The Presentation of CEOs in the Press, 1990-2000: Increasing Salience, Positive Valence, and a Focus on Competency and Personal Dimensions of Image

Public relations researchers and practitioners acknowledge the importance of chief executive officers (CEOs) to the function and to organizational image, but studies of CEOs in media coverage are rare. This study used content analysis of 4 newspapers during the period from 1990 through 2000 to assess trends in the salience and valence of CEO press coverage and to examine dimensions of CEO images in the coverage. Results suggest increasing salience and a somewhat positive valence in coverage, as well as a sharp focus on competency and personal dimensions of CEO images. The study contributes to a thin literature on the topic by developing a baseline of data about CEOs and press coverage and by assessing implications of the findings for theory and practice.