It was once pretty simple for a company to share its information with the media: Type up a news release and fax it to the local newspaper. But as today’s print and TV reporters post their stories and video to the Internet, two Elon professors are exploring the ethics behind a new digital tool in public relations – the “social media news release.”
Their research is also highlighted in the latest issue of the Journal of New Communications Research, a peer-reviewed journal published by The Society for New Communications Research, a global think tank based in Palo Alto, Calif.
“We want journalists and PR people to come together and talk about these ethical issues,” Ward-Johnson said. “The social media news release has brought them to the forefront and we need to harness the dialogue.”
Newspaper circulations continue to decline almost everywhere across the United States. Broadcast television outlets are witnessing a similar drop-off in nightly viewers. Both industries have cut staff over the years, leaving newsrooms with fewer reporters to cover their communities.
That affords an opening for businesses, government agencies and nonprofit associations that want favorable news coverage. Traditionally, these agencies send news releases to reporters, usually with nothing more than a few paragraphs of text and maybe a photo.
The Internet allows them to do more. Now, with the “social media news release,” a business or agency can email reporters a written news release with electronic images, video footage, audio clips and even hyperlinks to background information on whatever issue or product is being pushed.
Ward-Johnson and Guiniven worry that because many reporters today are overburdened, they may take this information at face value and repackage it with little additional research for a news web site, the nightly news cast or the next day’s paper.
News consumers who feel that journalists are doing little more than passing along a government or commercial message may turn themselves off to the media altogether. The article explores the ethical implications of such behavior for public relations professionals.
“If we destroy the credibility of a media outlet, we destroy our own credibility,” Guiniven said. “You have to have a respect for the media and the role it plays in our society.”
In addition to previous academic positions, Guiniven’s career includes past work as a reporter and bureau chief for the UPI wire service in Washington; as a press secretary and counsel to Senate Majority Leader Robert C. Byrd from West Virginia; as director of corporate public relations for Chrysler; and as director of communications for International Paper Co.
Guiniven departed Elon at the end of the spring semester.
Ward-Johnson, who has held prior academic positions as well, formerly worked as a reporter with the Wilson Daily Times in Wilson, N.C., the Associated Press Wire Service in Raleigh and the News & Record in Greensboro. She served as communications manager for the Center for Creative Leadership in Greensboro for five years.
Their current journal article explores the ethical questions about the social media news release. Next up in their research: A look at how companies are using the tool and whether it is an effective way to generate publicity.