Does the brand affect the quality perception of news articles? – An experimental study on news media brands in Switzerland

Branding has become of increasing importance to news media companies as strategy to face fierce competition. But branding measures within news media are perceived controversially – because brands could disguise a possible loss of journalistic quality. This study investigates if recipients evaluate the quality of the news articles based on the content or the brand, and to what extend the brand and its constructs affect the quality perception of news articles. By doing so, the study aims at underlining the necessity of sustaining journalistic quality and the need for quality news brands to pursue a quality orientation. Results of the online experiment indicate that the quality evaluation is rather based on the actual content than the brand, although the brand also showed to be influential.