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When Stakeholders Feel Betrayed: The Case of VegNews’ Misrepresentation of Food Photographs

Aimee Dars Ellis

The BRC Academy Journal of Education

Volume 3

Number 1

Print ISSN: 2152-8756 Online ISSN: 2152-8780

Date: March 15, 2013

First Page 121

Last Page 133

Abstract

This paper presents a case for use in Business Ethics, Management, or Marketing classes that puts students in the position of decision makers at VegNews Magazine after stakeholders learned that the magazine had misrepresented photographs published in the periodical. Founded in 2000, VegNews Magazine, self-described as the “premier vegan lifestyle magazine,” was well positioned to expand their dominance among vegan and vegetarian consumers. However, the magazine faced a crisis in April 2011 when vegan blogger, quarrygirl, posted an expose entitled, “RANT: VegNews is putting the meat in vegan issues,” which showed a number of vegan food spreads that had appeared in the magazine and paired them with screenshots of real meat dishes from a stock photography service. When the deception was revealed, many readers of VegNews reacted with vitriolic rage. Considering this case, students are asked to identify the options available to the VegNews Magazine decision makers as they attempt to repair their relationships with stakeholders who felt betrayed by the misrepresented photographs and the initial reaction from the magazine. This paper outlines the case study of the VegNews photo controversy and discusses how it can be used to demonstrate stakeholder management issues, crisis communication, and decision-making. It also provides strategies for analyzing the case through the ethical frameworks of universalism and utilitarianism. Finally, the paper will illustrate ways that the VegNews case can help students understand how to recover when stakeholders feel betrayed by a trusted organization.

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