Publication Type

Journal Article

Version

acceptedVersion

Publication Date

7-2019

Abstract

With fake news the rage (Tavernise, 2016), this study examines one form of fake news, satire news (Reilly, 2010). This study examines factors that lead satire news to be created, how they are used to criticize organizations and the impact on reputations. News on five satire news sites – The Onion (US), New Nation (Singapore), The Shovel (Australia), NewsThump (UK), and Der Postillon (Germany) – were analyzed using social media monitoring tools. Findings suggested that crises or paracrises (Coombs & Holladay, 2012) were likely to be exacerbated. While its effects are not immediate, satire news may have impact on organizations’ reputations over time. Satirical news sites have increased in recent years (Koziol, 2014). Insights add to understanding of the phenomenon of fake news. Anchored on the contingency theory of strategic conflict management (Pang, Jin, & Cameron, 2010), a framework for organizational response is proposed for practitioners to use.

Keywords

Satire news sites, Social media, Social media crises, Crisis management, Reputation management

Discipline

Business and Corporate Communications | Mass Communication

Research Areas

Corporate Communication

Publication

Communication and Media in Asia Pacific

Volume

2

Issue

2

First Page

1

Last Page

26

ISSN

2630-0621

Publisher

Chulalongkorn University

Copyright Owner and License

Authors

Additional URL

https://www.tci-thaijo.org/index.php/CMAP/article/view/204261

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