Perceived News Media Importance: News Parody, Valuations of the News Media, and Their Influence on Perceptions of Journalism Dissertation Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By Jason T. Peifer, M.A. Graduate Program in Communication The Ohio State University 2015 Committee: R. Kelly Garrett, Advisor R. Lance Holbert Gerald Kosicki Erik Nisbet Copyright by Jason T. Peifer 2015 Abstract Against the backdrop of declining public confidence in news media, this project explores the question of what could be contributing to increased skepticism toward the press and how the public’s apparent reluctance to express trust in news media might be interpreted by scholars. In an effort to address this basic query, this research effort is designed to (a) advance an understanding of news media perceptions, and (b) consider news parody’s role in influencing these perceptions. More specifically, this study explores the influence of news parody— conceptualized as a form of media criticism—on varied forms of media trust. By its very nature, news parody (such as The Daily Show and Last Week Tonight) is understood to offer both explicit and implicit commentary about the news media industry and media personnel. In so doing, it is argued here that news parody serves to endorse the notion of the news media serving important functions in society, even as the press may fail to meet its obligations. Furthermore, it is hypothesized that perceptions of news media importance have a meaningful influence on aspects of media trust. In an effort to better explore how parody-induced conceptions of news media importance may contribute to shaping perceptions of the industry’s trustworthiness, this project first develops and validates a measure for gauging personal valuations of several normative news media functions, labeled here as Perceived News Media Importance (PNMI). It is expected that the explication and operationalization of the PNMI concept ii can serve as a tool for bringing greater clarity to patterns of public trust in the news media both within and beyond the scope of news parody. Employing survey data provided by a convenience sample (N=403) and a nationally representative sample (N=510), a Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) indicates that the theorized PNMI measurement model fits the data well. Moreover, the proposed 12-item scale also exhibits appropriate convergent (political interest and political participation) and discriminant (media trust; negative content media image; ideology) validity. Finally, while demonstrated to be distinct from media trust, PNMI is also shown to meaningfully predict media trust, above and beyond additional variables included a hierarchical multiple regression model. Upon establishing the validity of the PNMI scale, the measure was employed in an experimental context. A two-wave survey (N=227) exposed participants to news parody stimuli, measuring both dimensions of general media trust and PNMI about one week before and immediately after the experimental treatment. The degree to which a given parody stimulus was like-minded and trust in specific news sources was also measured after news parody exposure. Results provide evidence of a process of conditional influence, wherein pro-attitudinal news parody promotes PNMI, which in turn can favorably influence aspects of media trust in specific news outlets. Ultimately, these findings suggest that news parody commentary may be contributing to public perceptions of the news media in ways that, at times, enhance media trust. Exploration of PNMI’s influence on media trust sheds light on one way in which news parody may influence trust: by endorsing the importance of and respect for the core functions of the news media, news parody can serve to encourage individuals to iii place more trust in specific news media outlets. From a normative perspective, this highlights the value of news parody. Given that media trust is desirable, this study demonstrates that news parody commentary can benefit society by promoting the value of news media work. iv Dedication For Zoe. v Acknowledgements As I complete graduate school and prepare to begin a new job with the Media School at Indiana University this fall, I recognize that am indebted to numerous people. To arrive at this point, various friends, family members, colleagues, and advisors have sacrificed much time, energy, and other resources on my behalf. First, thank you to Ohio State’s School of Communication for the opportunity to be involved in the school’s Omnibus Survey (OSoC) and Time-sharing Experiment (TESoC) programs. The support of the OSoC and TESoC programs helped make my data collection efforts possible. I consider myself quite fortunate to have had access to these high quality resources for this dissertation project. I’d like to express my deep gratitude to Dr. Lance Holbert. When starting my graduate studies at Saint Louis University more than five years ago—before I ever arrived in Columbus—Dr. Holbert’s scholarship helped spark my fledgling research ideas. I am grateful for the opportunities I have had to study under and work with Dr. Holbert. I also deeply appreciate his continued involvement as a mentor beyond the scope of Ohio State. His dedication, enthusiasm, friendship, and steady support have been invaluable and inspiring. Much thanks to Dr. Kelly Garrett for not only being willing to serve as my academic advisor for the latter part of my time at Ohio State, but also for consistently offering keen insights, constructive criticism, and sincere encouragement. I also very vi much appreciate Dr. Garrett’s flexibility when I’ve needed to work offsite due to family commitments over the last two years. Thanks to Dr. Gerald Kosicki, Dr. Erik Nisbet, and Dr. Dave Ewoldsen for serving on my committees, helping to shape my ideas, and being inspiring instructors. I valued my classes with each of them at Ohio State. Thanks also to Dr. Matt Carlson for his ongoing support and helpful guidance—stretching back to when I began my graduate studies in St. Louis. A sincere thank you to Hyunjin Song for not only answering many stats questions but also for his true friendship. Jin’s generosity is quite remarkable. Thanks as well to my brother, Jared Peifer. Though trained as a sociologist, his scholarly acumen—not to mention his close friendship—has been a valuable asset over these past five years. I’m also grateful to my parents, Dale and Joyce Peifer, for their consistent encouragement and support as I’ve explored and pursued various dreams over the years. Finally, special thanks to my wife Sonia Song-Ha Lee. She has undoubtedly made the deepest sacrifices on my behalf and reaching this point would truly not have been possible without her support, encouragement, and love. vii Vita 2005……………………………………B.A., Communications, Temple University 2009……………………………………M.A., Communication, Saint Louis University Publications Peifer, J.T. (2013). Palin, framing, and Saturday Night Live: Examining the dynamics of political parody. The Communication Review, 16, 155-177. Peifer, J.T., & Holbert, R.L. (2013). Developing a systematic assessment of humor in the context of the 2012 U.S. general election debates. Argumentation and Advocacy, 49, 286-300. Carlson, M., & Peifer, J.T. (2013). The impudence of being earnest: Jon Stewart, the journalistic community, and boundary traversal. Journal of Communication, 63, 333-350. Peifer, J.T. (2012). Can we be funny?: The social responsibility of political humor. Journal of Mass Media Ethics, 27, 263-276. Peifer, J.T. (2012). The press and political comedy in the age of president “dude.” In K. Kaufhold, A. Hinsley, & S.C. Lewis, (Eds.), The future of news: An agenda of perspectives, (2nd ed.). San Diego: Cognella Publishing. Fields of Study Major Field: Communication viii Table of Contents Abstract……………………………………………………………………………………ii Dedication…………………………………………………………………………………v Acknowledgments……………………………………………………………………..…vi Vita……………………………………………………………………...………………viii Table of Contents…………………………………………………………………………ix List of Tables………………………………………………………………….….…...…xii List of Figures……………………………………………………………………...……xiii Chapter 1: Introduction……………………………………………………………………1 Chapter 2: Theoretical Foundations.…………………………………………………..….8 News Media Perceptions…………………………………………………..…..….8 Dimensions of News Media Trust……………………………………..……..….12 What Influences News Media Perceptions? ……………………..…………..….15 News Parody as Media Criticism………………………………………………...23 Perceived News Media Importance…………………………………………..….36 Key Functions of the Press…………………………………………….……..….41 Normative Assumptions………………………………………………………….44 Summary……………………………………………………………………...….47 ix Survey Design Research Questions & Hypotheses…………………………..….49 Experimental Design Research Questions & Hypotheses……………..……..….53 Chapter 3: Study 1…...………………………………………………………………..…63 Methodology……………………………………………………...…………..….63 Participants…………………………………………………..………………..….64 Procedure……………………………………………………………………..….65 Measures……………………………………………………….……………..….67 Analytical Methods…………………………………………….……………..….70 Results…………………………………………………………….…………..….74 Chapter 4: Study 2…...………………………………………………………………..…88 Methodology……………………………………………………………...…..….88 Participants……………………………………………………………..……..….89 Procedure……………………………………………………………………..….91 Stimuli and Pretest….…………………………………………………….…..….94 Measures…………………………………………………………...………..….106 Data Analysis………………………………………………………………..….113 Results: Experiment 1………………………………...……………………..….115