Case
Abstract
This case explains the process for interviewing media professionals regarding their ethical perceptions of native advertising, and provides considerations for conducting similar research. To better understand ethical perceptions of native advertising held among media practitioners, 56 interviews were conducted with working journalists, advertising, and public relations practitioners. When conducting interviews on a trending and sensitive topic such as native advertising, there were several considerations we made either in preparation for the study (e.g., what kind of questions should we ask), while conducting the study (e.g., how does promising confidentiality impact the responses we’re collecting) or after data had been collected but still needed to be analyzed (e.g., how does theory and the research questions derived from theory impact data analysis). While not an exhaustive list, the considerations discussed in this case include confidentiality and recruitment, the selection of a research topic, which might be a sensitive topic, and the potential of your data.
