| This study tests two models of the role of economic forces on the formation of newspaper content: the micro-economic model of McManus (1994) and the hierarchical model of Shoemaker and Reese (1991). The fit of these two models with the role of public relations information subsidies in the construction of news (Gandy, 1982) and the influence of personal ethics on professional practices is then explored (Kohlberg, 1981, 1984). Data were collected from 21 in-depth interviews with newspaper editorial personnel and 187 surveys received from managing editors nationwide.;The data do not support the McManus model (1994) and provide only limited support for the Shoemaker and Reese model (1991). Support was found for the role of public relations materials as an economic subsidy to news content, although editors did not view many of their uses of public relations materials as such because they exercised control over all "news" material. The data suggest that managing editors use journalistic standards, such as objectivity, when making ethical decisions because they believe such standards serve the greater social good. The findings, however, indicate that reliance on such professional norms leads to less socially responsible ethical decision making. |
