Is Positive, Negative, Neutral rating a good method of analysis?
It is better than counting all publicity as good publicity. But positive/negative/neutral ratings are usually subjectively decided. Furthermore, they are simplistic. Articles may be slightly positive or negative, or very negative or positive. A three-point scale is very broad – for instance, a three-point scale is not used in other research such as surveys where five, seven of 10-point scales are most commonly used to provide more precise measurement. Thirdly, they are a univariate method of analysis (ie. they assess a single variable). An article may be positive, but in a medium that does not reach your target audience. Or an article may be small and poorly positioned. Best Practice media content analysis assesses multiple variables about each article to decide its likely impact, including positioning, audience reach, messages communicated, your share of voice in the article, etc. A good example of the limitation of positive/negative/neutral ratings is during a crisis or issue managem
