Applying and measuring strategic evaluation to the case of Microsoft

Abstract

To achieve objective information about how media delivered messages to cover an issue, the Microsoft antitrust trial case was investigated from the media coverage of five national newspapers in the USA. From the outcomes, this study revealed that Microsoft got better media coverage at the early issue status than the later issue status, public policy status. As the issue developed, the amount of coverage as well as the number of cases had grown. However, at the later public policy status, unfavorable coverage dominated favorable coverage, thus, monetary value which Microsoft had obtained from the coverage was smaller than that of the earlier status. Newly devised formulae for media content analysis were successfully applied to this case and showed the elaborated methodology for investigating an issue. The research register for this journal is available at http://www.mcbup.com/research_registers. The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available at http://www.emerald-library.com/ft. © 2001, MCB UP Limited