Corporate news is any company-related information published in a journalistic context, such as mergers and acquisitions. Many people believe that corporate news is biased and unreliable, but the fact is that this type of news can be an effective tool for companies that want to communicate with employees, shareholders, and customers.
A news report can be shared through a variety of outlets, including newspapers, radio, television, and the Internet. It can also be shared internally, such as through email or a corporate website. Corporate news may be created by a news agency, such as the Associated Press (AP), or by a company itself, typically through press releases. The news agency and the company often follow AP style guidelines to ensure that the information is objective and reliable.
When a company owns its own media outlet, it raises the question of whether or not the company’s interest will take precedence over the truth as journalism has traditionally striven to be impartial and neutral. For example, if one of a corporation’s oil tankers runs aground and leaks oil into the environment, it is likely that several news organizations will attempt to find out what happened, and whether human error or equipment failure was the cause.
Some critics believe that the corporate ownership of the media is a major reason why the U.S. government and large corporations are able to get away with supporting wars and other policies that damage the general welfare of citizens. The organization Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting has documented a pattern of media viewpoint bias, including how the U.S. media supported the Iraq War while downplaying citizen opposition to it in advance of the 2003 invasion.