‘Organizational, professional, personal’: An exploratory study of political journalists and their hybrid brand on Twitter

Abstract

Political journalists rely heavily on their occupational status and reputation. This article addresses how political journalists negotiate their standing and enforce their legitimacy on Twitter amidst the online environment that directly challenges them. So far, practice-oriented studies have only looked at journalists in general. Studies have also tended to investigate the content published to journalists’ Twitter feeds, neglecting other aspects of the Twitter profile that can affect the perceived image of journalists. This exploratory study examines the Twitter profile pages of 20 political journalists who work for the top broadsheet newspapers in the United States. It uses the conceptual framework of personal branding to identify patterns and trends of how and where political journalists actively communicate their presence on the platform. This process is delineated by three complementary and co-existing brand identities – the organizational, the professional, and the personal – as well as a digital media skills-based dimension that political journalists use to position their journalistic brand on Twitter. Findings suggest that it could be most appropriate to think of political journalists’ Twitter profiles as digital business cards or digital portfolios, deliberately crafted to differentiate the journalist and establish competitive superiority.

Exploring the creation and development of political co-brand identity

“…In addition brand identity is all about an organisation's vision and values (Alsem and Kostelijk 2008;Ponnam 2007), and "has to be coherent, integrated, adaptable, durable and therefore dynamic and ready to change" (Dahlen et al 2010:204). Therefore, brand identity should be consistent yet flexible and routinely monitored to respond to environmental changes (Ottovordemgentschenfelde 2017;Silveira et al 2013).…”

“…Subsequently, each political co-brand represents an 'alliance' and possesses a unique, blended identity developed from a personalised core premise and positioned by a personal ideology manifested from the 'broad church' corporate values and heritage (Abratt and Motlana 2002;Baumgarth 2018;Besharat and Langan 2014;d'Astous et al 2007;Kumar 2005;Nguyen et al 2018;Ottovordemgentschenfelde 2017;Pich et al 2017;Wheeler and Millman 2017 Nevertheless, the findings demonstrate that creating, developing and managing successful political co-brands requires a long-term collaborative approach [18-months-2 years] to establish a local presence and maintain a consistent localised message inside and outside the election campaign period (Leuthesser et al 2002;Silveira et al 2013). Further, the findings suggest that the relationship between the corporate political brand and political co-brands can vary in terms of alignment and strength and will be influenced by the nature of the constituency, personal position and beliefs of the co-brand and perceived tensions between corporatepolitical co-brands (Ahn and Sung 2012;Besharat and Langan 2014;Grebosz-Krawczyk and Pointet 2017;Volckner and Sattler 2006).…”

“…Indeed, investigating a brand's internally created identity is crucial to its long term success as it provides insight to the brand's current and desired vision and values, which it communicates to consumers and citizens (Cheng et al 2008;Dahlen et al 2010;de Chernatony 2006;Ottovordemgentschenfelde 2017;Saaksjarvi and Samiee 2011;Srivastava 2011). More specifically, Pich and Dean (2015) indicate that further studies should be undertaken so as to reveal a deeper understanding as to how candidates-politicians as political brands are created, and built and and how they strategically manage their identities and develop long-term relationships with citizens.…”

A future of journalism beyond the objectivity–dialogue divide? Hybridity in the news of entrepreneurial journalists

“…At its core, this need stems from the rise of interest-based networks of audience communities (Malmelin & Villi, 2016) on social media. Audiences are increasingly choosing content based on personal interest, importance and relevance (Ottovordemgentschenfelde, 2017). By tailoring hybrid news language to specific audiences, journalists seek to establish an emotional and engaged connection with them, to become a part of audiences' peer networks, and to address the interests of niche audiences (Baym, 2017;Bødker, 2017;Witschge et al, 2019).…”

Valuing subjectivity in journalism: Bias, emotions, and self-interest as tools in arts reporting

“…Recent studies suggest that commercial pressures and incentives may be competing with traditional journalistic values in how journalists conceptualize their responsibilities to the reading public (Andersson and Wadbring, 2015;Christin, 2016;Hellman and Jaakkola, 2012). This is exacerbated by the increasing competitiveness of the journalistic field and the growth of new media, such as Twitter and blogs, and their incumbent emphasis on individual brands (Ottovordemgentschenfelde, 2016), suggesting that questions of how to balance self-interest and public interest are likely to become increasingly salient for new generations of journalists. Chong 5 Attending to how the above forms of subjectivity are managed alongside -rather than despitethe norms of objectivity can help us understand both journalistic practices in general and the interrelations between new and traditional forms.…”