Examining journalists organizational trust pursuant to predictive variables in the Ethiopian media industry: The case study of Amhara Media Corporation

This study aimed at examining journalists' organizational trust by focusing on the relationships to the predictor variables of organizational commitment, job satisfaction and socio-economic exchanges at Amhara Media Corporation (AMC). Data were collected from self-administered report scales of 250 full-time employed journalists in the head office and across six branches of AMC in Ethiopia. The result of multiple regression analysis showed there were statistically significant associations of organizational trust with commitment, social exchange and job satisfaction positively and with economic exchange negatively. The higher levels of organizational commitment and social exchange journalists experience in AMC are associated with higher levels of organizational trust. Journalists' job satisfaction had a minimum impact on their organizational trust. The economic exchange journalists had in AMC did not determine their level of trust. Further, the result of parallel mediation analysis conducted using the Hayes PROCESS macro model showed organizational commitment and organizational trust were fully mediated by social exchange and job satisfaction. Journalists with high organizational commitment were likely to have higher levels of social exchange and job satisfaction indicating a culture of high levels of social exchange and job satisfaction are more likely to lead to trust in the media organization.