Report Challenges Media on Green Coverage
Between 1961 and 2001, news programs tended to focus on "unusual" episodes of pollution and ecological disasters, and largely ignored the trends that produced them. That’s the lesson a strategic management consultancy took from its recent review of the media’s treatment of green issues.
Between 1961 and 2001, news programs tended to focus on "unusual" episodes of pollution and ecological disasters, and largely ignored the trends that produced them. That’s the lesson a strategic management consultancy took from its recent review of the media’s treatment of green issues.
The review, produced by U.K.-based SustainAbility in cooperation with the United Nations Environment Program, analyzed 10 years of news coverage on CSR and SD issues, including globalization, ethical investment, climate change, genetic modification, and key non-governmental organizations such as Greenpeace, Global Exchange and Transparency International.
"Good News and Bad: The Media, Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainable Development" also finds that, as businesses themselves, key media institutions are among the least transparent and accountable organizations in the world. They also are likely to come under increasing scrutiny in their own right.
"Good News and Bad" is based on interviews with more than 50 editors, reporters, advertisers, business reps, researchers, and campaigners, and covers what SustainAbility says is the bulk of the advent of the corporate social responsibility and sustainable development era to date.
Key findings of the report:
Agendas Linked, Not Identical
On its Web site, SustainAbility says it is important to note that though the corporate social responsibility and sustainable development agendas are linked, they are not identical. CSR champions often view sustainable development as a subset of their agenda, and vice versa.
“Progress with sustainable development requires the involvement of all sectors of society, not just business -- and much longer timescales. So sustainable development, not CSR, is the big story that the media too often are missing,” the site says.
According to report authors John Elkington and Francesca Müller, both of SustainAbility, the editors and journalists interviewed "are among the best brains on the subject in the world," but they find these issues tough to communicate in a soundbite culture.
"While the media tend to cover dramatic events, such as anti-globalization protests or the destruction of [genetically modified] crops, there is typically less examination of the broad CSR agenda. As Greenpeace campaigner Chris Rose, observed in our interviews, This is equivalent to covering economies by only reporting bank robberies," Elkington said.
Looking Ahead
According to report authors, "contrary to current evidence," the media should model the very highest standards of corporate governance. Specifically, SustainAbility suggests, media companies should:
The review, produced by U.K.-based SustainAbility in cooperation with the United Nations Environment Program, analyzed 10 years of news coverage on CSR and SD issues, including globalization, ethical investment, climate change, genetic modification, and key non-governmental organizations such as Greenpeace, Global Exchange and Transparency International.
"Good News and Bad: The Media, Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainable Development" also finds that, as businesses themselves, key media institutions are among the least transparent and accountable organizations in the world. They also are likely to come under increasing scrutiny in their own right.
"Good News and Bad" is based on interviews with more than 50 editors, reporters, advertisers, business reps, researchers, and campaigners, and covers what SustainAbility says is the bulk of the advent of the corporate social responsibility and sustainable development era to date.
Key findings of the report:
- European media are most reliable at covering corporate social responsibility and sustainable development issues, typically "incubating" stories that U.S.-based media later pick up.
- American media are paying more editoral attention to corporate social responsibility and sustainable development issues, spurred by increased outreach from NGOs.
- Companies and organizations often view media relations as a crisis management tool or "just PR," and need to develop a strategic and integrated approach to communicating with key audiences, including media, in order to build their confidence and ensure informed decisionmaking.
- The report predicts that stakeholders, particularly socially responsible investors, will begin to scrutinize the media sector’s own corporate social responsibility and sustainable development performance.
Agendas Linked, Not Identical
On its Web site, SustainAbility says it is important to note that though the corporate social responsibility and sustainable development agendas are linked, they are not identical. CSR champions often view sustainable development as a subset of their agenda, and vice versa.
“Progress with sustainable development requires the involvement of all sectors of society, not just business -- and much longer timescales. So sustainable development, not CSR, is the big story that the media too often are missing,” the site says.
According to report authors John Elkington and Francesca Müller, both of SustainAbility, the editors and journalists interviewed "are among the best brains on the subject in the world," but they find these issues tough to communicate in a soundbite culture.
"While the media tend to cover dramatic events, such as anti-globalization protests or the destruction of [genetically modified] crops, there is typically less examination of the broad CSR agenda. As Greenpeace campaigner Chris Rose, observed in our interviews, This is equivalent to covering economies by only reporting bank robberies," Elkington said.
Looking Ahead
According to report authors, "contrary to current evidence," the media should model the very highest standards of corporate governance. Specifically, SustainAbility suggests, media companies should:
- Establish, at board level, whether the balance between public interest and commercial imperatives is being strategically reviewed, properly managed, and publicly disclosed;
- Review their goals, targets and performance against leading governance codes (including the UN Global Compact, the Global Sullivan Principles and SA 8000) and socially responsible investment (SRI) criteria.
- Consider compliance with laws, regulations and industry codes as the absolute minimum for good governance — and commit to “beyond compliance” standards wherever possible;
- Adopt and publicize ethical codes of conduct, and clear statements of their corporate values and principles; and
- Engage regularly with key stakeholders, ensuring that inclusive policies and processes are adopted across the business.