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

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dc.contributor.authorCline, Morgan Paigeen
dc.contributor.committeechairMyers, Marcus Cayceen
dc.contributor.committeememberLogan, Nnekaen
dc.contributor.committeememberWoods, Chelsea Laneen
dc.contributor.departmentCommunicationen
dc.date.accessioned2020-07-01T08:00:39Zen
dc.date.available2020-07-01T08:00:39Zen
dc.date.issued2020-06-30en
dc.description.abstractAs 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.en
dc.description.abstractgeneralAs 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.en
dc.description.degreeMaster of Artsen
dc.format.mediumETDen
dc.identifier.othervt_gsexam:26021en
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10919/99204en
dc.publisherVirginia Techen
dc.rightsIn Copyrighten
dc.rights.urihttp://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/en
dc.subjectImage repairen
dc.subjectcrisisen
dc.subject#MeTooen
dc.subjectNBCen
dc.subjectCBSen
dc.subjectMatt Laueren
dc.subjectCharlie Roseen
dc.titleWhen the News is the News: A Textual Analysis of NBC and CBS networks' Response to Sexual Harassment Allegations in the Wake of the #MeToo Movementen
dc.typeThesisen
thesis.degree.disciplineCommunicationen
thesis.degree.grantorVirginia Polytechnic Institute and State Universityen
thesis.degree.levelmastersen
thesis.degree.nameMaster of Artsen

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