Purpose This study examines how and when corporate news valence (positive vs. negative) influences individuals' intentions to share it. Drawing on expectancy violations theory and the cue-diagnosticity framework, it explores how corporate perceptions and news topics—specifically, morality and competence—moderate the effects of news valence on sharing intentions. Design/methodology/approach Two studies were conducted. Study 1 used a survey (N = 501) to test how pre-existing perceptions of a compa