Sep 22, 2022Tracking potatoes in traditional, social media: Potatoes USA releases new report
It is no surprise that potatoes are featured in the press since they are America’s favorite vegetable, but sometimes misinformation is included, putting the potato’s reputation at stake.
Understanding what the press is saying about potatoes and the sentiment of the stories ensures that Potatoes USA addresses the misinformation right away. In a first-of-its-kind report for Potatoes USA, a summary of media coverage from July 2021-June 2022 is available for review.
While the majority of media coverage on potatoes shines a positive light, there is also misinformation. Hillenby, a Potatoes USA agency partner, monitors the news daily to pinpoint media providing inaccurate portrayals of potatoes. They then work in concert with the industry’s nutrition science experts to gather appropriate scientifically based research and Potatoes USA before reaching out to the media outlet to present the facts. The goal is to get these publications to correct their statements; however, it is also an educational opportunity. There are instances when media outlets are presented with correct information, but they don’t make changes to their articles. In many cases, these writers have reached out to Potatoes USA for the facts before writing their next article. In the last year, 35% of articles were corrected after being presented with the facts about potatoes.
Over 2,000 articles mentioned potatoes from July 2021-June 2022. Learn more about where and what the media coverage featured:
Traditional media versus social media: conversation topics
From July 2021-June 2022, the conversation about potatoes in traditional media was predominantly health-related, while on social media, the primary dialogue revolved around cooking. The topics of culture, history, and affordability were also popular topics of discussion for potatoes and saw differences from each media type.
Traditional media versus social media: sentiment
The media’s tone about potatoes fluctuated throughout the year, and some topics leaned more positive than others. Twenty-five percent of positive articles were about potatoes’ popularity and taste, which saw much coverage on social media. The highest volume of negative discussions came from articles about potato disease prevention, which accounted for 21% of negative articles and was discussed more in traditional media.
Throughout the year, the ratio of positive-to-negative coverage in traditional and social media increased. The total ratio for traditional media was 2.7 positive articles to every one negative article, and the total of 8.5 positive articles to one negative article in social media.
The full report can be found here.
— Potatoes USA
