Board Media Experts and News Coverage: The UT Dallas Study
A UT Dallas study found that firms with a media professional on their board of directors received 33% more news articles mentioning the firm, and 20% fewer negative-sounding words in those articles, in a given year. The study, Umit G. Gurun's paper "Benefits of Publicity," tracked ten newspapers from 1996 to 2006. This page summarizes its findings and what they mean for board recruitment.
Originally published January 11, 2016. Updated October 13, 2026. Source: Umit G. Gurun, associate professor of accounting at the University of Texas at Dallas Naveen Jindal School of Management, as summarized in his April 19, 2016 post on Columbia Law School's CLS Blue Sky Blog.
What did the UT Dallas study measure?
The study measured how often a firm appeared in the news, and how negative the coverage was, depending on whether the firm's board included a media professional. Gurun defines a media professional as someone with past experience in a news organization as an owner, top executive, board member, editor or journalist.
The coverage database combined the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times and eight local newspapers: the Boston Globe, Chicago Sun-Times, Denver Post, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, San Francisco Chronicle, Seattle Post-Intelligencer, St. Louis Post-Dispatch and Washington Post. It covers 1996 to 2006.
Measure
Result for firms with a media professional on the board
Articles mentioning the firm
33% more in a given year
Negative-sounding words in those articles
20% fewer in a given year
Press releases that receive coverage within five days
8% more likely
Why does a media professional on the board change coverage?
The study tests three explanations and reports support for one of them, the expertise channel. The first explanation, journalist attention, says reporters pay more attention to firms with media professionals on the board. Gurun writes that this can explain extra coverage but not why the coverage reads more favorably.
The second explanation, personal connections, says media professionals use their relationships with specific outlets. To test it, the study looked at media professionals with direct ties to the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times. It found no supporting evidence that those two newspapers covered such firms more, or more favorably.
The third explanation, the expertise channel, says firms hire media professionals to deal with the media more efficiently. Gurun's example is that a media professional can help a firm hire a better investor relations department, advertising agency or PR firm. He writes that the study's additional tests are by and large consistent with this explanation.
What happened around product and employee safety events?
Media coverage of firms with a media professional on the board was higher when an industry had a high rate of product safety or employee safety violations, according to the study. Product safety events were fines, civil penalties, major controversies or regulatory actions over product safety. Employee safety events were fines or penalties for violating employee health and safety standards.
The study only counted media professionals who joined the board before the events occurred. Gurun also reports that these firms engaged in more corporate social responsibility activities after a bad event. He reads that as a sign such firms are better positioned to find newsworthy stories to communicate to journalists.
What should a company take from the study?
A company can treat board composition as a communications decision, because the study links a media professional's presence on the board to more coverage, less negative wording and faster pickup of press releases. The link runs through expertise, which is why the definition matters: the study counts people with experience inside a news organization.
The study does not test other kinds of board members. A former PR agency executive or an investor relations head would not meet its definition of a media professional, so the findings should not be read as applying to them. See how this fits with corporate communications, investor relations and crisis communications planning.
The data are newspaper articles from 1996 to 2006, before social platforms and AI search answered questions about companies. The study therefore says nothing about those channels, and EPR has not tested whether the same pattern holds there.
How much more coverage did firms with a media professional get?
Firms with a media professional on the board had 33% more articles mentioning the firm in a given year, according to Umit G. Gurun's study.
Did the study find less negative coverage?
Yes. Articles about these firms had 20% fewer negative-sounding words in a given year.
Who counts as a media professional in the study?
Someone with past experience in a news organization as an owner, top executive, board member, editor or journalist.
Did board members' ties to newspapers explain the result?
No. The study found no supporting evidence that the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times covered firms more, or more favorably, when a director had ties to them.
What years and newspapers does the study cover?
1996 to 2006, using the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times and eight local newspapers.
What is the takeaway for boards?
The through-line of the study is expertise: a director who has worked inside a news organization is associated with more coverage, less negative wording and quicker pickup of press releases. Whether that holds in today's channels is an open question the study cannot answer. Related: Corporate Communications · Investor Relations · Media Training · Reputation Management · Crisis Communications · Insights & Strategy
Written by
EPR Editorial Team
The Everything-PR Editorial Team is the staff byline for news, analysis and features on communications, reputation, AI visibility and digital discovery. Everything-PR has published since 2009. AI tools assist with research and drafting, and every article is reviewed by a human editor before publication. Coverage follows the Editorial Policy, and substantive corrections are noted on the article under the Corrections Policy.
