The Interplay of Professional and Cultural Factors in the Online Source-Reporter Relationship

Abstract

Using discriminant function analysis, this study identifies both professional and cultural factors that distinguish source-reporter relations in South Korea and the United States. Some 339 public relations practitioners and journalists in Korea and the US were surveyed regarding 20 types of offline and online source-reporter interactions (i.e. telephone contact, fax/mail/wire/courier news releases, interviews, press conferences, private meetings, email news releases, multimedia press kits, homepages, website pressrooms, etc.) in terms of usefulness, influence, credibility, ethics and professionalism. Particular attention was given to online media relations. Overall, email news releases, online inquiry, homepages and website pressroom were evaluated highly as useful, influential, credible, ethical and professional. Particularly, email news releases were rated as useful and influential, whereas the website pressrooms were highly evaluated as credible, ethical and professional.