation of employee-organization relationships (EOR) was influenced by globalization strategies. Findings from 60 interviews in 14 organizations suggested that the process of cultivating EOR indeed reflected the demands of globalization strategies. Organizations focused on different dimensions of EOR cultivation, demonstrating a visible effort of public relations to build resources that could contribute to organizational effectiveness.

The Link Between Strong Public Relationships and Donor Support • Julie O’Neil, Texas Christian University • Based upon a mail survey completed by 275 donors of a non-profit organization, this study measured the association between perceptions of public relationships and donor support. A modified version of Hon and J.E. Grunig’s (1999) relationship scale was used. Results of one-way analyses of variance indicate that strong public relationships are not related to amount donated, but they are associated with years of support, happiness to continue donating, and happiness to recommend others to donate.

A New Typology of Risk Communication Process Variables • Michael J. Palenchar and Elizabeth A. Crisp, University of Tennessee • Risk communication process variables are a potentially useful typology for examining the strategic creation of risk communication messages and audience responses. Based on a literature review across disciplines, this meta-analysis identifies a new typology of psychometric and other risk communication process variables categorized by control, trust, context, uncertainty and knowledge. The authors also advocate for more reflection and review of risk communication research literature to systematically address present and future research needs in the field.

Roles and Blogs in Public Relations • Lance V. Porter, Kaye D. Trammell, Louisiana State University and Deborah Chung, University of Kentucky • A national email survey of public relations practitioners investigated the use and perceptions of weblogs or blogs and how that use is related to roles and status. Cluster analysis challenged Porter and Sallot’s 2003 roles typology, reverting to the previous manager-technician dichotomy. While blog use was on par with national audiences, practitioners were maintaining mostly personal blogs and using blogs professionally at low levels. Furthermore, women lagged behind men in the strategic use of blogs.

Public Participation: An Experimental Test of Stage of Involvement and Power Sharing on Satisfaction • Kristina M. Ray, David M. Dozier, Glen M. Broom and C. Richard Hofstetter, San Diego State University • The normative literature on public participation suggests that stakeholder satisfaction increases (a) when decision-making power is shared and (b) the public participates early in the decision-making process. In an experiment, 804 subjects were randomly assigned to groups and exposed to four treatments where power sharing and stage of public involvement were systematically manipulated.

The Dialogic Characteristic of NGO Web sites and The Concept of Interactivity • Hakimeh Saghaye-Biria and Foad Izadi, Louisiana State University • This study examined the interactive potential of the Web sites of 50 non-governmental organizations to understand how they are building dialogic relationships online. The data suggest that while most NGO organizations meet the technical and design aspects of dialogic communication – here referred to as user-to-system interactivity – they are not taking full advantage of the two-way communication potential of the Internet.

Claimsmaking and Mountaintop Removal Mining: A Frame Mapping Analysis of PR Material from the Coal Industry and Environmental Activists • Marc C. Seamon, Marshall University • This study is a computer-assisted analysis of how claimsmakers frame mountaintop removal mining in PR materials designed to influence public opinion and policy. The frames used by competing claimsmakers and the words that comprise those frames are identified. Abstract patterns of usage and association among the frames are documented and made visual through 3-D interactive graphs. Interpretation is provided of the frames and their associative patterns. Implications for PR practitioners and researchers are discussed.

A Qualitative Analysis of Fund Raiser Roles and Experiences at Public Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) • Natalie T. J. Tindall, University of Maryland • According to fund raising theory, the chief fund raiser should be a member of the dominant coalition for any advancement of fund raising effort to succeed (L. A. Grunig, J. E. Grunig, & Dozier, 2002; J. E. Grunig, 1992; Kelly, 1998). This paper examines the experiences of 27 institutional advancement officers at public historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs).1 The fund raisers enacted the expert prescriber, problem-solving facilitator, and technician roles described by Kelly (1998).

Perception of Public Relations: An Experiment Testing the Impact of Entertainment Portrayals of the Profession on Students and Practitioners • Kaye D. Trammell, University of Georgia and Lisa K. Lundy, Louisiana State University • In this pre/posttest experimental design involving practitioners (n =28), public relations majors (n=39), communication majors (n=33), and non-majors (n=40), researchers investigated the impact of entertainment portrayals of the public relations profession. Findings indicate that while all groups believe the portrayal of the profession in the stimulus was inaccurate, participants allowed the entertainment program to cloud their perception of public relations. Respondents experienced third-person effects but the phenomenon dissipated as one’s connection to the profession decreased.

Impact of Blogs on Relationship Management during a Crisis • Kaye D. Trammell, University of Georgia and Emily Metzgar, Louisiana State University • Using a post-test only experimental design with control group, this study investigated the impact of blogs on relationship management during a crisis. Participants (N = 109) were exposed to a personal blog (n = 45), organizational blog (n = 46), or control (n = 18). Results indicate blogs impact the perception of the level of crisis an organization experiences. Additionally, relationships created through blogs impact the perception of crisis. Use and credibility were also investigated.

Toward a Social Construction of the Field of Global Public Relations: A Case of Female Practitioners in Russia • Katerina Tsetura, University of Oklahoma • Social construction was used to develop a theoretical framework for studying multiple identities of public relations practitioners, based on professional, cultural, and gender characteristics, as a foundation for reconceptualization of the public relations field. Results of interviews and focus groups with female practitioners from Russia reported. This project provided baseline to systematically explore multiple identities of professionals and showed how the proposed framework can be used to understand public relations as a socially constructed field.

Women’s Meaning-making of Cervical Cancer Campaigns: Using a Cultural Approach to Reframe Women’s Involvement with their Health • Jennifer Vardeman, University of Maryland • This study extended the situational theory of publics to understand how women from different racial and ethnic backgrounds seek information about cervical cancer. Qualitative focus groups and in-depth interviews were employed with African American, Hispanic, Indian, and White women. Findings suggest that women represent both aware and latent publics because of differences in problem recognition and level of involvement. Furthermore, women tend to group reproductive health issues together rather than separating them.

“My Grandmother Ate Fish Her Whole Life and There Isn’t Anything Wrong With Her”: An Exploratory Study of How Women Perceive Contradictory Messages in Media about Fish Consumption • Jennifer Vardeman and Linda Aldoory, University of Maryland • This study employed focus groups with women to examine their perceptions of contradictory information portrayed in media about fish consumption. The situational theory of publics provided a theoretical framework in that women’s perceptions were understood in terms of how much they recognized eating fish to be a problem, how personally relevant the problem of eating fish was for them, and whether they perceived barriers to eating fish safely.

Priming, Framing and Position on Corporate Social Responsibility • Alex Wang, University of Connecticut-Stamford • This study tested the effects of priming, framing, and position on how participants judged a target corporation: effects produced by statements that focused on issues of corporate social responsibility (CSR) within a context without mentioning a target corporation (priming) and effects produced by stories that linked the target corporation to CSR issues through negatively framed news (framing).

Telling the American Story to the World: The Purpose of U.S. Public Diplomacy in Historical Perspective • Jian Wang, Purdue University • This paper seeks to provide a critical reflection on the mission and function of U.S. public diplomacy through an examination of the manifest mandate of the three major institutional settings for such international outreach programs, i.e., Committee on Public Information, Office of War Information, and the United States Information Agency. Through historical synthesis, this discussion aims to enrich our understanding of current and long-standing issues regarding the concept of public diplomacy.

Blogging 101: Issues and Approaches to Teaching Blog Management in Public Relations Courses • Richard D. Waters and Jennifer A. Robinson, University of Florida • As the social impact of blogging continues to grow, public relations practitioners must be prepared to develop and manage constituency relationships by managing and responding to blogs. This paper highlights how blog writing/management can be purposefully incorporated in public relations curricula, including a sample assignment. Results of informal interviews (n = 28) with students enrolled in a public relations writing course are reported and a variety of issues raised by students are discussed.

Measuring the Donor-Nonprofit Organization Relationship: The Impact of Relationship Cultivation on Donor Renewal • Richard D. Waters, University of Florida • Through the use of organization-public relationship measures developed by Grunig and Hon (1999), this project examined the value of the donor-nonprofit organization relationship. A survey of donors (n = 120) for a California-based healthcare organization revealed that major gift donors and repeat donors were more likely to have stronger feelings of trust, satisfaction, commitment, and balanced power than normal donors and one-time donors, respectively.

Beyond Counting: The Use of Press Clippings as a Measurement Tool • Brinn Wellise and Jennifer Greer, University of Nevada, Reno • A survey of a randomly selected sample of PRSA members found that practitioners deem press clippings, despite their simplicity, as an important and frequently used measurement tool. Practitioners counted press clippings and used more complex levels of clip analysis; those techniques combined ranked near the top of a list of what some have seen as “more sophisticated” PR measurement tools. Long-time and more upper-level practitioners placed less value on clippings than other professionals surveyed.

Constructing a Cultural Definition of Public Relations: A Textual Analysis of The New York Times • Candace White and Cheryl Ann Lambert, University of Tennessee • This study examined how public relations is contextually defined, using newspaper articles as cultural texts, to determine how readers would derive meaning of the term. Public relations was frequently used as an adjective to ascribe negative meaning to the noun it modified, and the media definitions, and therefore the cultural perceptions of public relations, do not often match textbook definitions. Newspaper readers would make negative inferences about public relations.

The Moral Development of Public Relations Practitioners: A Comparison with Other Professions • Lee Wilkins, University of Missouri and Renita Coleman, University of Texas-Austin • This study gathered baseline data on the moral development of 84 public relations professionals. The PR practitioners in this study scored sixth highest among professionals tested, ranking behind seminarians/philosophers, medical students, physicians, journalists, and dental students, but above nurses, graduate students, undergraduate college students, veterinary students, and adults in general. They performed significantly better when the ethical dilemmas were about public relations issues than when they were not.

<< 2006 Abstracts

Media Ethics 2006 Abstracts

Media Ethics Division

The Virtuous Advocate versus The Pathological Partisan: A Model of Opposing Archetypes of Public Relations and Advertising Practitioners (A Virtue Ethics Approach to Applied Ethics for Public Relations and Advertising Practitioners) • Sherry Baker, Brigham Young University • Drawing upon contemporary virtue ethics theory (including care, dependency, humility, humane concern, v-rules, and narrative unity) a graphic model of diametrically opposed archetypes of public relations and advertising practitioners is developed. Profiles of the Virtuous Advocate (representing advocacy virtues) and the Pathological Partisan (representing opposing vices) are introduced. One becomes a Virtuous Advocate or Pathological Partisan by habitually enacting the virtues or vices in the context of practices. Includes suggestions for further virtue ethics research.

A Theory of Journalism • Sandra L. Borden, Western Michigan University • This paper attempts to define journalism by sketching a theory that links the purpose and product of journalism in a meaningful way. Relying on a communitarian account of participatory citizenship and Code’s (1987) notion of epistemic responsibility, this theory proposes that journalism’s purpose is to help citizens know well in the public sphere.

Separating rumors from news but not entirely from journalism • Karen Boyajy and Lee Wilkins, University of Missouri • This study is the first to examine how journalists evaluate rumors. Respondents connected investigating and reporting on rumors with issues of craft—particularly standards of verification—and with truth telling. However, rumors about celebrities were ranked first in terms of stories that need investigation, surpassing topics such as the private lives of public figures and bomb threats. Respondents generally supported debunking rumors but not educating audiences as important journalistic roles.

Propaganda Analysis: A Case Study Of The U.S. Department Of Education’s Minority Outreach Campaign Promoting The No Child Left Behind Act • Bonnie Ann Cain, Oklahoma State University • This study provides a comprehensive examination of the Department of Education’s controversial promotion of No Child Left Behind by employing Jowett and O’Donnell’s 10-point propaganda framework. Arguments that the campaign is propaganda are supported by the campaign’s fit with expectations of propaganda. This case study provides a backdrop for discussion of PR’s role in promoting policy and emerging guidelines for future government PR contracts.

Walking the (Border) Line: Press Coverage of Activist Groups on the Arizona/Mexico Border • Cari Lee Skogberg Eastman, University of Colorado • A battle over migration is brewing in the Arizona desert as advocates of opposing approaches to border policy reform vie for media publicity of their ideals. Through content analysis and correspondence with journalists, this study examines the representation of three activist groups in Arizona’s two largest newspapers, and argues that a civic journalism – through its deep involvement with the community – naturally includes a wider, more equitable representation of voices than traditional utilitarian newsroom approaches.

Political Consulting: The Rise of Professionalism, The Question of Ethics • Michelle Honald, University of Oregon • Content analysis concerning the nature of ethical discussion in political consulting was conducted on a total of 1066 articles from two scholarly journals and one professional trade publication during the period 1995-2005. Of the 1006 articles, 32 mentioned ethics in some substantive way. The articles were further divided into four categories: normative appeals; mention of a code of ethics; discussion of meta-ethical issues; and relation of ethics to academic theory.

Anonymous sources and readership credibility: A qualitative investigation of the barriers to newspaper believability • Tom Hrach and Stephen Siff, Ohio University • Media professionals have reacted to recent declines in media credibility by calling for a reduction of the number of anonymous sources used in news articles. Despite journalists’ belief that anonymous sources present a credibility problem, nonjournalists in focus groups said anonymous sources were only one issue affecting media credibility. More important barriers to credibility included inadequate branding, sourcing and quality of information.

The Green River Confession: News Treatment of Victims and Co-victims • Sue Lockett John, University of Washington • The November, 2003, confessions of Northwest serial killer Gary Ridgway focused intensive media attention on the deaths of more than 48 female victims many years before. In such situations, journalists’ deadline-driven demands to inform the public can conflict with survivors’ needs to avoid re-victimization though loss of privacy, painful word associations, and other triggers of post-traumatic stress.

To Publish or Not to Publish: The Muhammad Cartoon Dilemma • Jenn Burleson Mackay, The University of Alabama • Newspapers inspired Middle Eastern violence and controversy after they published political cartoons depicting Islam’s Muhammad. This paper considers how newspaper editors could have used several ethical models to decide whether they should publish the cartoons. Several ethical models are discussed and applied to the cartoon dilemma. The paper concludes with a comparison of how the models arrive at different decisions that allow the journalist to be ethical regardless of whether he publishes the cartoons.

Transparency: An Assessment of the Kantian Roots of a Key Element in Media Ethics Practice • Patrick Lee Plaisance, Colorado State University • This study argues that the notion of transparency requires reconsideration as an essence of ethical agency. It provides a brief explication of the concept of transparency, rooted in the “principle of human dignity” of Immanuel Kant, and suggests that it has been inadequately appreciated by media ethics scholars and instructors more focused on relatively simplistic applications of his categorical imperative.

Dimensions of Journalistic Messenger Transparency • Chris Roberts, University of South Carolina • While other disciplines have operationalized the term “transparency,” journalism scholars have not explicated dimensions of transparency. This paper suggests that media scholars should use David Berlo’s “source-message-channel-receiver” communication model to discuss a continuum of journalistic transparency attributes. It uses that model to explicate nine dimensions of journalism messenger transparency, notes transparency’s connections to Rawls’ “Veil of Ignorance,” and suggests further research is needed to explore the assumed relationship between transparency and credibility.

“Secret” Casualties: Images of Injury and Death in the Iraq War Across Media Platforms • B. William Silcock and Carol B. Schwalbe, Arizona State University and Susan Keith, Rutgers University • This study examined more than 2,500 images from U.S. television news, newspapers, news magazines, and online news sites during the first five weeks of the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in and found that only 10 percent showed injury or death. The paper analyzes which media platforms were most willing to show casualties.

Confidence in the Press, Attitudes about Press Freedom, and the Third Person Effect: A Preliminary Exploration using Secondary Survey Data • Derigan A. Silver, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill • Third-person effect—the hypothesis that people overestimate the influence that communications have on the attitudes of others—suggests the possibility that individuals will want to censor the press if they view its messages as having a negative impact on others or if they view media coverage of their group or cause as being biased.

Loath to admit: pressures on ethical disclosure of news release sources • Peter Simmons, Charles Sturt University, AUSTRALIA • Non-disclosure of third-party news sources deceives the public and is ethically objectionable. The S.967 Pre-packaged News Stories Bill endorsed the principle of self-regulation by US journalists when disclosing the source of government news releases. The PRSA and RTNDA advocate disclosure of source to the public, but their members perceive advantages in non-disclosure. PR values the credibility of implied news organization endorsement. Journalists resist being seen to be using PR as a source for their news.

Truth and Transparency: Bloggers’ Challenge to Professional Autonomy in Defining and Enacting Two Journalistic Norms • Jane B. Singer, University of Iowa • Commitments to truth and to “transparency” or public accountability are two central normative aspects of professional journalism. This paper considers ways in which both are challenged and complemented by other communicators, particularly bloggers. It proposes that while all professions claim autonomy over articulation and enactment of their own norms, the Internet environment is one in which definitions of professional constructs are open to reinterpretation and in which oversight of professional behavior is shared.

Construction of the Truth and Destruction of A Million Little Pieces: Framing in the Editorial Response to the James Frey Case • Nicole Elise Smith, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill • The notion of truth is central to our modern principles of objective journalism. A recent case has called into question the value that we, societally speaking, place on the truth. This study seeks to understand how editorial writers reacted to and subsequently framed the notion of “truth” within the context of the James Frey case. The qualitative, framing analysis examines editorials with the purpose of providing an understanding of the news frame surrounding the “truth.”

Stakeholder Theory and Media Management: An Ethical Framework for News Company Executives • Reuben J. Stern, University of Missouri • Contrary to stockholder theories that place the interests of profit-seeking owners above all else, stakeholder theorists argue that corporate executives have moral and ethical obligations to consider equally the interests of a wide range of stakeholders affected by the actions of a corporation. This paper argues that the stakeholder approach is particularly appropriate for the governance of news media companies. The paper then outlines an ethical framework to guide news company executives.

The TARES Test as an Ethical Analysis Tool: Assessing the Ethicality of Direct Response Television Programs • Ken Waters and Jamie Melton, Pepperdine University • In recent years, scholars have proposed several “tests” for determining the ethicality of persuasive mediated messages. Baker & Martinson (2001) suggest a five-part test called the TARES test. Eight one-hour special reports prepared by international aid organization World Vision were studied. The researchers note that the TARES test can be used to assess the ethicality of persuasive messages, but dialogue with the messages’ creators is necessary to achieve a useful assessment for pedagogical purposes.

Media Literacy as Trust Builder: How media education can foster critical and sympathetic news audiences • Wendy N. Wyatt, University of St. Thomas • One root of journalism’s credibility crisis can be found in the media illiteracy of its audiences. Therefore, part of the solution rests in educating audiences about the work journalists do. This calls for adjustments to conventional wisdom about media literacy. In addition to providing adversarial tools to critique the press, media literacy should also provide sympathetic tools to understand it. Efforts at foundational media literacy are steps toward reestablishing trust between the media and citizens.

<< 2006 Abstracts

Communication Technology 2006 Abstracts

Communication Technology Division (CTEC)

Municipal Broadband Services: Government Supply as Panacea to Market Failure in the Provision of High Speed Internet service to Underserved and Unserved Communities • Abubakar Alhassan, Florida • Broadband’s higher speed and greater bandwidth distinguishes it from the hitherto slow, limited bandwidth dial-up service. Although the US is the cradle of the Internet, but OECD reports show that it now lacks behind other nations in broadband deployment, a development blamed on market failure characterized by the commercial ISPs’ refusal to deploy broadband to certain communities. This paper examines the provision of broadband by municipalities as the policy panacea for the market failure.

Utility vs. Commodity: Framing the Provision of Broadband • John Anderson, Illinois at Urbana-Champaign • The importance of broadband connectivity is growing, and while universal service is a national priority incumbent telecommunications service providers are not moving in this direction. This leads to public and non-profit entities working to correct this market failure. Incumbents have responded with a political offensive swiped largely from the playbook of the electric power industry some 100 years ago. Ultimately, the question of broadband provision may be settled at the national level.

Revisiting the Issue of Blog Credibility: A National Survey • Stephen Banning, Bradley and Kaye Trammell, Louisiana State • This study investigated the relationship between credibility, third-person effect, and blog use. Through a national phone survey (N = 575), researchers found support for all hypotheses. While credibility was neutral overall, blog authors assessed blogs as being more credible than non-bloggers, and credibility correlated with likelihood to act (behavior). Third-person effect was found in reference to blogs and it correlated with blog credibility and likelihood to act. Findings and future research are discussed.

Value and Digital Rights Management: A Social Economics Approach • Benjamin Bates, Tennessee-Knoxville • Current copyright overemphasizes financial return compared to alternative sources of value (both social and private) deriving from information use. I use an approach designed to emphasize those other aspects of value and consider the implications of current and proposed Digital Rights Management (DRM) approaches for the creation of social value. I conclude that while most DRM approaches actually exacerbate conditions, DRM also offers the potential for an irights system that more fully incorporates social value.

Generation iPod: An Exploratory Study of Podcasting’s ‘Innovators’ • David Brown, Texas at Austin • Podcasting has become one of the most heavily hyped media concepts in recent years, billed as the latest digital-age threat to “old-media”. Yet almost nothing is known about listeners, their habits, or podcast demand. This exploratory study offers one of the first snapshots of real-world podcast use among its earliest adopters. The results suggest surprising gender and other distinctions between listeners and non-listeners, barriers to experimentation, and fading interest after initial podcast use.

Pioneers in the Blogosphere: Profiling the Early Adopters of Weblogs • Byeng-Hee Chang and Trent Seltzer, Florida • Weblogs, or “blogs,” are increasing in their use, visibility, and impact. Using the Innovation Diffusion Theory literature as a theoretical framework, a secondary analysis of data gathered by the Pew Internet and American Life Project indicated that there are significant differences between adopters and non-adopters of weblogs in terms of demographic profile, innovativeness, use of other new communication technologies, and Internet use.

A Multinational Study on Online Privacy: Global Concerns and Local Responses • Hichang Cho, Rivera Milagros and Sun Sun Lim, National University of Singapore • Using a survey on 1261 Internet users from five international cities—Bangalore, Seoul, Singapore, Sydney, and New York, we examined international Internet users’ perception and behavioral responses concerning online privacy. We found that online privacy was a “global human rights issue” affecting almost all Internet users worldwide, but the way individuals perceived and coped with it varied across a host of micro-macro level factors such as demographics, Internet expertise, nationality, and cultural values.

Extending Technology Acceptance Model With Social And Organizational Variables • Siyoung Chung, National University of Singapore • The purpose of this study is to empirically examine the differential influences of a comprehensive set of technology acceptance attributes on both adoption and usage behavior. A mail survey was conducted with the employees (n = 108) who were the active sales of a large corporation in the U.S, which recently introduced a web-based sales system. The findings demonstrated that attitudinal, social, and organizational variables selectively influenced technology adoption and usage behavior.

News as a Process: A New Approach to the Political Economy of Communication • Lori Cooke-Scott, Ryerson • This paper proposes a unified theory of the political economy of news communication, encompassing changing realities in technology, market capitalism and everyday life. A central feature is its treatment of news as a process of exchange rather than a product to be exchanged. A processive approach is needed to understand the structural transformation of the news industry, the shift in power relations among producers and consumers, and the revolution in audience agency and community formation.

Is Seeing–or Hearing–Believing?: Reactions to Listening to the 2004 Presidential Debates With and Without Video • Mike Dorsher, Wisconsin-Eau Claire • In a quasi-experimental study inspired by the Kennedy-Nixon “Great Debate,” 175 participants from a mid-size Midwestern university either watched the 2004 presidential debates on TV or listened to them without the video. The data yielded few significant differences between debate viewers and listeners. Candidate debate performances rated high on “presidential” qualities and eloquence best predicted the debate winner.

Can Billie-Jo sell wine? The Effects of Social Category Cues and Rich Media in E-commerce Websites • Edward Downs, Sampada Marathe, Bimal Balakrishnan and Suellen Hopfer, Penn State • Do social category cues and richness of media affect website perceptions and memory in E-commerce? If so, how do these variables relate to product price sensitivity? An eight-condition mixed-model experiment was designed to test these questions. A significant three-way interaction effect was detected, driven by a rich media by product interaction effect when holding source constant. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed as well as limitations and directions for future research.

Sociology of News and New Media: How the Blogosphere Transforms Journalism and Changes News • Ivan Dylko and Gerald Kosicki, Ohio State • Political blogs have recently demonstrated an ability to affect public discourse, especially during the 2004 presidential election. In this paper we examined implications of the blogosphere for the sociology of news. A case study of the CBS’ 60 Minutes segment about George W. Bush was used to demonstrate that journalists used information from blogosphere and that blogs could break stories faster than traditional media and successfully push them onto media’s agenda.

Is the Internet an Agent of Empowerment in News Making? A Case Study of Chinese Journalists • Li Fu, Chinese University of Hong Kong • This study adopts the mediationist perspective to explore the impact of the Internet on Chinese journalists. It finds that, the Internet has made an impact on news making, however, its power is limited, affected by constraining and facilitating factors at the individual, organization, and institutional levels; the Internet therefore empowers journalists in a situational way, characterized as time-specific, genre-specific, media status-specific, and location-specific. Such situational empowerment is mainly driven by commercialization and propaganda reforms.

A Ten-Year Profile of the Democratic Agency of the Internet in 152 Countries • Jacob Groshek, Indiana • Since its inception, the internet has been lauded as a potent democratizing agent. Using macro-level data from 1994 to 2003, this study examined the extent to which the internet has fulfilled this promise. In the 152 countries included in this study, increased internet diffusion was not shown to be a meaningful predictor of more democratic regimes or diminished government control of the press. It did, however, show strong, positive relationships with economic growth.

Unraveling Uses And Effects Of An Interactive Cancer Communication System • Jeong-Yeob Han, Robert Hawkins, Bret Shaw, Suzanne Pingree, Fiona McTavish and David Gustafson, Wisconsin • As part of an effort to understand uses and effects of an Interactive Cancer Communication System (ICCS), the purpose of current study is to explore the relationships between different use patterns and subsequent changes in patients’ health outcomes. By examining different use patterns, this study revealed effective styles of use that are associated with benefits. Both theoretical and practical implications for eHealth research and evaluation are discussed.

Blogs in the Media Conversation: The Knowledge Factor in the Diffusion Process • Nanette Hogg, Carol Lomicky, Ruth Brown and Syed Hossain, Nebraska-Kearney • A content analysis of 1,168 stories in seven media outlets found blogs first mentioned in 2000. The number of stories mentioning blogs tripled every year until 2004 when the rate of increase slowed. Researchers concluded media provided knowledge about blogs as an innovation, consistent with the first step identified by Rogers in the innovation-decision process. Qualitative analysis revealed media generally discussed blogging in positive terms.

Exploring E-gov Online Structures for Citizen Participation • Min Jiang, Purdue • Acknowledging that Internet architecture, far from being value free, are results of deliberate choices, the paper utilizes website content analysis to examine the online structures for citizen participation on 30 Chinese provincial government websites. Their potentials and limits for democratic practices in the neo-authoritarian state are evaluated through a revised UN e-participation framework. Although not implemented to promote democracy, some features of the websites online structures grant cautious optimism for more open and responsible governance.

Creating a Web of Trust and Change: Testing the Gamson Hypothesis on Politically Interested Internet Users • Tom Johnson, Southern Illinois and Barbara Kaye, Tennessee-Knoxville and Daekyung Kim, Southern Illinois • Creating a Web of Trust and Change This study used an online survey of politically interested Internet users to examine the Gamson hypothesis that those who are low in political trust and high in political self-efficacy can be most easily mobilized into political action. Internet users in general were almost equally divided between being an Assured (high in trust and efficacy) and a Dissident (low in trust and efficacy).

Posting and Reading Personal Messages: The Motivation of Personal Blog Use and The Effects of Personal Blog Use on Users’ Loneliness, Belonging and Well-Being in Real Life • Younbo Jung, Hayeon Song and Peter Vorderer, Southern California • The purpose of the current paper is to develop a theoretical model that explains the motivation of personal Blog use (Impression Management, Voyeuristic Surveillance, and Social Comparison) and the effects of personal Blog use on offline life (loneliness, belonging, and psychological well-being). The proposed model for Study 1 (N=73) and Study 2 (N=531) were tested via an online survey of Blog users in Cyworld. Implications based on the findings are discussed.

Influences of Online Chat Use on Social Support and Psychosocial Well-Being • Seok Kang, Arkansas Tech • This study explores the role of disembodiment—telepresence in cyberspace—in online chat use and its effects on social psychosocial well-being. Results suggest that disembodiment in online interaction is a compelling contributor to increased loneliness and depression and decreased social support.

Abandoning Traditional News Media?: Factors Influencing the Time Displacement Effects of Online News • Daekyung Kim and Tom Johnson, Southern Illinois • This study surveys 266 college students to examine which factors, such as reliance, interactive use, motivations, and credibility of online news, predict perceived displacement effects of mainstream, portal news sites, and blogs on traditional news media. The study shows mixed findings and suggests that displacement effects vary by reliance, motivations, and credibility of each online news sites. Discussions about the relationship between online news sites and traditional media are followed.

When the Public Has the Press: An Analysis of Bloggers and Their Blogging Activities in the 2004 U.S • Eunseong Kim, Indiana • This study examines bloggers and their blogging activities during the 2004 U.S. presidential campaign. The analysis of an online survey of 270 bloggers provides valuable information about bloggers’ weblog activities, their motivations for blogging, political orientation, and the pattern of media use. The findings indicate that bloggers played active roles as information providers (or communicators in the participatory media) and as contributors of civic discourse.

Effects of Cognitive Busyness and Computer Modality on Gender Stereotyping of Computers • Eun-Ju Lee, California-Davis • Two experiments tested the mindlessness explanation for the Computers Are Social Actors paradigm. In Experiment 1, participants played a trivia game with a computer, which they thought generated random answers. They attributed greater competence and conformed more to the male than the female computers, but only when cognitively busy with a secondary task. However, when the computer produced its output in synthesized speech, as opposed to written text, such advantages of the male computer dissipated.

Philosophy and Network Structure: A Case Study of Japan’s i-Mode and Wi-Fi in the U.S. • Hoon Lee and Yong Jin Park, Michigan • This study examines how philosophical outlooks of societies influence the development of network systems. A comparison between i-Mode and Wi-Fi demonstrates that culture, which conspired to either hamper or accelerate the Internet diffusion, influences the configuration of wireless networks in each country. Hierarchical Japanese culture transformed the architecture of the Internet. In the US, the legacy of hacker reanimated grassroots movements toward free Wi-Fi network. Policy implications of technological designs are discussed.

Blog agenda: What did they blog about in the 2004 U.S. Presidential Election? • Jae Kook Lee, Texas at Austin • This study investigates the way that political blogs prioritize a variety of public issues in comparison with mainstream media. With an analysis of news coverage of blogs and mainstream media in the 2004 U.S. Presidential Election, the study found that the priority, or the agenda, of blogs are similar to that of mainstream media. Furthermore, the study found that political blogs cover the election with virtually the same agenda, regardless of their political leaning.

Viewer Privacy over Cable, Satellite, the Internet, and other MVPDs: The Need for Uniform Regulator • Laurie Lee, Nebraska-Lincoln • Television viewers can now watch shows over a variety of distribution formats, including telephone, broadband Internet, and cellular phone, from many multichannel video program distributors (MVPDs). Unfortunately, subscribers also risk their privacy to MVPDs capable of collecting vast amounts of viewing data. Federal laws protect cable and satellite subscribers, but do not necessarily extend to all MVPDs. This paper examines these laws and proposes uniform federal legislation protecting all video consumers regardless of transmission medium.

The Effects of 3G License Fees on the Mobile Markets in OECD Countries • Sangwon Lee, Florida • Over the last several years, a large number of licenses for 3G services have been awarded through various approaches. This article presents an empirical analysis of the potential effects of 3G license fees on mobile markets in OECD countries. The findings herein reveal that 3G license fees have affected mobile prices in OECD countries, which may imply that large initial down-payments have an adverse effect on the growth of 3G services.

The Development of Mobile Television: Examining the Convergence of Mobile and Broadcasting Services • Sangwon Lee and Sylvia Chan-Olmsted, Florida • The convergence of mobile and broadcasting services may deliver a driver for dramatic growth in the telecommunications sector. It is said that Korean DMB system is the most commercially successful mobile television services worldwide today. We explore the factors that influence the development of the Korean DMB market and their implications. It was found that the combination of broadcasting and mobile telephone in the context of mobile television presents a classic case of “complementary convergence.”

Mobile Phone Diffusion in Developed and Developing Countries: Digital Divide, Factor, and Difference • Yang-Hwan Lee, South Carolina • This study identified the exist of digital divide between 23 developed and 54 developing countries in mobile phone diffusion during 1996-2002. In addition, factors that known to the influential affecting ICT diffusion were tested. According to the empirical test, the digital divide in mobile phone diffusion still existed and had been widen. Based on the panel regression, it was found that economy, technology, and regulation factors affected mobile diffusion. Time effect existed, but was minimal.

Predictors of Cell Phone Use as a News Device • Xigen Li, Southern Illinois • Building on the theoretical framework drawn from diffusion of innovation, technology acceptance model and expectancy-value model, this study proposed and tested a model of cell phone use as a news device. Technology functionality, information accessibility and user technology initiative were found to be significant predictors of cell phone use as a news device. Perceived value of information, news reliance and news consumption were not significant predictors of cell phone use as a news device.

College Students’ Use of iPods: Connecting iConsumption to iPiracy • Lisa Marshall, Bowling Green State • The purpose of this paper is to analyze the iPod as a tool of communication for college students and explore connections it has to the Diffusion of Innovations Theory. This paper provides an iPod overview, shows connections to piracy and the theory, and presents findings to a survey completed by 100 college students. Seventy-three percent of students reported they never pay music used on the iPod, seeking ways other than purchase to obtain iPod media.

The Source Cycle: Intermedia Agenda-Setting Between the Traditional Media and Weblogs • Marcus Messner and Marcia Watson, Miami • This study examined the intermedia agenda-setting effects between the traditional media and weblogs based on the use of one as a source by the other. A content analysis of 2,059 newspaper articles was combined with a separate content analysis of 120 weblogs. It was found that the newspapers increasingly use weblogs as sources and that weblogs heavily rely on the traditional media as sources. Thereby, traditional media and weblogs engage in a source cycle.

Online Journalism and the War in Cyberspace: A Comparison between U.S. and International Newspapers • Matt Neznanski and Daniela Dimitrova, Iowa State • The 2003 Iraq War was the first military conflict in which online media played a significant role. This study explores how the Internet was used to disseminate war news and information by comparing a number of international newspaper Web sites (N=791). Through a content analysis, the study shows some differences in the use of Web-specific features such as hyperlinks, animations, multimedia content, and interactive elements. Differences between U.S. and international Web sites are also discussed.

Uses of the Internet by College Students: Implications for Political Involvement • Kristine Nowak, David Atkin, Christian Rauh and Mark Hamilton, Cleveland State • In this emerging online environment, an intriguing avenue for research involves the relationship between Internet use and political involvement. In an effort to fill that void, the present study explores the extent to which college students rely on the Internet as a channel for political information and the influence that such uses have on their levels of political involvement.

Ruling the Cyber-Cities: When the West and the East Walk Together • Yong Jin Park, Michigan • This study examines the moderating role of culture in promoting or curtailing the convergence of online marketplaces. Drawing upon international regime theory, this study challenges the viability of ‘industry self-regulation’ regime that neglects cultural differences in privacy. A survey compared regulatory perceptions of the US and Korean participants. The aim is to explore the nature of a consensus among policymakers and to measure the effectiveness of the policy in its operation.

The Political Shaping of Municipal Wi-Fi Networks: A Case Study of Hermosa Beach • Namkee Park, Southern California • This study examines the role of local government and its impacts on the municipal Wi-Fi networks’ deployment and operation from the perspectives of social/political shaping of technology and path dependency. By employing a case study method, the study investigates the ways in which the network in Hermosa Beach, CA, has been implemented. It uncovers that the role played by local government still matters even in the era of deregulation and privatization in communication technologies.

Information Technology and Information Literacy in Journalism-Mass Communication Libraries: • Patrick Reakes, Barbara Semonche and Fred Thomsen, Florida • The last decade has been a time of sweeping change in journalism education as well as in the research facilities that support it. The management and use of information technology are critical factors in the promotion and development of information literacy within the journalism-mass communication curriculum. This research was undertaken in an effort to investigate information technology use and information literacy programs in Journalism/Mass Communications libraries and to establish a “baseline” for future research.

The Internet Immersion Divide: A Barrier to Inclusive Online Communities • Louis Rutigliano, Texas at Austin • The concept of Internet immersion looks at the relationship between online access and online activities. It considers Internet immersion as a continuum from passivity to interactivity. This paper finds that people who go online more frequently are more likely to use the Internet for interaction and after comparing offline factors such as income to this continuum, this paper presents a new form of digital divide.

Is it More Fun to Kill Other People? Exploring Video Game Enjoyment in a Variety of Game Modes • Mike Schmierbach and Thomas Butler, College of Charleston • Video games exist to provide players with enjoyment, yet little research has explored what makes a game enjoyable. In this study, we consider how college students (N = 102) respond to one of three play modes in a first-person shooter. Enjoyment is fostered by greater excitement and attachment to avatar and lower frustration, all of which points to the importance of engagement or flow. Gaming experience shapes some responses, but game mode has minimal effects.

Online Citizens and Consequences of Internet Use for Political Participation • Daniel Schneider, Stanford • The Internet offers new opportunities for political dialogue and communication with possible implications for political participation. Using data from General Social Survey of 2000, 2002 and 2004 characteristics of Internet users with and without interest in political online content are investigated and the consequences of Internet use for political participation are examined. Results suggest a selection process for use of the Internet and political online content and that Internet use can increase political participation.

Frame-up: An Analysis of Arguments Both For and Against Municipal Wi-Fi Initiatives • Gwen Shaffer, Temple • Dozens of cities plan to build wireless broadband networks. This textual analysis compares documents used to bolster and break down the case for municipal Wi-Fi. It examines how Wireless Philadelphia uses “public good” principles to frame its argument for a potentially massive taxpayer investment, while the telecommunications industry frames city-run wireless networks as “risky” and unnecessary. Contradictions and inconsistencies in these documents highlight how information is manipulated to influence the debate over Wi-Fi policy.

Dear Radio Broadcaster: Fan Mail as a Form of Perceived Interactivity • Charlene Simmons, Tennessee-Chattanooga • In an attempt to learn more about perceived interactivity this study explores the perceptions of broadcast radio listeners. Early broadcast radio provides an interesting example for exploring interactivity because although the medium lacked interactive features millions of listeners perceived that the opportunity to ‘interact’ with radio personalities existed through fan mail. This study examines listener fan mail as well as radio programs to determine whether radio encouraged a level of perceived interactivity.

Political Web sites: An Equalizer for Candidate Gender and Race Disparities? • Melissa Smith, Mississippi State and Barry Smith, Alabama • This study examines the roles candidate race and gender may play in the evaluation of candidates presented via campaign Web sites. Apparent race and gender of a candidate were manipulated while issue information was held constant on a campaign Web site. The candidate’s gender was shown to affect evaluations of the candidate (positively for female candidates). The candidate’s race did not affect evaluations of the candidate.

Blogging for Better Health: Putting the “Public” Back in Public Health • S. Shyam Sundar, Heidi Hatfield Edwards, Yifeng Hu and Carmen Stavrositu, Penn State • Weblogs are a relatively new and unique online communication tool. This paper examines blogs that focus on mental health issues to better understand the function and content of these particular types of blogs. The researchers discuss theoretical issues surrounding technological and psychological aspects of health blogs and employ quantitative content analysis as well as qualitative textual analysis to determine who mental health bloggers are, why they blog, and the nature of mental health blogs.

Framing of Tsunami Bloggers: A Study of Print Newspapers from Four Countries • Renuka Suryanarayan, Ohio • The purpose was to see if blogs had become important journalistic sources in newspaper reporting of the tsunami, 2004. The coverage by the New York Times, the Daily Mail, London, the Times of India, and the Daily News, Sri Lanka, was content analyzed. Two findings were 1) that technology does not change journalists’ routine in Eastern and in Western countries; and 2) that the number of tsunami deaths in a country had no correlation to media salience.

An Experiment Testing the Agenda-Setting Effect of Blogs • Kaye Trammell, Louisiana State • This study explored the agenda-setting effect of communication style and interactivity on blogs among young people. As a multi-cell experiment on undergraduate students, this study exposed participants to blog posts that discuss an issue in 1). an anecdotal manner told from a first-person perspective or 2). report-like manner discussing facts and statistics about an issue. Results confirm the agenda-setting power of blogs, but find mixed results regarding the hypothesized impact of communication style and interactivity.

Credibility and the Uses of Blogs Among Professionals in the Communication Industry • Kaye Trammell, Lance Porter, Deborah Chung and Eunseong Kim, Louisiana State • Communication professionals are beginning to take note of blogs as more turn to them for information and deem blogs “credible.” Using an online survey of professionals in journalism and public relations, this study investigated the use of blogs within the communication industry. Factor analysis revealed simplistic blog use categorizations as being either passive or active. Results also indicate that those who are labeled “high users” in both factors assign more credibility to the medium.

From Yahoo! to AAARGH: Developments in the French Approach Towards Blocking Hate Speech • Bastiaan Vanacker, Minnesota • This paper discusses a recent case in which a French court ordered local ISPs to block certain American Web sites because they violate French hate speech law. It discusses how French courts have dealt with similar issues in the past and compares these approaches with the recent one. It also discusses the technological issues relating to destination ISP blocking brought up by such blocking orders.

Ethical and Strategic Messages: Frames and Learning in a Mixed Media Context • Aaron Veenstra, Ben Sayre, Dhavan Shah and Doug McLeod, Wisconsin • Many people consider strategic framing harmful to democracy because it erodes citizen interest in the democratic process. Our results demonstrate that this is not always the case. Testing the effects of textual strategic frames and video processing in a digital environment, we show that strategic frames may also provide a context that is more conducive to learning in mixed media news environments than that provided by ethical or value frames.

The Diffusion of GIS in Journalism • Ben Wasike, Texas at Brownsville • This study looked at the likelihood of journalists to adopt GIS and the future of the technology’s diffusion in journalism. In-depth interviews and a Web survey were used. Sixty-three percent of reporters were aware of GIS but only 11% use GIS. OLS regression showed that gender, age, and the use of other technologies affect the likelihood to adopt GIS. The availability of map data, competition, and use of secondary GIS products will affect diffusion.

Internet Gratifications, Media Use and Technology Cluster as Predictors of Wi-Fi Adoption • Ran Wei, South Carolina • The Internet becomes portable thanks to Wi-Fi and Wi-Max. However, existing research shows use of wireless Internet was low. This study explores factors predicting adoption of Wi-Fi powered WLAN. Findings show that low level of Wi-Fi awareness is a hurdle to adoption. Results of multivariate analyses indicate that newspaper reading is a predictor of Wi-Fi awareness. The motivations of information learning and social escapism are the strongest predictors of Wi-Fi interest and adoption likelihood.

The Adoption and Use of Mobile Phone in Rural China: Behavioral and Psychological Factors • Lu Wei, Washington State and Mingxin Zhang, Hubei University • Based on a theoretical model adapted from perceived need theory and original diffusion theory, this study demonstrated that both behavioral and psychological factors may significantly predict Chinese rural resident’s adoption and use of mobile phone. The effect of psychological factors, however, is very limited in the prediction of adoption and use of new media technologies, especially in the context of rural society. The relationships among demographic, behavioral, and psychological factors were discussed.

The Big Three’s Prime Time Decline: The Technological and Social Context • Kenneth Wiegand and Douglas Hindman, Washington State • This paper is an analysis of factors associated with the 25 year decline in the prime time shares of the top three television networks. Time series analysis revealed that share decline was associated with multiple video programming distribution (MVPD) penetration. MVPD penetration and network profits were associated with social differentiation, indicating organizational adjustment to the social environment. Findings were discussed in terms of the principle of relative constancy and open systems models of organizational change.

Perception Gaps of Cyber Public Sphere • Xu Wu, Arizona State • The focus of this research is to explore and compare people’s perception of online sphere as opposed to print media sphere and broadcasting media sphere. Nine attributes were summarized from Jürgen Habermas’s original discussions. A comparative survey study was conducted among some 150 undergraduate journalism students in China and in the United States, respectively. Findings exposed significant perception gaps on cyber sphere’s capacity and performance as a genuine public sphere.

Weblogs as Agents of Political Participation: Mobilizing Information in Weblogs and Print Newspapers • Masahiro Yamamoto, Washington State • Considering the growing popularity of Weblogs for journalistic use, the present study investigated the possibility that Weblogs could become a catalyst for political participation. Examining Weblogs and print newspapers, this content analysis study found more tactical mobilizing information in Weblogs than in print newspapers. This result suggests that Weblogs can potentially function as an alternative information source that encourages citizens to engage in political activities.

Perceived Anonymity and Online Public Disclosure • Haejin Yun and Robert LaRose, Michigan State • This study redefined anonymity as perceived anonymity based on a critique of previous, pertinent empirical studies. The redefined construct of perceived anonymity adopted the Social Information Processing (SIP) model’s approach to computer-mediated communication (CMC). Two competing models of perceived anonymity affecting online public disclosure – a deindividuation model and a SIP-based model – were built and tested with real online social support community data. The SIP-based model was supported with perceived anonymity negatively affecting public disclosure.

<< 2006 Abstracts

Science Communication 2007 Abstracts

Science Communication Interest Group

Print Media Coverage of Passive Smoking: A Content Analysis Study of Mainstream Newspapers • Asya A. Besova, Louisiana State University • The primary objective of this research study was to assess the extent and content of newspaper coverage of passive smoking. The researcher found that passive smoking was portrayed as a controversial issue. Twenty nine percent of articles concluded that passive smoking is not harmful. Although the majority of people quoted in articles were scientists, physicians, and academicians; reporters devoted a considerable amount of quotes to tobacco company representatives.

Perspectives of African Americans and Dentists on Oral Cancer and Dentist-Patient Communication • Youjin Choi, Virginia Dodd, Jennifer Watson, Scott Tomar, Henrietta Logan and Heather Edwards, University of Florida • Oral cancer is one of the most pressing diseases that disproportionately affect African American men and White American men. Dentists’ role in delivering oral cancer information and explaining the importance of early detection exams is vital in reducing the disparities. Using focus groups with African Americans and dentists, this study compared African American’s knowledge about oral cancer and its exams, and perceptions of dentist-patient communication with dentists’ perspectives on the same topics.

To booze or not to booze? Newspaper coverage of fetal alcohol spectrum disorders • Colleen Connolly-Ahern, Penn State University and S. Camille Broadway, University of Texas at Arlington • This paper reports the results of a qualitative framing of the coverage of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD). Findings indicate that media discourse about FASD is characterized by differing story types and competing frames. The study also documents the recent emergence of a news frame in opposition to the prevailing abstinence frame in health coverage. This frame has shown physicians to be conflicted in their advice about drinking during pregnancy.

Precision of Information, Sensationalism, and Self-Efficacy as Message-Level Variables Affecting Risk Perceptions • Michael Dahlstrom and Anthony Dudo, University of Wisconsin-Madison • Risk studies often investigate how risks are processed psychologically, but few have investigated the effects of message-level variables on risk perception. This study examined the effects of three message-level constructs, risk precision, sensationalism and self-efficacy, on general and individual fear toward the risk of sick building syndrome. Results show that risk precision significantly affects general fear, but is moderated by sensationalism. Individual fear was not affected by any of the constructs.

News Frames of Hormone Replacement Therapy Before and After the Women’s Healthy Initiative Report in 2002 • Kenneth Kim, University of Florida • Until July 2002, Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is widely recommended by physicians for reducing the symptoms of menopause. However, in July 2002, there were alarming reports on the long-term HRT use from the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI), a national health study for postmenopausal women. The WHI reported that any potential benefit of HRT might be offset by potential harms, including an increase in the risk of breast cancer, stroke, and heart disease.

Misunderstanding Public Understanding of Nanotechnology: Nanotechnology Researchers’ Views of Ordinary People, Media and Public Discourse • Victoria Kramer, University of South Carolina • Nanotechnology is an emerging technology predicted to have major impacts on society. There are those within the nanotechnology community calling for public involvement, yet there appear to be no studies examining nanotechnology researchers’ views of the public and science communication. This exploratory study examines how nanoresearchers perceive ordinary people, media coverage of nanotechnology and science’s role in society. The findings’ implications for how nanoresearchers are likely to approach science communication are discussed.

Public Concern, Risk Delineation and Source Use in Newspapers’ Coverage of Genetically Modified Food • Xigen LI, Southern Illinois University Carbondale • This study examined ten U.S. newspapers’ coverage of genetically modified food during 1994 and 2004,and attempted to answer several important questions on how U.S. newspapers covered issues of public interest, how media dealt with risk information, and to what degree source used was associated with the key aspects of the coverage.

Understanding Public Support for Stem Cell Research: Media Communication, Interpersonal Communication and Trust in Key Actors • Hui Liu and Susanna Priest, University of South Carolina • This paper analyzes data from a 2005 telephone survey of 1200 people in the U.S. that included questions about attitudes toward stem cell research and a broad range of communication variables. After all controls, trust in university scientists and religious leaders, exposure to national television news, familiarity, and religious service attendance produced statistically significant main effects on perception of research benefits, together explaining about 31% of the variance. Interpersonal communication may have contingent effects.

The Perceived Justice of Local Scientists and Community Support for their Research • Katherine McComas, Cornell University, John Beesley, University of South Carolina and Zheng Yang, Cornell University • This study investigates the relationship among measures of justice and attitudes toward local scientific research. It uses results of a mail survey of residents in two upstate New York counties (N=1306) that host substantial biotechnology and nanotechnology research facilities. Predictor variables are distributional, procedural, interpersonal, and informational justice. Controls include demographics, media use, basic science knowledge, and technology awareness.

Intersections of Health Literacy and Media Literacy: An Explication of Concepts • Paula Rausch, University of Florida • Mass media are the primary means through which most Americans obtain health information, yet research examining their role in health literacy is rare. This explication provides overviews of both health literacy and media literacy and identifies the overlap between them. It then proposes a conceptual definition and an operational model of health literacy that links the two concepts and takes into account mass media as significant providers of public health information.

How Attention to Local Newspaper and Television Environmental News Relates to Risk and Knowledge • Daniel Riffe and Thomas J. Hrach, Ohio University • Survey data compared influence of local television and newspaper environmental coverage, exploring how environmental risk and value of environmental knowledge are related to exposure to news and attention to environmental news and beliefs about its quality. Respondents perceiving greater risk paid more attention and were more critical. Value of environmental knowledge was negatively related to perceived quality of television coverage and positively correlated with attention to newspaper environmental coverage.

Newspaper coverage of genetic modification events in China, Thailand and the United States: Across-cultural analysis • Lu Lu Rodriguez and Zheng Xiang, Iowa State University • This study compares how the English-language newspapers of three countries covered two genetic modification cases, the genetic engineering of rice in China and the US, and the genetic alteration of papaya in Thailand and the US. The intensity of newspaper coverage of each genetic modification event, the pattern and the tone of the coverage, the sources cited, and the frames employed were determined through a content analysis.

Environment Reporters and U.S. Journalists: A Comparative Analysis • David Sachsman, University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, James Simon, Fairfield University and JoAnn Valenti • Reporters assigned to covering a beat like the environment might be expected to be more experienced and better educated in their subject area. However, a comparison between 652 environmental journalists working at daily newspapers and television stations and more than 1,000 U.S. journalists in general found that these reporters share many individual and work-related characteristics, perhaps due in part to their similar backgrounds and to the basic professional training received by most journalists.

At the Frontiers of Faith and Science: News Media Framing of Stem Cell Research • Nicole Smith, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill • Framing research has shown that media framing of issues has real implications for both policy makers and audiences. As the ethical debate surrounding stem cell research presents a problem of choice to the American people, how that choice is framed is a fundamental determinant of what the American people think, and ultimately decide, about the future of stem cell research. This study presents a framing analysis of newspaper coverage of the issue.

Sourcing Patterns in the Crisis Phases of a Bioterror Attack • Kristen Swain, University of Kansas • This study examined attribution in U.S. news coverage of the anthrax attacks across disaster phases, uncertainty factors, and types of media, attribution, advice, and explanations. Overall, 833 stories from AP, NPR, 272 newspapers, and four television networks were analyzed. Nearly half of attributions were unnamed sources. Prominent sourcing shifted from federal politicians to federal health officials shortly after journalists began receiving tainted letters. Fire-rescue/health care workers emerged as the top source after the attacks ended.

Health on the Web: A content analysis of mobilizing information on local TV Web sites • Andrea Tanner, Daniela Friedman and Kim Smith, University of South Carolina • This study explored the volume and scope of health coverage on local television news Web sites as well as the mobilizing information contained within the online health content. Data revealed that health stories were present on 64% of the sites examined. Little mobilizing information was presented. Health stories were significantly more likely to contain locational MI than identificational or tactical MI. There were also significant differences between large and small markets regarding specific health content.

Power, Knowledge, and Hope: The Framing of Breast Cancer in Women’s and Consumer Health Magazines • Kim Walsh-Childers and Heather Edwards, University of Florida • This framing analysis examined breast cancer articles from five popular consumer magazines read by women. The analysis revealed three primary frames – power, knowledge and hope – and two themes, fear and risks to young women, that were pervasive regardless of the dominant frame. The three frames, power, knowledge, and hope, suggest that while breast cancer is a real threat to women, they have good reason to feel that useful, risk-reducing actions are within their ability.

Media effect, political interests, and other social cultural factors: The making of China’s environmentalists and their view on their societal cultural environment • Qingjiang Yao, University of South Carolina • Using data from China part (2001, N=1000) of the World Value Survey, this research found a positive impact of news media use on environmental concern. However, political interest, income and postmaterialist value are found to have stronger and more consistent predicting power of being a Chinese environmentalist. The research also found that Chinese environmentalists who like to voluntarily work for environment protection with no pay tend to be more skeptical on government and media.

<< 2007 Abstracts

Resolution Three 2011

Resolution Three: To affirm the ethical practice of journalism and mass communication in a global age.

2011 Conference, St. Louis

The London-based newspaper, News of the World, published since 1843, was closed this year by its owners, the Murdochs, as a consequence of the scandal involving the newspaper’s unethical and illegal actions involving both the hacking of a 13-year-old murder victim’s cell phone account and payment to Scotland Yard for information.

Whereas, hacking into online or cell phone accounts of citizens, victims of crime or others under investigation damages the credibility of journalism and violates privacy rights;

Whereas, it is unethical to compensate sources for interviews, purchase gifts for sources, or pay for other unpublished material;

Whereas, checkbook journalism damages the credibility of journalism;

Whereas, blatant disregard for the ethical practices and standards of journalism not only erodes the credibility of media, but it also creates an incentive for sources to falsify information in the hopes of potential payment or other benefit from media;

Therefore, be it resolved that:

The members of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC) formally affirm the ethical practice of journalism and mass communication in a global and digital era, and condemn all such ethical breaches wherever committed.

<< 2011 Resolutions

AEJMC 2011 Resolutions

AEJMC Members approved four resolutions during the 2011 Convention in St. Louis, MO.

• Resolution One: To Recognize and Honor Pamella Price, AEJMC Membership/Subscription Manager, for her 25 Years of Service to AEJMC.
• Resolution Two: To Recognize and Honor Lillian Coleman, JMC Quarterly and JMC Educator Production Manager, for her 25 Years of Service to AEJMC.
• Resolution Three: To affirm the ethical practice of journalism and mass communication in a global age.

<< AEJMC Resolutions