Increasing favorable media coverage on CSR

The report on the coverage of CSR in the media was presented at a CSR Europe workshop "The stories behind corporate social responsibility" on 6 June. Mrs. Giselle Bodie of international reputation analysis firmEcho Researchintroduced the results of an integrated research project "Giving Back 2". The study focused on opinion research among corporate CSR experts and media analysis of major international media. Over a period of 2 years, more than 1300 articles were scanned and analysed.

The analysis showed that Ford, BP, IBM, and GlaxoSmithKline are perceived by CSR experts as the leaders and role models in the field.

Some of the most interesting findings of this research project for media coverage are:

• the interest of the media for CSR has clearly increased and is linked to major events (11 September, Enron, WEF meeting in New York);
• the big majority of press articles on CSR are favorable or neutral;
• articles focus foremost on social factors, then environment, then economic and finally brand and image factors;
• there is a strong coverage by the media of stories linked to ethical investment;
• corporates said the media is mostly interested in exposing failure, catching corporates out or discovering double standards;
• corporates would like the media to:
  • showcase best practices;
  • report how corporates solved problems after the media covered them;
  • balance NGO views and company's ;
  • act as responsible public auditors and independent watchdogs;
  • be challenged to account for their own social responsibility;
  • go deeper into economic motivation of CSR.

During the same workshop, Professor of International Management, Gilbert Lenssen, linked the EU's CSR debate to a process of "retrenching by governments". He also pointed to need for more advanced academic research on this issue and, in this context, to the launch of a European Academy on Corporate Social Responsibility. The Academy, which will be launched at INSEAD in Fontainebleau France on July 5-6, is partnered by ESADE (Spain), INSEAD (France), Cranfield Business School, Ashridge Business School (U.K.), Copenhagen Business School (Denmark), The College of Europe and Vlerick Gent Management School (Belgium).