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Access Type

WSU Access

Date of Award

January 2018

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

M.A.

Department

Communication

First Advisor

Rahul Mitra

Abstract

This thesis was aimed at creating a narrative fidelity measure (NFS-23), based on Walter Fisher’s (1984) Narrative Paradigm. Narrative fidelity is concerned with the influence and impact of values on the communication process. Based on the findings of prior research, this study sought to determine NFS-23 correlation with Coombs & Holladay’s (1996) Organizational Reputation scale (OR-10). Narrative fidelity was anticipated to be a positive predictor in a post-crisis communication condition. Results indicated that NFS-23 Cronbach alpha reliability was satisfactory (0.85, N = 46). Moreover, OR-10 Cronbach alpha reliability was satisfactory (0.87, N = 51), and the NFS-23 was positively correlated with the OR-10. These findings suggest that narrative fidelity has utility when evaluating the efficacy of crisis communication messages, especially in organizational crisis situations. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

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