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

Abstract 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.


PUBLIC INTEREST STATEMENT
Journalists are the core actors in the media industry's content production and their professional roles carry out within the realms of economic, social, and organizational relationships. As employees in the organizational environments, journalists experience media organizational management and routines accordingly. However, organizational studies have not given appropriate attention to exploring journalists' media organizational exposures as employees. This study underpins the relationships of journalists' organizational trust in line with commitment, satisfaction, and socio-economic exchanges in Amhara Media Corporation (AMC) of Ethiopia. The statistical results assert the effects of the predictive variables on journalists' trust in AMC influence significantly. Journalists working climate that are attached to the media routines, associations, attitudes, and perceptions interlinked with the media organizational dynamics. This study is important for media managers, editors, coordinators, supervisors, and departments to consider the management of journalists in the media industry so as to run journalistic content productions smoothly, effectively, and appropriately. 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.

Introduction
The media landscape in the Eastern African countries (Burundi, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, and Uganda) is challenging from the perspective of censorship and ownership-largely owned and operated by the respective governments and the political elites. Hence, the media practice and press freedom are rated low, even by African standards. Limpitlaw (2016) claims Eastern Africa countries lag behind other African regions concerning the levels of press freedom. For example, a credible and independent press committed to the truth, is currently a huge challenge in Kenya (Bwire, 2019). Eritrea has the most jailed and censored journalists in Africa 1 . 2 The media landscape in Somalia largely resembles that of the rest of Africa: a weak newspaper structure and urban television profile, accompanied by substantial radio consumption (Skjerdal, 2012, p. 36). Generally speaking, the media practices and press freedom are falling behind and oscillating nature based on the interests of the ruling government of each nation.
The Ethiopian media landscape has not been exceptional though there was relative freedom entertained and no jailed journalists recorded at the beginning of the new reform government came to power in 2018, but it did not last long. According to Committee to Protect Journalists report, the arrests of journalists in Ethiopia have been reviving again starting in 2019. 3 It is possible to say journalists' autonomy in the Ethiopian media industry influxes depending on the state of the government. In his study, Skjerdal (2012) comes up with the concept of "competing loyalties" of media practices and the political games that shows the vacillating nature of the journalism profession and government-oriented reporting in the Ethiopian media industry.
Sticking to the media organizations in Ethiopia, regional media is a recent development that is barely a quarter of a century old, and Amhara Media Corporation (AMC hereafter) is not exceptional. It was established in 1994 as part of a regional-based media in Ethiopia. 4 AMC started its broadcasting by bringing staff from national media organizations like Ethiopian Radio, Ethiopian Press Agency, Ethiopian Television, and from other media organizations with very outdated media technologies in the early 1990s (journalists and other media staff are full-time employees). AMC is owned by Amhara regional government. 5 As far as AMC is owned and maneuvered by the Amhara regional government, it is quite important to investigate journalists' work routines and professional autonomy they entertain in the media. Actually in scholarly point of view, it is questionable whether journalists can ever obtain complete autonomy and independence in their work places (Pihl-Thingvad, 2015). Under these circumstances though, the positive relationships of journalists in their working environment would yield a better image of the media corporation as an organization. In support of the idea, Mishra and Morrissey (1990) claim the working environment brings a trusting climate in which people feel free to share ideas, disclose feelings, and work for common goals in a participative manner. Additionally, Shoemaker and Reese (1996) declare that media organizations at large are engulfed with the politics and political economy of the media-media ownership (the ultimate power relies on) count altogether contribute to the performance of the organization. Studying the trust/distrust dichotomy within AMC helps to examining the intra-organizational relations of journalists, assessing journalists' professionalism, and underpinning the contributory factors that ultimately bring influence on the media organization's performance. Therefore, considering AMC as a workplace setting, managing it properly fosters a conducive working climate for the development of journalism professionalism. It is assumed that a particular media outlet's reputation is possibly manifested based on journalists' practical professional routines within the media organizational dynamics. Hence, it is the journalists' works that are disseminated by the media organizations so that it possibly enables to get the close examination of journalists' trust towards AMC. Further, for the trust/distrust dichotomy of media organizations, journalists are at the center of this study. Journalists as organizational employees may have varied levels of commitments, satisfaction, relationships and ultimately trust/distrust in the media organization. It is thus important to examine organizational trust (OT) and the association with job satisfaction (JS), organizational commitment (OC), social exchange (SE) and economic exchange (EE) in the media organizations which has not yet been studied.

Organizational trust (OT)
Trust is the willingness of a party to be vulnerable to the actions of another party based on the expectation that the other will perform a particular action important to the trustor's sake, irrespective of the ability to monitor/control it and uncertainty regarding the motives, intentions, and prospective actions of others on whom they depend Cohen, 2015;Kramer, 1999;Mayer et al., 1995;Tsfati, 2003). It is the confidence one places in others, and an inside mind conformity between two parties without any prerequisite legal mutual consent or framework (Mishra & Morrissey, 1990;Otto et al., 2018;Patel, 2005). Trust is the actors' expectation of the other party's integrity, competence, goodwill and behavior (Blomqvist & Ståhle, 2011;Larzelere & Huston, 1980;Tschannen-Moran & Hoy, 2000). The decision of taking risk is the other manifestation of trust as the decision to rely on another party (i.e. person, group, or organization) under a condition of risk (Currall & Inkpen, 2002, p. 236).
There are parallel terms of trust called distrust (Rousseau et al., 1998;Tschannen-Moran & Hoy, 2000;Tsfati, 2003;Uggla et al., 2013) and mistrust (Saunders & Thornhill, 2004). Distrust is characterized by low interdependence relationships between individuals (Shockley-Zalabak et al., 2010). It is not necessarily an irrational or unwise response but may be based on knowledge, experience, and real differences in values (Barber, 1983as cited in Tschannen-Moran & Hoy, 2000. Distrust is a fragile thing; it is generally earned and grows at a painfully slow pace, it can be destroyed quickly. Moreover, distrust is likely to have a deleterious effect on communication and engendering it can be costly, but when all information is available for customers, there is no room for distrust (Lewicki & Bies, 1998;Lewick & Bunker, 1996;Mishra & Morrissey, 1990;Osburg, 2019;Shockley-Zalabak et al., 2010;Tschannen-Moran & Hoy, 2000).
Sticking to the point, organizational trust (OT) has immense contexts in points. OT refers to employees identifying with organization and willing to establish long-term relationships with the organization (Yu et al., 2018). This concept is the overarching belief that an organization in its communication and behaviors is competent, open and honest, concerned, reliable, and worthy of identification with its goals, norms and values (Shockley-Zalabak et al., 2010). It is also a feeling of confidence and support in an employer (Gilbert & Tang, 1998). Besides, OT is an employee's feeling of confidence that the organization will perform actions that are beneficial, or at least not detrimental, to him or her (Tan & Tan, 2000, p. 243). Associating OT with other organizational constructs would be an important area of organizational sub-field study. In this sense, relating OT with OC, JS, SE and EE employees live up to is one path of examining the organizational working dynamics.

Organizational commitment (OC)
OC is the connection between the organization and the employees that make it less likely that the employee will voluntarily leave the organization (Allen & Meyer, 1996;Fabiene & Kachchhap, 2016;Monday, 2016). It is a mindset, or psychological state (i.e., feelings and/or beliefs concerning the employee's relationship with an organization (Allen & Meyer, 2000Herscovitch & Meyer, 2002;Meyer & Allen, 1991). OC has been elucidated in the following meanings: permanence, preference, identification and performance (Monday, 2016) that it is a "consistent lines of activity" (Becker, 1960).
Affective commitment (desire-based) is an emotional attachment or orientation to the organization such that the strongly committed individual identifies with, is involved in and enjoys membership in, the organization (Allen & Meyer, 2000Herscovitch & Meyer, 2002;Meyer & Allen, 2004;Paine, 2003).

Continuance commitment (cost-based)
is a psychological tie to the organization that is based on the employee's recognition that leaving would be costly; those with strong continuance commitment remain because they need to (Allen & Meyer, 2000Fabiene & Kachchhap, 2016;Herscovitch & Meyer, 2002;Meyer & Allen, 2004;Monday, 2016).
Normative commitment (obligation-based) reflects a feeling of employees' obligation to continue or remain employed within an organization because they feel they ought to do so (Allen & Meyer, 2000Herscovitch & Meyer, 2002;Meyer & Allen, 2004, 1991Monday, 2016).

Job satisfaction (JS)
JS is the level of employees' cognition, affection, and reactions about their work. JS is the positive or negative feelings about jobs and organizations should then contribute to more specific attitudes such as JS or OC (Fabiene & Kachchhap, 2016;Shore et al., 1990;Monday, 2016). It is noteworthy that, organizational study approaches and methods are adapted to underpin journalists' working environment of satisfaction. Moreover, this study's result has to be seen in a mush with the journalistic values and professional autonomy that enable to scrutinize from both humanistic and professional perspectives.

Social exchange (SE) and economic exchange (EE)
SE theories contain inherent conflicts related to trust initiation (Whitener et al., 1998). SE has emphasized socio-emotional aspects of the employment relationship (i.e., feelings of obligation and trust), while EE has emphasized the financial and more tangible aspects of the exchange relationship (Shore et al., 2006, p. 839). EE is emphasized in the agency theory perspective which a principal-agent relationship exists when one party contracts with another party to perform a task involving delegation of decision making in exchange for compensation (Whitener et al., 1998). The employees' organizational relationships are assumed to affect the trust/distrust levels potentially that the interactions entertained with the organizational framework interlinks plausibly.

Conceptualizing trust in the media organization context
Media organizations are part of organizational structures that enrolled and administered journalist employees. Members of elites generally tend to trust more in the [organizations] of a given society, including the media, since they personally are included in a process of collective participation that governs the generation of norms and institutions of their society (Brecht, 2004as cited in Stephanie, 2019. In this sense, journalists must have a high degree of professional freedom and autonomy to carry out their function, and we gauge their work against some standard of fairness, or equal representation of relevant social features (Reese, 2001, p. 175).
Due to the multidisciplinary nature of the concept, examining trust of journalists in the media industry is fairly to say not studied in a paramount extent. Trust is a basis for journalistic operations, and building trust is essential for the future performance of journalism (Blöbaum,2014, pp. 8-10). So conceptualizing trust to a certain fields of studies risks missing the rich diversity of trust knowledge in different organizational settings. Based on this, Rousseau et al. (1998, p. 402) finally conclude that "we have a confession for the reader: by collaborating across disciplines to identify and develop multilevel, multidisciplinary views of trust, we have stacked the deck". Media houses as organizations have the ground to be considered in the realm of organizational trust studies. This is because media organizations make up the shell of journalism (Blöbaum, 2014).
In this context, the definition of media organization is the social, formal, usually, economic entity that employs the media worker in order to produce media content plus it is goal-directed, composed of interdependent parts, and bureaucratically structured-members perform specialized functions, in standardized roles (Shoemaker & Reese, 1996, p. 138). Intently, understanding the dynamic nature of trust is as important as understanding its facets (Tschannen-Moran & Hoy, 2000, p. 580). Therefore, considering the paucity of studies in the media industry, AMC as a media organization could be seen from the trust perspective based on the journalists' commitment, satisfaction and socio-economic relationships to show the Ethiopian media industry practice perspective fundamentally.
Journalism studies in Ethiopia have given little emphasis to the contextual matters of media organizations milieu (commitment, satisfaction, relationships and trust) to journalists. Hence examining journalists working climate in the media industry in Ethiopia could probably be a new area in media organizational study. Therefore, having evidence of gaps from the literature reviews, previous research works, for instance, Woldearegay (2021) and a preliminary discussion held with journalists gave the researchers an initial conception that the journalists' overall working climate and their emotional reactions and attachment could perhaps be important contextual matters in AMC's organizational dynamics. The way AMC journalists trust their own media organization is an important issue that could interlink with their commitment (emotional attachment), relationships and satisfaction. Based on these issues, the following hypotheses were forwarded: Hypothesis 1: Journalists' organizational commitment relates to their organizational trust in AMC.

Hypothesis 2:
Journalists' social exchange determines their level of organizational trust in AMC.

Hypothesis 3:
Journalists' job satisfaction significantly relates to their level of organizational trust to AMC.

Hypothesis 4:
Journalists' economic exchange determines their level of organizational trust in AMC.
Hypothesis 5: Job satisfaction mediates the relationship between organizational commitment and organizational trust.
Hypothesis 6: social exchange mediates the relationship between organizational commitment and organizational trust.
Hypothesis 7: SE and JS parallel mediate the relationship between OC and organizational trust.

Conceptual framework
This study focused on exploring the Ethiopian media industry's organizational trust/distrust dichotomy aimed at investigating journalists' working relationships, satisfaction and commitment considering AMC as a focus. Conceptually, the study emphasized the possible mediating roles of SE and JS variables in the multi-relationships between OC and OT. Further, it assumed the prediction of journalists' OC, JS, SE and EE on the predicted variable of OT in the media industry. Thus, the study centered on the overarching social theories of OT, SE and a model of OC applied in the media organization. OT is the "main thing" for overall effectiveness and the capacity to achieve organizational excellence (Shockley-Zalabak et al., 2010). Employees and respective organizations relationships of psychological and implied contracts are quite essential for the good working climate within organizations (Rousseau et al., 1998).
In this respect, how journalists' OC (Meyer & Allen, 2004, 1991, JS (Cammann et al., 1979;Monday, 2016) and SE and EE (Shore et al., 2006;Shore et al., 1990) relationships associate with their OT in AMC was the core case to show the media practice in Ethiopia. It is constitutionally guaranteed that all regional (eleven regions and two city administrations) and national media outlets are owned and financed by the regional and federal governments of Ethiopia respectively. AMC is one of the organizations that hire large number of journalists like Ethiopian Broadcast Corporation (EBC) and Oromia Broadcast Network (OBN) in Ethiopia. Therefore, it can be a possible case that shows the country's media industry practice overtly. To recapitulate, the OC, JS, SE, EE and OT were the variables interlinked in the AMC's working climate using the parallel mediation model. Therefore, this study framed its theoretical orientation on applying OT theory based on the predictor variable theories through chains of relationships as show below in Figure 1.

Methodology and data
This study used case study as a strategy and employed a mono method cross-sectional inquiry based on journalists' self-reports. Multiple regression and ANOVA were applied to investigate the criterion and predicted variables. Moreover, the parallel mediation analysis was conducted to figure out the mediators' effects on the dependent variable. A preliminary pilot survey was carried out to test the feasibility of the instruments adapted to the media organization. Normality, linearity and homoscedasticity assumptions were ensured of no violation of the analyses.
Consequently based on the face value observed in the pilot study, some modifications were applied from the originally prepared questionnaire. Exploratory factor analysis was conducted to evaluate the reliability and validity of the social and economic relationship scales of journalists' responses at AMC. The psychometric validation protocols of exploratory factor analysis in SPSS were conducted to test the correlations of each item. Hence, the overall significance results of the correlation matrix through Bartlett's Test of Sphericity were significant for the socio-economic constructs i.e. x 2 (n = 188) = 178.567 (p < 0.001) for EE, and x 2 (n = 188) = 50.675 (p < 0.001) for SE that indicates the suitability for explanatory factor analysis. Besides, the KMO measures of sampling adequacy (MSA) for economic and social exchanges were 0.66 and 0.61 respectively. Regarding to the internal consistency values of items, Hair et al. (1995) suggest ≥ 0.30 is minimal, ≥ 0.40 is important, and ≥ 0.50 is practically significant as the rule of thumb. Further, the reliability coefficient alpha of OC as single factor of solution, OT and JS were 0.87, 0.87 and 0.70 respectively.

Sample and data collection procedure
This study considered full-time employed journalists from all walks of professional practices in AMC of both in Amhara region branches (ATV in Bahir Dar and FM radio offices in four zonal branches), and at Ethiopian's capital Addis Ababa (ATV and an FM radio in Addis Ababa). The close-ended questionnaire was prepared, coded and distributed to self-administered 250 journalists across six branches of AMC. In this regard, 208 copies were recovered, of which 20 were incomplete, out of 250 copied were distributed. The response rates exceeded 83.2% and showed there was a very small non-response bias.

Measures
The measurement scale constructs were adapted from scholars who formulated for the employed variables of OT, OC, JS, SE and EE. It was proved, in the pilot study, that the possible language barrier to understanding the questions for the journalists was very rare. The respondent journalists were consulted and approached to inspect if a language barrier was there and reported not as such. Thus, the questionnaire was prepared in English. Actually, English is the medium of instruction across all higher education institutions in Ethiopia. The five-point Likert scales were used for all 39 questions.

Organizational trust scales
OT measurement scales used here is formerly developed by Gabarro and Athos (1976) and revised and adapted by Robinson and Rousseau (1994). This scale has seven items that assessed the journalists' degree of trust towards AMC. Thus, responses were coded that a high score indicates a high degree of trust in one's employer. A sample item was "I believe AMC has high integrity".

Organizational commitment scales
The three organizational commitments model measurement developed by Meyer and Allen (2004) were used. These scales had 18 items that contained six items each. Sample items were: "I really feel as if AMC's problems are my own; I feel that I have too few options to consider leaving AMC, and AMC deserves my loyalty". However in this case, OC was taken as a single construct by merging the three constructs together.

Job satisfaction scale
The current research used the three-item General Satisfaction Scale, from the Michigan Organizational Assessment Questionnaire Job Satisfaction Subscale (MOAQ-JSS) developed by Cammann et al. (1979). A sample item was "I am satisfied with my journalism job in AMC".

Social and economic exchanges
SE and EE are distinctively independent aspects of exchange in the employment relationship which has 13 items (Shore et al., 2006). Accordingly, the researchers took, separately, six items for SE and five items for EE scales (leaving two "reverse" questions). Sample items were "My organization has made a significant investment in me (SE), and my relationship with AMC is strictly an economic one-I work and they pay me (EE)".

Regression analysis results
Multiple regression analysis was conducted (see , Table 1 below). Results showed the overall regression model was statistically significant. The dependent variable was regressed on predicting variables of OC, SE, EE and JS. The independent variables significantly predicted OT, F (4, 183) = 17.50, P<0.001, which indicated that the four factors had a significant impact on OT. Moreover, the R 2 =0.28 (which was significantly greater than zero) showed that the model explained 0.28 of the variance in OT. According to Falk and Miller (1992), R 2 values should be equal to or greater than 0.10 for the explanation of endogenous construct. Moreover, based on J. Cohen, 1998), this R 2 value relied on a substantial level as he put substantial, moderate and weak levels with 0.26, 0.13 and 0.02 respectively. However, Hair et al. (2014) claimed differently that the 'rough rule of thumb' for R 2 is acceptable, with 0.75, 0.50 and 0.25 describing substantial, moderate and weak levels respectively. In line with this, Chin (1998) recommended R 2 values for endogenous variables as substantial (0.67), moderate (0.33) and weak (0.19). Table 2, the predictor variables were statistically significant as a group (F = 17.50, df = 183, p < 0.001). We could say that the group of independent variables collectively, i.e. OC, SE, EE and JS, predicted OT (the dependent variable) significantly.  Further, from the regression coefficients, the relationship between the predicted variable (OT) and the individual predictor variables, i.e. OC, SE, EE and JS, of journalists was investigated using the Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient. In one hand, the three variables i.e. OC (B = 0.61, p < 0.05), SE (B = 0.28, p < 0.05) and JS (B = 0.12, p < 0.05) had significant contributions for the criterion variable (OT). Among all, OC and SE were highly significant whereas JS was less significant (hypotheses 1, 2 & 3 approved). On the other hand, EE (B = −0.06, p < 0.43) had a negative impact on OT (hypotheses 4 disapproved) which illustrated that this variable did not contribute a unique significance to the dependent variable.

Parallel mediation analysis result
In the figure above (Figure 2), parallel mediation analysis was conducted to assess the mediating roles of JS and SE on the link between OC and OT. The Hayes PROCESS macro template was integrated within the SPSS. Consequently, model 4 in 95% confidence intervals along with 5000 bootstrapped samples was used. The total effect of OC on OT was remarkably significant (β total  = 0.8026, SE = 0.1120, p < 0.001) and the direct effect was also highly significant (β direct = 0.6168, SE = 0.1189, p = 0.001).
In the overall analysis result, the two mediators fully mediate the relationship between OC and OT (IE overall = 0.0593, 95% CI: LL = 0.0754 to UL = 0.3069) indicating that journalists with high OC are likely to have higher levels of SE and JS in AMC (see, Figure 3 above). Journalists through the culture of high levels of SE and JS are more likely to trust the media organization (hypothesis 7 approved).
However, one out of the two mediators was found to significantly contribute to the overall indirect effect. Specifically, there is a statistically significant indirect effect of OC to OT though SE (IE socialexchange = 0.0516, 95% CI: LL = 0.0426 to UL = 0.2434) such that journalists who experienced high levels of OC were more likely to experience high SE, and through high levels of SE more likely to develop higher levels of OT (hypothesis 6 approved). In the indirect effect, however, JS did not mediate the relationship between OC and OT (IE jobsatisfaction = 0.0469, 95% CI: LL = −0.0065 to UL = 0.1082) (hypothesis 5 disapproved).

Discussion
The findings from this study suggest that journalists OT significantly relates with OC (B = 0.61, p < 0.05), SE (B = 0.28, p < 0.05) and JS (B = 0.12, p < 0.05) to varying degrees in AMC. Hence, the associations between OC and SE with OT were more positively significant than the relationship between JS and OT. In opposite contour, there was no association recoded between EE (B = −0.06, p = 0.43) and OT in this media organization. Therefore, the socio-emotional attachment of organizational trust journalists develops towards AMC in respect to OC, JS and SE was pretty notable except EE. These findings are essentially substantiated by the body of literature in organizational studies.
OC impressively relates with OT in AMC. Previous studies support the current finding of the visible relationships between OC and OT though some of these studies place OT as a predicted variable and OC predictor variable (Akkaya, 2020;Baştug et al., 2016;Dahmardeh & Nastiezaie, 2019;Gider et al., 2019;Jiang et al., 2017). These scholars agree that OC and OT forms great bondage in organizational internal working performances. In this manner, OC is one of the central consequences of organizational trust (Aryee et al., 2002;Dursun, 2015;Fard & Karimi, 2015;Top et al., 2015;Yilmaz, 2008). The current study, however, asserts OT as a predicted variable and confirms a significant association between OT and OC in the media industry working environment. The strong association would seem to come in the analogy that if they are quite committed to the works of the media organization, journalists trust AMC potentially. Parallel to this, journalists would be hard workers and commit to the journalistic works in the media. This is the good success to the media that contributes to the creation of suitable working atmosphere and team sprit among journalists intra-organizationally. In such case, Monday, 2016) and Vanhala et al. (2016) suggest OT increases the commitment of workers and enhances them to develop impersonal trust dimensions. Additionally, Pihl-Thingvad (2015) asserts professional ideals are crucial for the journalistic profession and for the individual journalist's commitment in the daily journalistic role. Moreover, journalists who had higher levels of commitment had greater levels of OT. In support of this finding, Cohen (2015) claims that employees are more likely to reciprocate greater effort and have more positive work attitudes when they have trust in the organization. In this sense, this result shows that journalists are committed to their journalism professional practices or to the media organization if they perceive they have trust in the media organization goals, norms, beliefs and values practiced inside significantly. This is because according to Cohen (2015) "trust in the employer is based on the assessment, evaluation, and aggregation of multiple sources of evidence operating at a variety of levels related to the organization".
In respect to SE, the AMC journalists' feelings and trust in the employment relationship within this media organization are moderate. This result is consistent with previous studies (Cohen, 2015;Jiang et al., 2017;Shore et al., 2006;Whitener et al., 1998) that trust plays an important role in facilitating SE reciprocation (Jiang et al., 2017). Further, the finding matched with Shore et al. (2006) claim of "higher level of organizational investment associated with stronger social exchange relationships". This shows that the working environment of AMC matters potentially high and this association creates excellent ground to the journalists to trust the media organization notably through the process of overtime experience. In line with this, Blau (1964) accentuates SE is relationship-oriented interactions between employers and employees characterized by an exchange of socio-emotional benefits, mutual trust and commitment and a long-term focus.
Employees are likely to hold favorable perceptions if their organizations value their contributions and thus develop high levels of trust in the organization's fulfillment of obligations in the future (Jiang et al., 2017). Good SE between the actors entertained through (Whitener et al., 1998) reward structures that foster cooperation by making greater use of equity-, team-, or organization-based incentives. More importantly, the organizations' human resources management indicates commitment and support and employees are more likely to trust the organization (Cohen, 2015). The current finding explains that higher levels of SE journalists experience in AMC are associated with higher levels of trust they develop in the media organization.
Somehow, JS correlates less significantly with OT. The less JS journalists experience in AMC did not significantly influence on their level of trust in the media organization. Previous studies suggest there is a positive relationship between OT and JS (Aygün, 2021;Konradt et al., 2009;Artar & Erdil , 2017). To the larger extent, the majority of these studies show there is a strong relationship between OT and JS (Barimania & Khorshidib, 2018;Fard & Karimi, 2015;Gucer & Demirdag, 2014;Pourkeiani & Tanabandeh, 2016;Silla et al., 2020). However, these studies take the predictor and predicted variables postitons reversely in the regression analysis (i.e. OT as a dependent variable and JS as an independent variable). As far as the current study's point of analysis was concerned in AMC, OT was placed in the dependent column and JS in the independent column of the statistical analysis. This statistical regression placement seemed to bring the lower shatter of the relationship between the two constructs. This correlative relationship conveys the potential reveres justification in the organizational studies.
The EE of journalists in AMC not significantly associates (p = 0.43) rather it negatively (inversely) relates with their OT. EE theories presume individual self-interest that people are motivated to maximize their individual rewards (e.g., money, status, or respect) and minimize their individual costs (e.g., embarrassment or loss of self-esteem; Whitener et al., 1998). More typically, EE involves more of a short-term (Blau, 1964). This shows the greater journalists employed in AMC for seeking money the lower OT they develop in the media organization. The EE journalists entertain in AMC did not determine their level of trust. In this sense, they are at work because they get paid. Journalists have no emotional attachment with this media organization that binds them to stay. This is because according to Blau (1964) trust is the overtime process one to acquire. If they have other money-generating options at hands, journalists have a high possibility of leaving the media organization as far as they assume the next job is more profitable than they have already. This lack of organizational attachment yields cynicism or distrust between the journalists and AMC.
Finally, the parallel mediation analysis result shows that the relationship between the predictor variable (OC) and the predicted variable (OT) was fully mediated by SE and JS in AMC. This indicates that journalists with high OC are likely to experience higher levels of SE and JS. In this sense, journalists who have a culture of high levels of SE and JS are more likely to trust the media organization accordingly. Surprisingly, this association is the reverse relationship of Aryee et al. (2002) findings interestingly which conclude that trust in the organization is used to mediate the relationship between JS and OC with SE model. However, in a simple midation analysis, Mulki et al. (2008) claim trust (in supervisors and coworkers) and OC is mediated by satisfaction.
The current multi-layered relationship study between constructs through the mediator variables is the manifestation of inter-variable associations for journalists' interaction in the Ethiopian media industry. Thus, it can be inferred here that journalists working climate is interlinked related to OC, OT, SE and JS they experience in AMC. To put different, the journalists experience in one of these variables would have imminent impacts on journalist professional routines in the media organizations. Journalists working commitment, satisfaction, attachment and trust are highly interrelated with the string of relationships of these organizational working attributes in AMC journalistic role routines.

Study contributions
This study has greatly contributed and shed light on the literature of OT, SE, EE, OC and JS in multiple ways in the media industries organizational studies.
Firstly, the results of the study indicate the potential possibilities of conducting studies related to journalists' relationships in the media industry both in-between-them and with the media organization too. In the Ethiopian case, journalists' OT, SE, EE, OC and JS seemed almost not given attention. Media organizations, as part of any organization and institution, have their own structures that employed the journalists human force in their organizational management. In this vein, the intra-organizational relations, journalists' relationships with colleagues, with editors and the hierarchical levels have to be examined considerably. This study assumes to fill some part of these gaps that ought to be addressed in the Ethiopian media organizations inclusively.
Secondly, this result suggests the application mediating roles of social exchange and job satisfaction to the input variable (OC) and output (OT) variable on the media organizational working culture. The multiple (parallel) mediations analysis used in this study assumes to add a different perspective of examining the effects of multi-conceptual variables on the target variables in the media studies subfield body of knowledge. Woldearegay (2021) claimed that no previous research has established the mediation reported, and he used a simple mediation analysis to assess the mediating role of job satisfaction for interactive justice and OC in selected Ethiopian media outlets. The current study, however, accustomed a more complex method of underpinning multifaceted relationships of OT, OC, SE and JS in a single output.
Thirdly, it is understood that the organizational measurement scales were tested in the Ethiopian perspective. The organizational cultures in which measurement scales are developed and this study tested are different experiences. The cultural orientation employees have in the West and in Ethiopia are perhaps varied. For example, OC scales are developed based on three commitment scales that stand by themselves. However, this study checked in the pilot and main studies that the three commitments could not be applied individually due to the low reliability values executed which is supported too by Woldearegay (2021). But when OC was taken as a single construct, it achieved the expected reliability shoreline. This cultural effect on organizations is also seen in other studies such as Jiang et al. (2017) that states trust tends to be more essential in the established social exchanges in Western cultures than in Eastern cultures.

Limitations and future study
The present study has some limitations: First, this study was conducted on a single regional media even the human force it encompassed was significant. The Ethiopian media are operating under the federal and regional governments' supervision; there may be a slight difference of results if studied independently. But there will not be significant organizational study results as far as the Ethiopian Media Authority, which is responsible for Ethiopian parliament, supervises the regional and national media outlets. With this claims even, it is recommended to generalize the Ethiopian media practice by conducting nationwide survey. Second, due to a single method of self-report surveys applied, the result was not substantiated by multisource data platforms. This may change the results found. Third, other constructs such as procedural justice, distributive justice, perceived organizational justice, job category, etc employed may affect the measure of OT. Based on the limitations mentioned above, there are several points for future studies to follow in the Ethiopian media industry. Typically from the presents study's standpoint, future studies investigate the associations of demographic and biography factors with OT to measure journalists' trust levels and their emotional attachment to their respective media organizations. Lastly, the influence of OC on OT through constructs of JS and SE might be examined using moderate analysis model.

Conclusions and practical implications
In conclusion, the present study provided empirical pieces of evidences to underpin journalists' OT relationships with OC, JS, SE and EE across six branches of AMC. The study used multivariate statistical analysis and parallel (multiple) mediation analysis to distinguish the relationships of these constructs for multi-dimensional analysis purposes in AMC. In this manner, the results supported the hypotheses forwarded that OT is associated with predictor variables of OC, SE, JS and EE in this media organization. Hence OC, SE and JS were related positively to OT and negatively related to EE. Besides, the multiple analysis results showed SE and JS fully mediated the relational effects between OT and OC. Practically, the present study implicates that the media organizations may look inside about their journalists working attitudes and perceptions towards the management and the smooth functioning of the media sector in Ethiopia. Understanding journalists' trust, commitment, satisfaction and socio-economic relationships, as organizational employees, in the media organizations potentially equip industry to chase the future.