We’ve Got News for You: Marketing in News Organizations Contributes to Infodemics…but Marketing Can Also Help!

Abstract

Although hundreds of millions of people consume news every day, the marketing discipline has paid little attention to this realm of consumption and its relevance for consumer behavior, marketing management, public policy, and societal well-being. This commentary identifies news media as a pressing and meaningful area for research at the intersection of marketing, society, and public policy. Exploring news is particularly important for marketing scholars given that media companies are increasingly driven by marketing paradigms. In turn, this potentially leads to some concerning, unforeseen outcomes related to the widespread proliferation of both accurate and inaccurate information—or “infodemics”—which drive consumer (dis)trust and may have negative implications for individual and societal well-being.