"USA Today", its imitators, and its critics: An ethical and organizational analysis

Critics point to several ethical concerns over USA Today's innovation in form and content of news. The paper: (1) emphasizes form over function, (2) takes brevity and shallowness to extremes, (3) contains too much trivia and fluff, not enough substance, and (4) is too optimistic and amusing. These points are subsumed under the broader charge that USA Today is overly concerned with profits and ignores the press's social responsibilities. The study thus hypothesized that (a) the more a paper adopts the controversial form and content, the more its staff will feel ethical discomfort, and (b) the more a paper adopts the form and content, the more its staff will say the adoption of the innovation was motivated primarily by the desire to boost profits. A third hypothesis, based on organizational theory, stated that, compared with non-imitator papers, imitator papers are more likely to face stress from the external environment. A fourth hypothesis, based on innovation diffusion research, posted that, compared with non-imitator papers, imitator papers are more likely to be mechanically structured. Ordinarily, innovation is positively related to organic structure, but because the innovation is controversial the author posited that the opposite structure would prevail.

Name thesis:degree_name

Ph.D.

Level thesis:degree_level

Dissertation

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Communications

Grantor

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Year dc:date

2011

Author dc:creator

• Gladney, George Albert

Contributors dc:contributor

• Whitney, D.C.

• Journalism
• Mass Communications

Statement dc:rights

• Copyright 1991 Gladney, George Albert

Language dc:language

eng

Identifier

AAI9210814
(UMI)AAI9210814

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:www.ideals.illinois.edu:2142/19172