How Does the Media Frame Corporate Scandals? The Case of German Newspapers and the Volkswagen Diesel Scandal

Abstract

Despite the importance that the media has in regard to influencing people’s perceptions of wrongdoing, organizational scholars have paid little attention to how the media reports wrongdoing. This article starts to address this gap by considering how the media frames corporate scandals. We empirically examine how four different German newspapers reported on the Volkswagen diesel scandal. We inductively identify the constitutive elements of a general corporate scandal frame. Then, we analyze how each newspaper framed the scandal through combinations of different elements. We identify from our dataset four frames of corporate scandals that newspapers applied: legalistic, contextual, reputational, and scapegoating. Our article testifies to the importance of cross-fertilization between research on mass communication and political science on one side, and organizational research on the other side and, more generally, it calls for more attention to be given to the media in the study of scandals and organizational wrongdoing.

Sorting in the used-car market after the Volkswagen emission scandal

“…Before the EPA disclosed the installation of the defeat device software, only a small number of managers and EPA officers were aware of the emission test manipulations (Clemente and Gabbioneta, 2017). The nitrogen oxide emissions of cars with a defeat device exceed official limits by up-to 40 times (New York Times, 2015).…”

“…Moreover, the durability of the exhaust gas recirculation valve, the particulate filter, and the catalytic converter could significantly decline after retrofitting. The image of VW diesel cars declined after the disclosure of the emission manipulation scandal (Clemente andGabbioneta, 2017, Stanwick andStanwick, 2017).…”

“…Furthermore, the emission scandal could have spillover effects on VW gasoline cars, as well as diesel cars from other producers (Clemente and Gabbioneta, 2017). For example, the image of diesel cars could decline and individuals could update their expectations about future car quality fraud revelations.…”

Measuring Credibility Perceptions in CSR Communication: A Scale Development to Test Readers’ Perceived Credibility of CSR Reports

“…However, it is not only individuals who aim for credibility in communication, but credibility is also central to communicating organizations. Ironically, this is often showcased by the lack of credibility, for instance, when corporate blunders such as the Volkswagen emission scandal evoke public attention ( Clemente & Gabbioneta, 2017 ).…”

Let’s Open the Media’s Black Box: The Media As a Set of Heterogeneous Actors and Not Only As a Homogenous Ensemble

“…For example, Roulet (2015) noted that there were key differences in the Washington Post, New York Times, and Wall Street Journal's biased depictions of investment banks during the recent financial crisis. Clemente and Gabbioneta (2017) demonstrated that heterogeneity exists across German newspapers in how they framed the Volkswagen scandal.…”