Changing media leadership and its perceived impact on news objectivity
Abstract
This study seeks to explore how media leadership has evolved in the United States and how
leadership styles of media owners have impacted the perceived objectivity of news stories.
Objectivity of news stories has been a major problem in the media industry in the U.S. and
journalists are blamed often for lack of credibility of news stories. This study explores how select
leaders have a major influence on journalists’ approaches to news, which ultimately influences
news objectivity. This thesis employs a historical analysis approach using the four theories of the
press as a framework to understand media leaders’ leadership styles. The analysis begins with
the leadership styles of Joseph Pulitzer and William Randolph Hearst, owners of traditional, 19th
-Century newspapers, and concludes with an evaluation of the leadership styles of present-day
tech giants, Mark Zuckerberg and Jack Dorsey, owners of Facebook and Twitter, respectively.
Further, this study analyzes how yellow journalism has led to the present problem of fake news
to attract readership in the new media and argues that media leaders have a major influence on
how journalists approach news they cover.
Rights
This material is made available for use in research, teaching, and private study, pursuant to U.S. Copyright law. The user assumes full responsibility for any use of the materials, including but not limited to, infringement of copyright and publication rights of reproduced materials. Any materials used should be fully credited with its source. All rights are reserved and retained regardless of current or future development or laws that may apply to fair use standards. Permission for publication of this material, in part or in full, must be secured with the author and/or publisher.Agbaje, Kehinde A.