REFRESH: EXAMINING THE PRODUCTION OF CELEBRITY NEWS IN AN ONLINE ENVIRONMENT A Dissertation Presented to the Faculty of the Graduate School University of Missouri-Columbia In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Philosophy By ELIZABETH MEYERS HENDRICKSON Dr. Stephanie Craft, Dissertation Supervisor MAY 2008 The undersigned, appointed by the Dean of the Graduate School, have examined the dissertation entitled REFRESH: EXAMINING THE PRODUCTION OF CELEBRITY NEWS IN AN ONLINE ENVIRONMENT presented by Elizabeth Meyers Hendrickson a candidate for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy and hereby certify that in their opinion it is worthy of acceptance. Dr. Stephanie Craft Dr. Michael Diamond Dr. Earnest Perry Dr. Lee Wilkins Dr. Margaret Duffy ACKNOWLEDGEMENT I must first thank the women of Futé for their time and trust. It is not easy to open one’s door to a stranger with a notepad, and I feel incredibly fortunate to have had access to this field site. I can only wish them the best with their future health and happiness. Secondly, I wish to express my gratitude to my chair, Dr. Stephanie Craft, and my outside committee member, Dr. Michael Diamond. Together, they helped steer me toward a logical analysis of this enigmatic organization, which was indeed a puzzle at times. Both Stephanie and Michael met with me countless times during the writing process to ensure that my examination was articulate and sound. Their feedback provided me the confidence to pursue scholarly avenues I might have otherwise shied away from. Their support will be remembered. In addition, my other committee members, Dr. Earnest Perry, Dr. Lee Wilkins and Dr. Margaret Duffy, contributed shrewd and insightful thoughts that have helped me grow as a scholar and researcher. I would also like to recognize the hard work of the administrative staff of the University of Missouri School of Journalism. Amy Lenk, Ginny Cowell and Martha Pickens never ceased to both give me directions and make me laugh. Similarly, Journalism Library goddess Sue Schuermann helped me uncover scholarly treasures that greatly enriched my research. ii Lastly, I need to thank my friends and family for their unwavering support and love. I could always count on my closest academic ally and friend, Carrie Brown, to both vigorously discuss with me my project and talk me out of the tree. I will truly miss our endless hours at the library together. In addition, I am grateful for my brother, Ben Meyers, who proofread my research, chapter by chapter. His brain never ceases to amaze me. Finally, my husband Matt and son Alexander deserve perhaps the greatest recognition, as they are constant reminders that balance in one’s life is not only important, but also essential. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENT ii ABSTRACT vii CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION 1 a. Purpose of the study 1 b. Significance of the study 2 c. Organization of the dissertation 4 II. THEORETICAL FRAMEWORKS 6 a. Organization theory 6 b. Newsroom sociology and routines 10 III. LITERATURE REVIEW 16 a. New media organizations 16 i. Instant messaging 17 ii. Virtual teams 18 iii. New media interpersonal communication 20 b. Newsroom sociology 22 c. Celebrity media 25 IV. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODOLOGIES 28 a. Case study 28 b. Research question 30 c. Data sources 32 iv V. WORKPLACE CULTURE a. Introduction 36 b. Organizational culture, mission and virtual workplace 42 i. Our mission is true 42 1. Everyday content 43 2. Editors’ description of site 52 ii. Working from home is the best way to go 57 1. Work environments 57 2. The editors 61 3. Physical environments 66 4. The work pace 69 5. The happiness factor 72 6. Burnout 74 iii. Instant messaging as effective tool 77 1. Examples of IM-in-Use 78 2. IM explained 91 a. IM as organizational device 91 b. IM emotional work 94 iv. The new page view bonus system doesn’t 97 really affect us 1. The page view bonus system 98 2. Editors and the new system 100 VI. NATURE OF THIS ORGANIZATION 105 v a. Relationships between editors 106 i. Informal structures: Friendship and trust 106 ii. Formal structures: Editing 110 iii. When formal and informal merge: Insubordination 112 b. Relationships between editors and company 114 c. Relationships between editors and audience 118 VII. TECHNOLOGY AND PLACE 122 a. Technology and authority in organizations 122 b. Technology and adaptability 124 c. Place and business economics 126 d. Place as personal economy 128 VIII. CONCLUSIONS 131 a. Application to mass communication theory 132 i. Importance of fit and its application 135 to other organizations b. Implications for future mass communication research 137 APPENDIX A. Case study protocol 140 B. Case study questions 143 C. Research diary 145 REFERENCES 160 VITA 167 vi REFRESH: EXAMINING THE PRODUCTION OF CELEBRITY NEWS IN AN ONLINE ENVIRONMENT Elizabeth Meyers Hendrickson Dr. Stephanie Craft, Dissertation Supervisor ABSTRACT This case study examines the newsgathering processes and production of an entertainment website, Futé.com, and asks how newsroom routines, organizational structure and culture of a virtual newsroom shape editorial content. Futé operates via a virtual newsroom, where communication is not conducted face-to-face, but primarily through instant messaging. This computer-mediated communication (CMC) reconfigures the standard place-based newsroom arrangements and significantly influences the group’s organizational dynamics and culture. Because of the unique content and unconventional organizational structure of the site, no single theoretical perspective offers a way of understanding its organizational context and content. Therefore, this study employed a combination of organization theory, specifically Schein (2004) and newsroom sociology frameworks. This research found that four basic assumptions drive the organizational culture of Futé: 1) Our mission is true; 2) Working from home is the best way to go; 3) IM is the most effective way for us to communicate; and 4) The new page view bonus system doesn’t really affect us. These assumptions are rarely debated or directly confronted by the group and are used at group and individual levels as defense mechanisms that allow the group to maintain functionality. This study’s examination of the relationships between editors, between editors and the organization and between the editors and the audience illustrates the group’s complex interplay between formal and vii informal associations and linear and non-linear organizational structures. The dualities allow for the group’s personality to emulate certain conventional newsroom dynamics while creating its own distinctive characteristics. In addition, this study determines a connection between technology and virtual workplace, and workplace culture and nature of an organization. The overall organization’s attempt to meld authority, adaptability, business economics and personal economics with its adoption of CMC and the virtual workplace demonstrates a generally mutually beneficial arrangement for both management and workers. The site’s operations exemplify the importance of leadership in effectively managing the fit between employee and organizational culture, which in turn allows a group to successfully adapt to its environment. As such, the most imperative skill of any member of an organization is the ability to adapt and adjust to the organization and its needs. These obligations might be outwardly expressed or implicitly stated. Regardless, it is the employee’s task to interpret this information from the organization’s leader in order to contribute to group work and ultimately, successful and healthy group maturity. This study exemplifies the potential for new media researchers to adopt a cross-disciplinary approach to their research. As old models for understanding media cease to support the complex structures of new organizations, scholars must look to additional frameworks for supplementary guidance. viii CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION Purpose of Study This dissertation examines the newsgathering processes and production of an entertainment website, Futé.com, and asks how newsroom routines, organizational structure and culture of a virtual newsroom shape editorial content. Futé represents a new hybrid of online media that combines original reporting with the re-posting of current news stories. The site can be considered part blog, part magazine, and part aggregate, combining the personal expression and political debate of the blog format with links to conventional media sites, such as The New York Times or CNN. Futé’s resulting content is a meta-analysis of conventionally reported stories that span the cultural collective conscious, ranging from political to fashion to celebrity. New media vehicles such as Futé are challenging our notions of news. Not only are their editors creating a postmodern media product that combines characteristics of popular media with that of alternative media, but they are also attracting both a loyal following of readers and advertisers who are increasingly abandoning the traditional print product (Grigoriadis, 10/15/2007). As celebrity weekly magazines continue to do well in the marketplace and conventional print publications continue to lose readers, sites such as Futé are tapping in to the zeitgeist by appealing to many appetites. Futé users can read about celebrity scandal as well as political scandal and refresh their screens every 10 or 15 minutes for new stories. The near-constant stream of information crosses topical boundaries with a consistent editorial tone