TY - JOUR
T1 - How public relations functions as news sources in China
AU - Chen, Xianhong
AU - Chen, Ouyang
AU - Chen, Ni
PY - 2012/12
Y1 - 2012/12
N2 - This study re-conceptualizes the interaction between public relations (PR) practitioners and journalists in news construction. Proposing a new conceptual framework of "news-source involvement," this study applies two dimensions - "involvement width" and "involvement density" - when examining how information and/or stories generated by PR people affect news coverage. Empirically, this study identifies seven types of news sources derived from a systematic content analysis of 1600 stories in four selected Chinese newspapers from 2001 to 2010 - 10-year period. The major findings include: (1) information subsidy has become a popular phenomenon in China; (2) over the past decade, the Chinese government has been slowly but surely becoming more tolerant of public's expression of their opinions relating to social and political issues. Though the government remains as the dominating "news source" for newspapers, other non-mainstream news sources (e.g. grass-root civilian) have emerged. Growing from the used-to-be "silent mass," they have become the "subordinate majority" nowadays, having strong influence in certain coverage; and (3) PR people as one of the major news sources, interact with media in a selective manner; and such interaction takes places largely on tactical level. © 2012 Elsevier Inc.
AB - This study re-conceptualizes the interaction between public relations (PR) practitioners and journalists in news construction. Proposing a new conceptual framework of "news-source involvement," this study applies two dimensions - "involvement width" and "involvement density" - when examining how information and/or stories generated by PR people affect news coverage. Empirically, this study identifies seven types of news sources derived from a systematic content analysis of 1600 stories in four selected Chinese newspapers from 2001 to 2010 - 10-year period. The major findings include: (1) information subsidy has become a popular phenomenon in China; (2) over the past decade, the Chinese government has been slowly but surely becoming more tolerant of public's expression of their opinions relating to social and political issues. Though the government remains as the dominating "news source" for newspapers, other non-mainstream news sources (e.g. grass-root civilian) have emerged. Growing from the used-to-be "silent mass," they have become the "subordinate majority" nowadays, having strong influence in certain coverage; and (3) PR people as one of the major news sources, interact with media in a selective manner; and such interaction takes places largely on tactical level. © 2012 Elsevier Inc.
KW - Involvement
KW - News coverage
KW - News sources
KW - Public relations
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84869501826&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - https://www.scopus.com/record/pubmetrics.uri?eid=2-s2.0-84869501826&origin=recordpage
U2 - 10.1016/j.pubrev.2012.04.007
DO - 10.1016/j.pubrev.2012.04.007
M3 - RGC 21 - Publication in refereed journal
SN - 0363-8111
VL - 38
SP - 697
EP - 703
JO - Public Relations Review
JF - Public Relations Review
IS - 5
ER -