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UBC Theses and Dissertations
Cultivating credibility: a study of how news anchors establish trust Eisler, Karyn Lee
Abstract
This thesis examines television news anchor credibility - cultivation . The establishment of trust is examined through its relationship to station identity and audience construction. Open-focused interviews with news anchors, news directors, producers and make-up artists in a major Canadian television market were conducted. I maintain that anchors' actions and looks can personify distinction and credibility when they reflect viewers' tastes and sensibilities . Perceptions of anchor trustworthiness are the key t o viewer loyalty decisions and station identity . I contend that credibility cultivation requires anchors' entry into a complex system of expressive control which is exercised through constraint and expectation. Institutional needs for trust and an audience, the constraints imposed by the medium, entertainment format and news genre, all contribute to the expressive standards which must be adhered to. The image demands are intensified when viewer reflexivity , continuity and trust needs are incorporated into an already rigid performance regimen. There is room, however, for anchors' authentic expressions which are integral to the construction of trust and necessary reflections of both station and viewer uniqueness. Findings suggest that anchors who cultivate the appearance of their own accessibility are likely to be trusted because they seem familiar , on some level , to typical citizens tuning in . I argue that while this image is currently in vogue, it is unlikely to be a permanent mode of trustworthy expression. Dominant styles and viewer loyalty patterns appear to undergo evolutionary transformations. Distrust of the friendly facade could arise from any number of unforseen cultural changes and through changing expectations that are prompted by anchors who continually negotiate the trustworthiness of their image with the audience.
Item Metadata
Title |
Cultivating credibility: a study of how news anchors establish trust
|
Creator | |
Publisher |
University of British Columbia
|
Date Issued |
1997
|
Description |
This thesis examines television news anchor credibility -
cultivation . The establishment of trust is examined through its
relationship to station identity and audience construction.
Open-focused interviews with news anchors, news directors,
producers and make-up artists in a major Canadian television
market were conducted. I maintain that anchors' actions and
looks can personify distinction and credibility when they
reflect viewers' tastes and sensibilities . Perceptions of
anchor trustworthiness are the key t o viewer loyalty decisions
and station identity .
I contend that credibility cultivation requires anchors'
entry into a complex system of expressive control which is
exercised through constraint and expectation. Institutional
needs for trust and an audience, the constraints imposed by the
medium, entertainment format and news genre, all contribute to
the expressive standards which must be adhered to. The image
demands are intensified when viewer reflexivity , continuity and
trust needs are incorporated into an already rigid performance
regimen. There is room, however, for anchors' authentic
expressions which are integral to the construction of trust and
necessary reflections of both station and viewer uniqueness.
Findings suggest that anchors who cultivate the appearance
of their own accessibility are likely to be trusted because they
seem familiar , on some level , to typical citizens tuning in . I
argue that while this image is currently in vogue, it is
unlikely to be a permanent mode of trustworthy expression.
Dominant styles and viewer loyalty patterns appear to undergo
evolutionary transformations. Distrust of the friendly facade
could arise from any number of unforseen cultural changes and
through changing expectations that are prompted by anchors who
continually negotiate the trustworthiness of their image with
the audience.
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Extent |
5372608 bytes
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Genre | |
Type | |
File Format |
application/pdf
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Language |
eng
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Date Available |
2009-03-10
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Provider |
Vancouver : University of British Columbia Library
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Rights |
For non-commercial purposes only, such as research, private study and education. Additional conditions apply, see Terms of Use https://open.library.ubc.ca/terms_of_use.
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DOI |
10.14288/1.0087718
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URI | |
Degree | |
Program | |
Affiliation | |
Degree Grantor |
University of British Columbia
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Graduation Date |
1997-05
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Campus | |
Scholarly Level |
Graduate
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Aggregated Source Repository |
DSpace
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Item Media
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Rights
For non-commercial purposes only, such as research, private study and education. Additional conditions apply, see Terms of Use https://open.library.ubc.ca/terms_of_use.