This group will examine the criticism levelled against CEO’s – and this applies not just to the former heads of Enron, Parmelat and AIG, but to executives across the board. Going by recent media coverage, almost any corporate leader should be considered a potential fraudster. What differences, if any, are emerging between the coverage of CEO’s in trade publications and in mainstream media on the international level? What portion of a company’s media coverage its CEO should carry? What else can be done to build public trust? In that context, we will also address the compensation of executives and companies’ communication on this subject.

The Corporate Communications Group will focus on defi ning risk indicators for corporate communications. What are the value drivers that set a company apart and that should be communicated to foster consistent media coverage? How can other departments within a company become more active in supporting its communication efforts to raise the coverage of a company’s value drivers above the awareness threshold?

The NGO Group will discuss the diffi culties faced by NGO’s in placing their message on the media agenda, as they are often the victims of Agenda Cutting effects. The Group will discuss what basic requirements need to be met for an NGO to become part of the agenda-setting circle in the media so that diverse messages are understood by world leaders on one hand, and by the general public on the other.

Tourist and investment decisions on where to spend/invest money depend largely on the reputation of that country or city. Before allocating large budgets to advertising and image campaigns, it is advantageous to know the current state of a country’s image. The Group will discuss the role of Public Diplomacy in order to understand what has to be communicated to improve credibility and boost investments.

Economics: This Group will continue to work on ways in which the business climate index and the consumer confi dence index can be predicted with the help of media content analysis. Studies in Germany and the U.S. have shown that the media has a strong impact on both indicators, which we will try to break down further to the level of individual companies and industries. We will also examine the fi ndings of a DIW study on how fi nancial news shapes the public perception of infl ation.

Publishers and Editors-in-Chief will discuss the problems of the new media environment. The Media Group will focus on the underlying value for a news outlet in being quoted by other media in order to improve its credibility regarding specifi c issues. Research has shown that the most effective way to get access to exclusive interview partners is to earn a reputation in the community as the premier medium for pushing particular news stories above the awareness threshold.

Politicians, scientists, campaign managers and media leaders will discuss the impact of modern and traditional media on voters’ behaviour. Media Tenor will provide studies from different media and political environments - such as elections in US, Iraq, Czech Republic, South Africa, Germany and France - for comparative research and a truly international discussion.

Communication scientists discuss stages of the Agenda Setting Theory and its implementation in different areas of daily life. Network members will intensively work on the replication of the Chapel Hill Study with Prof. Maxwell McCombs and Prof. Donald Shaw – “40 years after Chapel Hill Study - Replication in a new media environment “ -, which will be published after the US Presidential Election 2008.