Name Brand: The Rise of the Independent Reporter Through Social Media

A theory of branding was applied to news reporters to assess if conditions are right for them to create a personal brand, as opposed to the news brand of their outlet. Attitudinal data were collected through a purposive survey of television and newspaper reporters across the U.S. Results suggested that while reporters are not actively trying to brand themselves, the conditions are ripe for personal branding to take place. Several environmental factors would need to change before such change could occur.