{"id":{"repo_id":"vt","oai_identifier":"oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/99204"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/vt/oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/99204","repository":{"repo_id":"vt","name":"Virginia Tech","base_url":"https://vtechworks.lib.vt.edu/oai/request"},"display":{"title":"When the News is the News: A Textual Analysis of NBC and CBS networks' Response to Sexual Harassment Allegations in the Wake of the #MeToo Movement","abstract":"As the #MeToo movement swept the nation from Hollywood to Washington, within less than a week's time in November of 2017, longstanding news anchors, Matt Lauer and Charlie Rose were fired from their respective news networks because of sexual harassment allegations. As a result, each network had to grapple with repairing a destroyed image while simultaneously fulfilling the duty to report on news objectively. This qualitative analysis examined NBC and CBS's response to the allegations of sexual harassment against each anchor, allegations of withholding information and allegations of ignoring complaints through the lens of image repair theory in order to identify if any of the strategies were present in the networks' response. Applications of image repair discourse to news media organizations is a relatively novel examination and it highlights the complex duality of an organization's right to uphold its image but obligation to present the news objectively, even when it has become the news.","abstract_html":"As the #MeToo movement swept the nation from Hollywood to Washington, within less than a week&#x27;s time in November of 2017, longstanding news anchors, Matt Lauer and Charlie Rose were fired from their respective news networks because of sexual harassment allegations. As a result, each network had to grapple with repairing a destroyed image while simultaneously fulfilling the duty to report on news objectively. This qualitative analysis examined NBC and CBS&#x27;s response to the allegations of sexual harassment against each anchor, allegations of withholding information and allegations of ignoring complaints through the lens of image repair theory in order to identify if any of the strategies were present in the networks&#x27; response. Applications of image repair discourse to news media organizations is a relatively novel examination and it highlights the complex duality of an organization&#x27;s right to uphold its image but obligation to present the news objectively, even when it has become the news.","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Cline, Morgan Paige"],"institution":"Virginia Tech","degree_name":"Master of Arts","degree_level":"masters","degree_discipline":"Communication","degree_department":"Communication","school":null,"contributors":[],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":["Myers, Marcus Cayce"],"committee_members":["Logan, Nneka","Woods, Chelsea Lane"],"year":2020,"date_issued":"2020-06-30","date_published":"2020-06-30","updated_at":"2026-07-22T22:18:55Z","subjects":["Image repair","crisis","#MeToo","NBC","CBS","Matt Lauer","Charlie Rose"],"languages":[],"rights":["In Copyright"],"rights_urls":["http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/"],"identifier_entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier.other","label":"Dc Identifier Other","values":["vt_gsexam:26021"],"render_values":[{"text":"vt_gsexam:26021","href":null,"code":true}]}]},"links":{"outbound_url":"http://hdl.handle.net/10919/99204","outbound_label":"Handle","outbound_source":"dc:identifier.uri"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor.committeechair","label":"Committee Chair","values":["Myers, Marcus Cayce"]},{"key":"dc:contributor.committeemember","label":"Committee Member","values":["Logan, Nneka","Woods, Chelsea Lane"]},{"key":"dc:contributor.department","label":"Department","values":["Communication"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Cline, Morgan Paige"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.accessioned","label":"Dc Date Accessioned","values":["2020-07-01T08:00:39Z"]},{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2020-07-01T08:00:39Z"]},{"key":"dc:date.issued","label":"Date","values":["2020-06-30"]},{"key":"dc:publisher","label":"Institution","values":["Virginia Tech"]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Communication"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["masters"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Arts"]},{"key":"thesis:institution_name","label":"Thesis Institution Name","values":["Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Image repair","crisis","#MeToo","NBC","CBS","Matt Lauer","Charlie Rose"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:rights","label":"Dc Rights","values":["In Copyright"]},{"key":"dc:rights.uri","label":"Rights URI","values":["http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier.other","label":"Dc Identifier Other","values":["vt_gsexam:26021"]},{"key":"dc:identifier.uri","label":"Identifier URI","values":["http://hdl.handle.net/10919/99204"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["As the #MeToo movement swept the nation from Hollywood to Washington, within less than a week's time in November of 2017, longstanding news anchors, Matt Lauer and Charlie Rose were fired from their respective news networks because of sexual harassment allegations. As a result, each network had to grapple with repairing a destroyed image while simultaneously fulfilling the duty to report on news objectively. This qualitative analysis examined NBC and CBS's response to the allegations of sexual harassment against each anchor, allegations of withholding information and allegations of ignoring complaints through the lens of image repair theory in order to identify if any of the strategies were present in the networks' response. Applications of image repair discourse to news media organizations is a relatively novel examination and it highlights the complex duality of an organization's right to uphold its image but obligation to present the news objectively, even when it has become the news."]},{"key":"dc:description.abstractgeneral","label":"General Abstract","values":["As the #MeToo movement swept the nation from Hollywood to Washington, within less than a week's time in November of 2017, longstanding news anchors, Matt Lauer and Charlie Rose were fired from their respective news networks because of sexual harassment allegations. As a result, each network had to grapple with repairing a destroyed image while simultaneously running business as usual. This study examined NBC and CBS's response to the allegations of sexual harassment against each anchor, the allegations of withholding information and allegations of ignoring complaints made by employees over the past two decades, all the while attempting to fulfill the duty of objectively reporting the news. This study examined each networks' response using a crisis communication theory and offers an extension to the theory that can be utilized by news network organizations and the like."]},{"key":"dc:description.degree","label":"Dc Description Degree","values":["Master of Arts"]},{"key":"dc:format.medium","label":"Dc Format Medium","values":["ETD"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["When the News is the News: A Textual Analysis of NBC and CBS networks' Response to Sexual Harassment Allegations in the Wake of the #MeToo Movement"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor.committeechair":["Myers, Marcus Cayce"],"dc:contributor.committeemember":["Logan, Nneka","Woods, Chelsea Lane"],"dc:contributor.department":["Communication"],"dc:creator":["Cline, Morgan Paige"],"dc:date.accessioned":["2020-07-01T08:00:39Z"],"dc:date.available":["2020-07-01T08:00:39Z"],"dc:date.issued":["2020-06-30"],"dc:description.abstract":["As the #MeToo movement swept the nation from Hollywood to Washington, within less than a week's time in November of 2017, longstanding news anchors, Matt Lauer and Charlie Rose were fired from their respective news networks because of sexual harassment allegations. As a result, each network had to grapple with repairing a destroyed image while simultaneously fulfilling the duty to report on news objectively. This qualitative analysis examined NBC and CBS's response to the allegations of sexual harassment against each anchor, allegations of withholding information and allegations of ignoring complaints through the lens of image repair theory in order to identify if any of the strategies were present in the networks' response. Applications of image repair discourse to news media organizations is a relatively novel examination and it highlights the complex duality of an organization's right to uphold its image but obligation to present the news objectively, even when it has become the news."],"dc:description.abstractgeneral":["As the #MeToo movement swept the nation from Hollywood to Washington, within less than a week's time in November of 2017, longstanding news anchors, Matt Lauer and Charlie Rose were fired from their respective news networks because of sexual harassment allegations. As a result, each network had to grapple with repairing a destroyed image while simultaneously running business as usual. This study examined NBC and CBS's response to the allegations of sexual harassment against each anchor, the allegations of withholding information and allegations of ignoring complaints made by employees over the past two decades, all the while attempting to fulfill the duty of objectively reporting the news. This study examined each networks' response using a crisis communication theory and offers an extension to the theory that can be utilized by news network organizations and the like."],"dc:description.degree":["Master of Arts"],"dc:format.medium":["ETD"],"dc:identifier.other":["vt_gsexam:26021"],"dc:identifier.uri":["http://hdl.handle.net/10919/99204"],"dc:publisher":["Virginia Tech"],"dc:rights":["In Copyright"],"dc:rights.uri":["http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/"],"dc:subject":["Image repair","crisis","#MeToo","NBC","CBS","Matt Lauer","Charlie Rose"],"dc:title":["When the News is the News: A Textual Analysis of NBC and CBS networks' Response to Sexual Harassment Allegations in the Wake of the #MeToo Movement"],"dc:type":["Thesis"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Communication"],"thesis:degree_level":["masters"],"thesis:degree_name":["Master of Arts"],"thesis:institution_name":["Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-22T22:18:55Z"}