The study tracked a “firm’s news coverage and qualitative content of news stories (slant) in a large database of articles from Wall Street Journal, New York Times, and eight major local newspapers that meet our data requirements (Boston Globe, Chicago Sun-Times, Denver Post, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, San Francisco Chronicle, Seattle Post-Intelligencer, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, and Washington Post) between 1996 and 2006.”
Determining slant for coverage was according to how positive or negative any coverage for the firm was in articles, and the coverage was how many times a company got mentioned in articles in the listed newspapers. Using established guidelines set by predecessors - Tetlock, Saar-Tsechansky, and Macskassy (2008), Loughran and McDonald (2011), and Gurun and Butler (2012), the group identified both negative and positive words in a textual analysis of articles.
Their results showed that having a media person on the Board increased their news article coverage by 33% per year with 21% less likelihood of the article having a negative slant. To explain the results, they looked at several possible explanations. One of these possibilities was that a media person naturally increased the awareness of publicity and how it works within an organization. This seemed especially true when that board member was brought into the mix specifically to increase public awareness of the company and its products, services, and mission.
Another possibility was that these board members get better coverage because of their past associations and ties with the periodicals, however, from what the group observed, at least with those having strong ties to the Wall Street Journal, this didn’t appear to make any difference in either number of articles or the slant of the articles.PR Insights & Public Relations Strategy
By Editorial Team2 min read
Board of Directors Impact On Publicity Programs
By Editorial Team2 min read
The study tracked a “firm’s news coverage and qualitative content of news stories (slant) in a large database of articles from Wall Street Journal, New York Times, and eight major local newspapers that meet our data requirements (Boston Globe, Chicago Sun-Times, Denver Post, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, San Francisco Chronicle, Seattle Post-Intelligencer, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, and Washington Post) between 1996 and 2006.”
Determining slant for coverage was according to how positive or negative any coverage for the firm was in articles, and the coverage was how many times a company got mentioned in articles in the listed newspapers. Using established guidelines set by predecessors - Tetlock, Saar-Tsechansky, and Macskassy (2008), Loughran and McDonald (2011), and Gurun and Butler (2012), the group identified both negative and positive words in a textual analysis of articles.
Their results showed that having a media person on the Board increased their news article coverage by 33% per year with 21% less likelihood of the article having a negative slant. To explain the results, they looked at several possible explanations. One of these possibilities was that a media person naturally increased the awareness of publicity and how it works within an organization. This seemed especially true when that board member was brought into the mix specifically to increase public awareness of the company and its products, services, and mission.
Another possibility was that these board members get better coverage because of their past associations and ties with the periodicals, however, from what the group observed, at least with those having strong ties to the Wall Street Journal, this didn’t appear to make any difference in either number of articles or the slant of the articles.Written by
Editorial Team
The Everything-PR Editorial Team produces reporting, research, and analysis across thirty verticals — communications, reputation, AI visibility, public affairs, media systems, and digital discovery in the answer-engine era. Publishing since 2009.
Other news
See all
Editorial Team · 05/20/2026
TikTok and Reddit: The Two Platforms That Feed AI Answers
TikTok and Reddit carry disproportionate weight for consumer brands because their content is durable — it feeds coverage, search, and AI-engine answers long after posting. This article explains how both platforms influence AI answers.
Editorial Team · 05/20/2026
Why Performance Marketing Stopped Working: The Demand Equation
Performance marketing has become expensive, crowded, and harder to measure due to rising acquisition costs, signal loss from privacy changes, and audience saturation. The Demand Equation explains that performance marketing efficiently captures demand but poorly creates it. This article details why brands overpay when asking performance marketing to do both and how to reallocate demand creation to more effective channels.
Never Miss a Headline
Daily PR headlines, weekly long-form analysis, and our proprietary research drops — straight to your inbox.