Journal of Public Relations Research

Kelleher, Tom

2010 Journal of Public Relations Research

doi: 10.1080/10627261003801446

Waters, Richard D.; Tindall, Natalie T. J.; Morton, Timothy S.

2010 Journal of Public Relations Research

doi: 10.1080/10627261003799202

With the changing media environment and the evolving online atmosphere, traditional media relations strategies (e.g., news release and media kit preparation and distribution) are shifting to practices that are more relevant to a social media environment. The purpose of this article is to define the changing interplay between journalists and public relations practitioners and to analyze the phenomenon of “media catching,” a reversal of the traditional media relations' communication patterns. Given its rapid increase in the past 2 years, journalists are eager to turn the tables and target large numbers of public relations practitioners for specific content for story ideas. The researchers employed content analysis, and the units of analysis were 3,106 reporter requests sent through the Help-A-Reporter-Out (HARO) list and media-related Twitter updates from HARO founder, Peter Shankman, during a 6-month span. Analysis revealed that traditional news outlets more often used the Twitter venue, yet new media outlets preferred the LISTSERV technology. The importance and value of this study for public relations practitioners and scholars are in the study's attempt to profile the trend of media catching, and to discuss the importance of fielding media requests from a variety of news outlets because of the importance of intermedia agenda setting.

Gilpin, Dawn

2010 Journal of Public Relations Research

doi: 10.1080/10627261003614393

This article examines the role of different online and social media channels in constructing organizational image. Bimodal network analysis was used to examine 6 months of self-presentation by natural supermarket chain Whole Foods through its online press room, blog, and microblogging account. The channels converged on a core set of terms, and overlapped in others, but each channel also addressed divergent aspects of the organization's projected image. This study suggests that the structural and social characteristics of these channels give them varying roles in the image construction process, creating new challenges for the public relations function in coordinating image management among various new media.

Sweetser, Kaye D.

2010 Journal of Public Relations Research

doi: 10.1080/10627261003614401

Using a posttest-only experimental design with control (N = 409), this study investigated the role of nondisclosure and its impact on perceived relational maintenance strategies in the context of social media campaigns through the relational theory of public relations. As one of the first studies investigating what an organization can do to damage—rather than build—a relationship with their publics, this experiment manipulated a single ethical construct to determine whether that unethical behavior degraded the organization–public relationship. Results indicate that unethical behavior (i.e., lack of disclosure) indeed damaged the organization–public relationship within several relational maintenance strategies: communicated relational commitment, responsiveness/customer service, positivity/optimism, and responsiveness to criticism. Implications to both the practice and the further development of relationship management theory are discussed.

Levenshus, Abbey

2010 Journal of Public Relations Research

doi: 10.1080/10627261003614419

This case study examines the Obama presidential campaign's use of the participatory Internet to manage its grassroots campaign. Grounded in relationship-management theory and dialogic principles in online relationship building, the study analyzed interviews with campaign staff, its Web site, and its news articles. Five themes emerged regarding the campaign's integration of the Internet and grassroots strategy; 6 themes surfaced regarding the campaign's Internet use to manage relationships. Recommendations are made for exploring relationship management theory's intersection with the Internet and political campaigns.

Avery, Elizabeth; Lariscy, Ruthann; Amador, Ellie; Ickowitz, Tayna; Primm, Charles; Taylor, Abbey

2010 Journal of Public Relations Research

doi: 10.1080/10627261003614427

This study reports findings from a survey of 281 public relations practitioners in public health departments serving 4 distinct sizes of communities—urban, suburban, large town, and rural—in 48 states. Based on diffusion of innovations theory, the overall purpose of the study is to examine the extent to which social media are adopted within public health agencies and moderators of adoption. Findings demonstrate overall low adoption rates for social media tools. However, significant differences were observed for adoption based on size of communities, with urban communities exhibiting highest adoption rates, followed by suburban, large town, and rural communities. The most frequently cited barrier practitioners named for why they don't think constituents would benefit from health information distributed online was lack of home access to the Internet. Among the 17 percent of practitioners who indicate they use social media to disseminate health information, the most commonly used tools are social networking sites followed by the new media release, blogs, and discussion boards. Rural areas, although lowest in overall social media use, report highest use of podcasting. Implications regarding health and health information disparities are discussed, a potentially new motivation for innovation adoption is introduced, and future studies to follow the S-shaped adoption curve are proposed.