When Military Public Relations Professionals Enter the News Business: Assessing the Effectiveness of a News Website Operated by the US Department of Defense Trans-Regional Web Initiative
ABSTRACT
The United States Department of Defense is concerned that, in important regions, journalists are not properly communicating its message. Therefore, the department has created eight news websites designed to look like regular news websites such as CNN.com and Aljazeera.com. This study examined one such website, Setimes.com, to ascertain whether it excels as a news website and as a public relations website. Findings show that the website excels as a public relations website but is flawed as a news website. This shows that the Department of Defense needs to rethink how it presents news via the news websites.
AUTHORS
Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication University of Oklahoma
United States of America
Owen Kulemeka is an assistant professor of strategic communication/public relations in the Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Oklahoma in the United States. His research interests include public relations, disaster preparedness communication, disaster recovery communication, and social media. Prior to entering academia, Dr. Kulemeka worked for several years in the public relations and marketing sectors.
Published In
Journal of Information Warfare
The definitive publication for the best and latest research and analysis on information warfare, information operations, and cyber crime. Available in traditional hard copy or online.
Quick Links
Archive
