Good News & Bad The Media, Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainable Development
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Good News & Bad
The Media, Corporate
Social Responsibility and
Sustainable Development
SustainAbility United Nations Ketchum
Environment
Programme
Contents Interviewees Michael Maiello, Journalist,
Forbes, USA
Executive Summary Katherine Ainger, Editor, Drew Marcus, Media Analyst,
Forewords 01 New Internationalist, UK Deutsche Bank, USA
Frank Allen, Founder, Institute for Alan Metrick, Communications Director,
1.0 Introduction 02 Journalism and Natural Resources, USA NRDC, USA
Adlai Amor, Media Relations Director, George Monbiot, Columnist,
2.0 World Regions 08 World Resources Institute, USA The Guardian, UK
European Union 08 Nicki Amos, Head of Business Ethics, John Nielsen,
United States 10 The Body Shop International, UK Environmental Correspondent, NPR, USA
Latin America 12 Irwin Arieff, Journalist, Blair Palese, Head of Communications,
Asia 14 Reuters, UK Ecos Corporation, Australia
Robert Bisset, Press Officer for Europe, Wendy Redal, Director, Center for Environ-
3.0 Big Issues 16 UNEP, France mental Journalism, Colorado Uni., USA
Globalization 18 Frances Cairncross, Management Editor, Simon Retallack, Special Features Editor,
Ozone Depletion 18 The Economist, UK The Ecologist, UK
Climate Change 19 Joe Champ PhD, Center for Environmental Nick Robins, Head of SRI Research,
Environmental Health 20 Journalism, Colorado University, USA Henderson Global Investors, UK
Endocrine Disruptors 20 Rachel Coen, Information Co-ordinator, Chris Rose, Campaigner, Families Against
Genetically Modified Foods 21 FAIR, USA Bush, and previously Greenpeace, UK
Business 22 Meghan Connolly, Director, Niki Rosinski, Researcher, Sustainable
Corporate Social Responsibility 22 CSR Wire, USA Asset Management, Switzerland
Socially Responsible Investment 23 Leslie Cormier, Communications Director, Nick Rowcliffe, Editor,
The Activists 24 DuPont, USA ENDS Daily, UK
Roger Cowe, Freelance Journalist, Linda Ruckel, Communications Department,
4.0 The Media Moguls 26 Financial Times, The Guardian, UK Bristol-Myers Squibb, USA
Chris de Cardy, Executive Director, Richard Sambrook, Director of News,
5.0 Gordian Sections 30 Environmental Media Services, USA BBC, UK
Audiences 30 Jamie Donald, Assignment Editor, Danny Schechter, Executive Editor,
Technology 32 BBC News, UK MediaChannel, USA
Services 34 Peter Eisler, Journalist, Terry Slavin, Correspondent,
Accountability 36 USA Today, USA The Observer, UK
Pete Engardio, Journalist, Joe Smith, Co-Director, Cambridge Media
6.0 Breakdown or Breakthrough? 38 Business Week, US and Environment Programme, UK
Bill Eyres, Head of Communications, Shamilla Sohoni, Staff Writer,
SustainAbility Publications The Body Shop International, UK The Economist, USA
Publication Details David Fenton, Founder and Director, Mike Tidwell, Freelance Journalist,
Acknowledgements Fenton Communications, USA The Washington Post, USA
Engaging Stakeholders Sponsors Svenja Geissmar, Senior Vice-President and Lloyd Timberlake, Director of Earthscan,
General Counsel, MTV Networks, UK Avina Foundation, USA and Switzerland
Ross Gelbspan, Freelance Journalist, Paul Tolme, Journalist,
The Boston Globe and others, USA Associated Press, USA
Paul Gilding, Chair, Solitaire Townsend, Director,
Ecos Corporation, Australia Futerra, UK
Peter C. Goldmark, Jr., Chairman and CEO, Andrew Tyndall, Editor,
The International Herald Tribune, France Tyndall Report, USA
Gabriel Griffa, Editor and Publisher, Mark Wade, Sustainable Development Group,
Apertura, Argentina Shell International, UK
Nick Hart-Williams, Director, Whole Earth, Tom Whitehouse,
and previously Channel 4, UK Risk Analyst and Former Journalist, UK
Thaddeus Herrick, Journalist, Robert Worcester, Chairman,
The Wall Street Journal, USA MORI, UK
Tony Juniper, Director Designate, Martin Wright, Editor in Chief,
Friends of the Earth, UK Green Futures, UK
Peter Knight, Environmental Context
and Freelance Journalist, UK
Stefan Larsson, Group Environmental
Manager, Esab, Sweden
Kalle Lasn, Founder and Editor, Adbusters
Media Foundation, USA
Andy Law, Founder and Head,
St Luke’s, UK
Tomoo Machiba,
Freelance Journalist, Japan
Good News & Bad
Executive Summary
In Good News & Bad we investigate: Project and Methodology Throughout the period 1961–2001, news
This is the fourth sector report prepared programs have tended to focus on pollution
— The roles of the media in building the by SustainAbility as part of its Engaging incidents and ecological disasters, rather
CSR and SD agendas for business; Stakeholders program for the United Nations than on the underlying trends and their
— The ways in which media people perceive, Environment Programme (UNEP). The causes. As campaigner Chris Rose puts it,
prioritize and cover these issues; and program has been financially supported both ‘This is equivalent to covering economics
— Governance, accountability and by the companies listed on the back cover by only reporting bank robberies.’
transparency challenges for the media and by the United Nations Foundation.
industry itself. Some media have been pulling in process
During the project, we interviewed over reporters alongside those solely concerned
Given the subtitle of this report, it is 50 people actively involved in this field, with events, but it is still far from clear
important to note that though the CSR and in different media and different countries. that the right balance is being struck.
SD agendas are linked in Good News & Bad, The main interviewees are listed on the Our conclusions and recommendations
they are not identical. While CSR champions inside front cover. They span mainstream are outlined below.
often view SD as a subset of their agenda, and niche media,A research, campaigning
and vice versa, progress with sustainable and business. The media represent one of the most
development requires the involvement of all powerful — yet least trusted and least
sectors of society, not just business – and In addition, we researched books, reports accountable institutions — in the world.
much longer timescales. So SD, not CSR, is and websites covering the media sector and The sector could become the most powerful
the ‘Big Story’ that the media too often are associated issues. The Ketchum analysis institution on earth, yet accountability
missing (page 34). covered the media listed in each regional mechanisms are generally weak. Few media
profile (pages 08–15). The aim has been companies, for example, produce CSR or
Indeed, in some sectors the SD agenda is so to produce a briefing that can be read and SD reports. But the media sector will come
complex — and so recalcitrant — that it is digested fairly quickly. But we plan to under growing scrutiny as its influence
reminiscent of the ‘Gordian Knot’. Alexander continue working in this area and to share grows. Expect the spotlight to pick up other
the Great, it is said, was once presented with and test the findings. There is also now parts of the media ecosystem, too, including
a knot so intricate that no-one had been a dedicated domain on our website advertising agencies, PR firms and lobbyists.
able to untangle it. So he sliced through it (www.sustainability.com/media).
with his sword. Good News & Bad takes four That said, the media have a critical
slices through the media world: Audiences The Third Wave role to play in the transition towards
(page 30), Technology (32), Services (34) Good News & Bad didn’t emerge from a sustainability. Media understanding — and
and Accountability (36). vacuum. Over many years, SustainAbility has sustained intelligent coverage — of the CSR
tracked two (and now three) great waves — and SD agendas is a necessary precondition
So are media companies aware of the and two downwaves — of public concern for real progress.
challenges they face in relation to this and political action in relation to the
agenda? And are they responding both emerging triple bottom line (TBL) agendas. Globalization remains key, both as an
with the appropriate levels of energy They are mapped in Figure 03. Note: these editorial topic and as a profound
and — Alexander’s lesson — radicalism? waves are not primarily waves of media challenge for the industry. The big media
The answers are yes, to a degree, and coverage, as is suggested by the fact that story of the late 1990s was globalization —
not yet. the second downwave began before the or, more accurately, anti-globalization.
huge spike of coverage triggered by the The anti-globalization movement is on its
1992 Earth Summit. Interestingly, the serious back foot after the September 11 attacks,
political response to the waves but the issues are real and urgent. They
tends to come in the downwaves. demand action, both in terms of coverage
and corporate accountability mechanisms.
A
In terms of niche media, a listing of
Executive Summary CSR and SD newsletters, magazines
and websites can be found at
The media sector — broadly defined — could www.sustainability.com/resources
B
For SustainAbility’s analysis of the link
become the dominant industry of the 21st between sustainable development and
the Internet, see our online report at
century. No other industry will so powerfully www.VirtualSustainability.com
influence how people and politicians think
about corporate social responsibility (CSR)
and sustainable development (SD) priorities.
Good News & Bad
Executive Summary
05 European Waves in Media Coverage Frequency of Mentions 1991–2001 The ‘globalization’ wave will continue
to develop. The 2002 UN World Summit on
8000
Sustainable Development (WSSD) will help
7000 keep the agenda on the boil. After the
inevitable third downwave, expect fourth
6000
and fifth waves. Very likely — as the TBL
5000 agenda is mainstreamed — these waves may
come with a quickening tempo and less
4000
dramatic fluctuations in public interest.
3000
Meanwhile, the media are abysmal at
2000
covering critical — but slow burn — issues.
1000 Many interviewees argue that the media are
missing the biggest story of our times, that
91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01
of the progressive undermining of global
© Ketchum/SustainAbility 2002 ecosystems — with profound social and
economic consequences. The assumption is
07 USA Waves in Media Coverage Frequency of Mentions 1991–2001 that if the issues are real, we will have time
to adapt. But the sudden discovery of the
4000
Antarctic ozone hole shows how even global
3500 problems can take us by surprise.
3000
The brightest spot at present is the
2500 business media sector. This is picking up on
CSR and SD issues with increasing regularity
2000
and professionalism. In the process, the
1500 language is changing, with terms like ‘the
triple bottom line’ gaining greater currency
1000
(see Figure 01, page 03).
500
The new media have huge catalytic
91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01
potential. The impact of new technology is
© Ketchum/SustainAbility 2002 easy to exaggerate, but the internet has
huge potential. As one interviewee argued,
09 Latin American Waves in Media Coverage Frequency of Mentions 1991–2001 ‘New media, new networks will mean new
agency — new power to affect events.’ The
3000
commercial — and political — implications
are profound, both for the media and for
2500
business in general.B
2000
But the future could take us in at least
three directions. Things would be very
1500
different in each of the three scenarios
outlined on pages 38–44: ‘Breakdown’,
1000
‘Mainstream’ or ‘Breakthrough’.
500
91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01
© Ketchum/SustainAbility 2002
11 Asian Waves in Media Coverage Frequency of Mentions 1991–2001
600
‘This is equivalent to
500
covering economics
400
by only reporting
300
bank robberies.’
200
100
91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01
© Ketchum/SustainAbility 2002
Good News & Bad
Executive Summary
Governance 6 Provide leadership in terms of triple One way forward would be to highlight the
Contrary to current evidence, the media bottom line accounting, auditing and urgency of the CSR and SD agendas via a
should model the very highest standards of reporting; new media prize and scholarship initiative
corporate governance. Specifically, media 7 Disclose all proprietorial cross-ownerships appropriate to the 21st century. Just as
companies should: and influence; Joseph Pulitzer’s principles helped shape the
8 Declare editorial policy — both general best nineteenth and twentieth century
1 Establish — at board level — whether the and issue specific — and political journalism, so we now need principles, prizes
balance between public interest and allegiances; and scholarships designed to spur the media
commercial imperatives is being 9 Be open in relation to all sources of toward new horizons.
strategically reviewed, properly managed funds that could influence editorial and
and publicly disclosed; and programming content — including their We must find and encourage those
2 Review their goals, targets and biggest advertisers, sponsors and who will help us understand and address
performance against leading governance production subsidies; and the key problems that will face us in the
codes (including the UN Global Compact, 10Regularly report direct and indirect 21st century, among them population
the Global Sullivan Principles and SA lobbying activities, both undertaken growth, poverty, disease, mega-urbanization,
8000) and socially responsible investment and accepted. globalization, terrorism, global warming,
(SRI) criteria. the loss of biodiversity, and the increasingly
Trust urgent competition for water as water-
Accountability It is a basic principle of the Engaging tables fall and rivers are diverted for
Given the enormous influence the media Stakeholders program that sustainable agricultural, industrial and domestic uses.
have on public opinion, public interest and, development will be achieved fastest, most
ultimately, public behavior, it is important efficiently and most effectively where there The effort and the cost will be huge, but as
that media owners and directors meet the are high levels of social capital, particularly ex-President Bill Clinton put it in his 2001
highest levels of accountability. In practice, trust. The media industry’s current low trust Dimbleby Lecture, ‘It’s a lot cheaper than
this means that they should: ratings sit uncomfortably alongside its going to war.’ This is an area where there
growing power and influence. really will be no choice in a world headed
3 Consider compliance with laws, toward 9–10 billion human inhabitants, but
regulations and industry codes as the For non-media businesses wishing to you wouldn’t guess it today from what you
absolute minimum for good governance — engage the media, we suggest 10 Do’s and read in the newspapers, hear on the radio
and commit to ‘beyond compliance’ 5 Don’ts of media relations (page 44). In our and see on TV.
standards wherever possible; judgement, restoring trust in the media
4 Adopt and publicize ethical codes of requires alignment with the principles of
conduct, and clear statements of their governance, accountability and transparency
corporate values and principles; and outlined above. More specifically, the media
5 Engage regularly with key stakeholders, will need to emphasize:
ensuring that inclusive policies and
processes are adopted right across the — Honesty
business. Sticking to the spirit, not just the
letter, of laws and codes of conduct, and
Transparency rooting out all forms of corruption;
For an industry whose greatest public service — Respect
is to uncover malpractice and corruption at For example respecting rather than
all levels of society, and to hold governments exploiting human weakness and diversity;
and business to account, media companies — Consistency
owe it to all their stakeholders and to Ensuring that good corporate citizenship
society to be exceptionally transparent. In principles are honored throughout the
particular, value chain.
they should:
Recommendations ‘The media [is] one of
Whether in the media world or elsewhere, the most powerful —
responsibility should be proportionate to yet least trusted and
power and influence. Given the challenges least accountable —
and weaknesses uncovered in this report, ten institutions in the
recommendations are offered in relation to world.’
media governance, accountability,
transparency and trust.
Good News & Bad 01
Forewords
SustainAbility Foreword UNEP Foreword Ketchum Foreword
The media have played a central role in A clear, two-pronged message emerges Too often, companies discount the crucial
defining and communicating the emerging from Good News & Bad. First, if they are role of the media in helping to communicate
corporate social responsibility (CSR) and to remain credible as one of the dominant their key messages to their key stakeholders.
sustainable development (SD) agendas. industries in the 21st century, media Indeed, many companies approach the
But, at the same time, the very nature of the companies must increasingly look at their media with deep suspicion and hostility,
media beast often means that major issues own corporate social responsibilities. regarding media relations as little more than
are ignored for extended periods of time. So, And, second, at a time when our world a crisis management tool: a perilous
for example, media coverage of stratospheric feels more vulnerable than ever, media approach.
ozone depletion fell away sharply after 1992 reporting of environmental and socio-
— even as the size of the Antarctic ozone economic issues is at a critical watershed. One of the defining characteristics of ‘CSR
hole continued to grow (page 18). leaders’ is that they see media relations and
In the run-up to the Rio Earth Summit corporate communications as a strategic
During the project, we have spoken to media in 1992, there was a momentum — both management practice. They cultivate
owners, editors and journalists around the among politicians and activists alike — to relations with media — and not just with
globe, some of whom have played important tackle the world’s environmental and social big-name media, but also with local media
roles in relation to the triple bottom line ills. The media joined in. But, as UNEP relevant to their business operations. They
agenda — and some of whom are outspoken Executive Director Klaus Töpfer has asked, also tend to see the media community as not
critics of the CSR and SD agendas. We have ‘As we approach the World Summit on just a conduit to audiences, but as an
also interviewed campaigners and business Sustainable Development in Johannesburg, audience in its own right.
people who routinely interact with the will the media continue to cover some of the
media. most pressing issues of our time with the In our view, strategic communications
same enthusiasm?’ will be a critical asset for any organization —
The recent death of David Astor reminded us be it from the public arena, the private
of the central role of editors. Astor, for 27 In UNEP, we believe that the stakes for sector, or civil society — in the years to
years the fiercely independent editor of The sustainable development are higher today come. We believe communications can play
Observer, was a forceful champion of quality than ever before. In particular, there is an an important role in dispelling confusion,
journalism, freedom of information and urgent need for greater political momentum resolving conflict and bringing parties
democracy. He saw his role as that of a chef, and to raise public expectations and action together for the improvement of our world.
mixing media dishes, but also of a talent- on the issues surrounding the Johannesburg
spotter and even college dean. All three roles Summit. The media have a fundamental role Ketchum recently launched a CSR specialty
are relevant here, particularly the third, since to play. Their support in a new alliance area, which formalizes a decades-long
most media people still have much to learn against the dual challenge of global poverty tradition as a public relations agency that
in relation to CSR and SD. and the protection of our global believes in responsible commercial success.
environment will be crucial. In early 2001, Ketchum became one of the
UNEP, as ever, has been a supportive partner, first professional-services firms to join the
and Ketchum has carried out the media I hope this new report from SustainAbility, UN’s Global Compact initiative. We are
scanning work. As the three scenarios produced in conjunction with UNEP, will delighted to have taken part in this
outlined on pages 38–43 began to evolve, raise debate and, importantly, motivate important survey. We hope the findings
we knew that this would be an area of media companies to question their own prove valuable for companies and
ongoing interest and activity for corporate social responsibilities. organizations that wish to be in the
SustainAbility. vanguard of CSR and SD.
Jacqueline Aloisi de Larderel
John Elkington Assistant Executive Director, Gavin Power
Chair United Nations Environment Programme, Senior Vice-President,
Francesca Müller Paris Corporate Social Responsibility,
Media Project Manager, Ketchum, New York
SustainAbility, London and New York
Jacqueline John Francesca Geoff Patricia
Aloisi de Elkington Müller Lye Reid
Larderel
02 Good News & Bad
Introduction
But before we begin, let’s acknowledge that
‘We see the media a world without reasonably independent
media would be less democratic, less
efficient and, in all probability, less
continuing to become sustainable right across the triple bottom
line of economic, social and environmental
equity, justice and value added (page 05).
more powerful.’ The triple bottom line approach has moved
sharply up the list of terms used by the CSR
and SD communities in recent years, as
illustrated in Figure 01 This shows the results
of a recent Environics survey of SD experts
around the world, with eco-efficiency, the
triple bottom line and corporate social
responsibility heading the list.3
What the Environics data do not show,
however, is that public, government and
corporate interest in such issues and
concepts moves in waves. As Figure 03
indicates, recent decades have seen great
waves and downwaves in public concern
and political action, each creating new
political, regulatory and market conditions
for business. The media help create the
conditions in which these waves and
downwaves emerge, and then dramatize
the ups and downs of the resulting roller-
coaster rides.
Much media coverage of key business trends
Nembe Creek, Nigeria © Betty Press / Panos Pictures in relation to triple bottom line performance
is shallow. ‘It’s like a beauty contest to see
Journalism, they say, is the first draft of This is the context in which politics generally who’s the best provider of information,’ says
history.1 But the people who create these — and the pursuit of SD in particular — will Stefan Larsson, group environment manager
first drafts are also part of a sector — the evolve. And there are real reasons for at Swedish engineering company Esab. ‘The
media, broadly defined — that could well concern that such agendas will be adversely media focus on the aesthetics of company
become the dominant industry of the 21st affected by the spread of the ‘soundbite reporting, rather than on the underlying
century. ‘We see the media continuing to culture.’ 2 In Good News & Bad, our fourth performance. Mainstream media are dismal
become more powerful,’ says Drew Marcus, sector report for the United Nations at telling these stories. Only the business
Deutsche Bank’s media sector analyst. Environment Programme, we investigate: and financial pages are beginning to
understand how to do this properly.’
As a result, no other industry will so — The roles of the media in building the
powerfully influence how people and triple bottom line agenda for business;
politicians think about (and act on) — The ways in which media people perceive,
corporate social responsibility (CSR) and prioritize and cover these agendas; and
sustainable development (SD) priorities. — Governance, accountability and
transparency options for the media
industry itself.
Introduction
Why we are focusing on the media; how
the research was done; and the waves and
downwaves that will provide the context
for whatever happens next.
Cumbria, UK © Martin Wyness / Still Pictures
Good News & Bad 03
Introduction
01 CSR and SD Frameworks Mirror, mirror
Frequency of Mentions 1997–2001
Media companies, in short, are both carriers
Eco-efficiency
and barriers when it comes to the CSR and
Triple Bottom Line
SD agendas. So what happens if you hold
Corporate Social Reporting
up a mirror to the media? For some people,
70
Greening Supply Chains the picture is ugly, with a range of new
‘coercive’ technologies and professions
used to manipulate the public.4 In the
Virtual Zero Discharge/Impact
60 international survey reported here, the
Ecological Footprint
SustainAbility and Ketchum teams took a
Dematerialization Factors close look at media CSR and SD coverage
Industrial Ecology over the period 1991–2001. Some key
50
findings are discussed in our ‘Big Issues’
section (pages 16–25).
40 The issues covered included biodiversity,
child labor, climate change, corporate
social responsibility, endocrine disruptors,
genetically modified foods, globalization,
30
green politics, the growth of megacities,
ozone depletion, recycling, renewable
resources, socially responsible investing,
20 sustainable forestry, and urban air quality.
We also tracked media mentions of a range
of NGOs, including Amnesty International,
Corporate Watch, Global Exchange,
10
Greenpeace, Human Rights Watch, Oxfam,
Sierra Club, Transparency International
and WWF.
1997 1999 2001
During the next decade, the media’s
© Environics International 2001 handling of the triple bottom line agenda
will help determine whether these new
So why do the media so often miss big — Second, commercial self-interest. priorities move into the political, economic
picture stories until it is too late? The Media companies must keep audiences and cultural mainstream. If they do, the
answer seems to have at least two parts: and advertisers happy, which is where likely result will be that future waves and
human nature comes in again. Many downwaves will come faster, but the
— First, it’s human nature. journalists we interviewed want better oscillations may well moderate somewhat.
Evolution has equipped us to respond to coverage of triple bottom line issues and
big, noisy, immediate threats, and to trends, but their marketing people argue If they do not, with the triple bottom line
ignore problems that may present even that readers, listeners or viewers are agenda given a relatively low priority,
greater risks — but which build more switched off by it. the wave gradients are likely to be more
slowly, often decade-on-decade. extreme and less predictable, making any
progress towards the goals of sustainable
development increasingly difficult,
protracted and costly.
1
Anthony Collings, Words of Fire: 4
See, for example, Douglas Rushkoff,
Independent Journalists Who Challenge Coercion: The Persuasion Professionals ‘Media companies
Dictators, Druglords, and Other Enemies and Why We Listen to What ‘They’ Say,
of a Free Press, New York University Little, Brown & Company, 1999, or are both carriers and
Press, 2001. James Fallows, Breaking the News:
2
David Slayden and Rita Kirk Whillock How the Media Undermine American barriers when it comes
(eds), Soundbite Culture: The Death of Democracy, Vintage Books, 1997.
Discourse in a Wired World, Sage to the CSR and SD
Publications, 1999.
3
Note: The terms corporate social agendas.’
responsibility and triple bottom line
were first included in the 2001 survey.
04 Good News & Bad
Introduction
Clearly, there is both good news and bad The results of our research on these issues Our interviewees are listed on the inside
when it comes to the media. The experience can be found below, as follows: audiences front cover. In total we talked to over 50
of countries in the ex-communist world has (pages 30–31), technology (32–33), services individuals, among them people from the
underscored the vital role that accurate, (34–35) and accountability (36–37). world of editing, reporting, advertising,
timely and honest media coverage plays in business, research and campaigning.
limiting economic, social and environmental 2 Snapshot or time-lapse? Most people spoke on the record, but
abuses. At the same time, even those who Second, we asked whether we should take a a significant number of the mainstream
work in the media sector accept that its very snapshot of the media at the beginning of media interviewees asked for their
nature often means that fast, dramatic the 21st century — or opt for a longer time- comments to be off the record to ensure
issues drown out slow, difficult-to-portray scale? Because of our interest in the waves that they could be sufficiently candid.
issues. So, in the interests of balance, we shown in Figure 03, we adopted a time-lapse
began by asking three questions. approach, with a series of snapshots taken It is inevitable that our interviews were
over the period 1991–2001. skewed towards those interested in CSR and
1 Which lens to use? SD. But we also tried to include a number
First, we considered which lens — or lenses 3 Wide-angle or zoom? of skeptics, to ensure a measure of realism.
— would be most helpful in surveying the And, third, we asked whether we should opt Last but not least, we interviewed people in
world of media? Anyone who tries to get a for a wide-angle approach (relying on media the corporate world who aim to engage the
grip on media quickly finds huge difficulty in scans over the whole decade) or for an media on these issues.
bringing this world into focus. Once again, approach in which we would zoom in on
we found ourselves dealing with a ‘Gordian particular issues and developments (for In terms of geographical coverage, we
Knot’ challenge,5 as with our previous sector example by interviewing key media people). scanned CSR and SD coverage through the
report — on automobility.6 To cut through In the event, we decided to do both. decade in Asia, Europe, South America and
the complexity, we have taken four slices the United States. But the clustering of
through the world of media: The task was further complicated by the international media in world cities like
rapid evolution of the media. Not so long New York and London, where many of our
— Audiences ago, the media were considered to be a interviews took place, inevitably skewed the
What impact are audience trends having three-legged beast: print, radio and TV.7 Now results towards Anglo Saxon trends and
on media coverage of CSR and SD issues? there is also the internet — and things have perspectives. This is a failing we recognize
got rather more complicated. Print, radio and plan to address in future work.
— Technology and TV companies now compete with
How are technology trends in the sector internet portal operators like Yahoo! in terms Both in the interviews and content analysis,
affecting the quantity, quality and reach of organizing and selling information and we identified a series of boom and bust
of such coverage? knowledge.8 So while magazines develop cycles in media coverage of many of the key
websites and even portals, portals may also issues. We zero in on some of these cycles in
— Services develop magazines, as in the case of Yahoo! our ‘Big Issues’ section (pages 16–25).
What patterns do we see — and do media — Internet Life.
people predict — in the adaptation of As the work proceeded, we were more than
existing products and services, and in the We have covered all four dimensions (print, ever persuaded that the media sector’s
launch of new offerings? radio, TV, internet) in our research. During stance on the triple bottom line agenda will
the interviews and other research, we also be critical. The way in which coverage
— Accountability tried to achieve a reasonable spread across ‘spiked’ in 1992, before, during and after the
Given the undeniable role of the media in the various roles in media: owners (see, for UN Earth Summit, suggests that we will see
holding other parts of society to account, example, pages 26–29); publishers and something similar happening around the
how can we hold media companies to producers; editors; news journalists; feature World Summit on Sustainable Development
account for their triple bottom line writers; and advertisers. (WSSD) in September 2002. But it is what
performance, both today and tomorrow? happens afterwards that will really count.
‘Mainstream media
are dismal at telling
these stories.’
Pakistan © Piers Benetar / Panos Pictures
Good News & Bad 05
Introduction
02 Centers of Excellence Definitions
Cambridge Programme for Fair Accuracy in Reporting Media
Media and the Environment USA The main means of mass communication
UK www.fair.org (esp. newspapers and broadcasting).i Can
www-cies.geog.cam.ac.uk Founded in 1986, this media watchdog also end up embracing advertising, media
Founded in 1996, this is co-run by the offers well-documented criticism of media relations and some aspects of marketing.
BBC and Cambridge University. Offers a bias and censorship. FAIR works to
series of in-depth seminars designed to invigorate the US First Amendment by Corporate social responsibility
broaden and deepen media thinking about advocating greater diversity in the press — ‘CSR [implies] continuing commitment
global environmental and SD issues — and and by scrutinizing media practices that by business to behave ethically and
to improve academic understanding of the marginalize public interest, and minority contribute to economic development while
setting for (and constraints upon) media and dissenting views. improving the quality of life of the
reporting. workforce and their families, as well as of
the local community and society at large.’ ii
International Federation of MediaChannel Sustainable development
Environmental Journalists USA Development is sustainable when it
France www.mediachannel.org ‘meets the needs of the present without
www.ifej.org Founded in 1995, MediaChannel is compromising the ability of future
Founded in 1993, IFEJ is an umbrella a nonprofit, public interest website generations to meet their own needs.’ iii
organization representing national dedicated to global media issues. It is
environmental journalists’ associations and concerned with the political, social and Triple bottom line
individual environmental journalists living cultural impacts of the media, large and The basis of integrated measurement and
in more than 100 countries. It works to small. It encourages diverse perspectives management systems focusing on
improve the accuracy, quality and general and aims to inspire debate, collaboration economic, social and environmental value
standards of reporting. It also supports and citizen engagement and action. added — or destroyed. Sometimes distilled
journalists threatened by censorship or to ‘People, Planet, Profit.’ iv For some triple
repression. bottom line criteria for the media sector,
see panel on page 40.
Panos Pew Center for the
UK People and the Press
www.oneworld.org/panos USA i
The Oxford English Reference
Founded in 1986, Panos works with media www.people-press.org Dictionary, 1995/96, adapted.
and other information actors to enable Founded in 1990, this is an independent ii
World Business Council on Sustainable
developing countries to shape and opinion research group that studies Development, Stakeholder Dialogue
communicate their own development attitudes toward the press, politics and on CSR, Netherlands, 1998.
agendas through informed public debate. public policy issues. The Center’s main iii
World Commission on Environment and
It particularly focuses on amplifying the purpose is to serve as a forum for ideas Development, Our Common Future,
voices of the poor and marginalized. Content on the media and public policy. Oxford University Press, 1987.
is largely generated by people in developing iv
The terms ‘triple bottom line’ and
countries. ‘People,Planet, Profit’ were both coined
by SustainAbility. In the Netherlands,
the subsequent ‘Triple P’ is now seen to
Society of Environmental Journalists Transparency International be central to CSR — see Corporate
USA Germany and UK Social Responsibility: A Dutch Approach,
www.sej.org www.transparency.org Social and Economic Council, 2001.
Founded in 1990, this is a membership Founded in 1993, an NGO dedicated to
of working journalists dedicated to increasing government accountability and
improvements in environmental reporting. curbing both international and national
SEJ programs are designed to build a corruption. With chapters in over 75
stronger, better-educated, and better- countries around the world, its aim is to 5
See Gordian Knot note on page 07.
connected network of professional mobilise a global coalition — embracing 6
Driving Sustainability, SustainAbility
journalists and editors who the state, civil society and the private for UNEP, 2001.
cover relevant issues. sector — to build and strengthen systems 7
Annie Gurton, Press Here: Managing
that combat corruption. the Media for Free Publicity, Prentice Hall,
1999/2001.
8
Timothy Koogle, CEO, Yahoo! Inc,
‘Organizing Knowledge Throughout the
World’, in Wisdom of the CEO, edited by
G. William Dauphinais, Grady Means and
Colin Price, John Wiley & Sons, 2000.06 Good News & Bad
Introduction
Third Wave First Downwave Third Wave
The first great downwave ran from 1974 The start of the ‘Globalization’ wave can be
In 1995, SustainAbility carried out a through to 1987. Through the mid-1970s, a tracked back to the ‘Battle of Seattle’ in
mapping exercise to make sense of the wave of environmental legislation swept 1999, when a broad range of environmental,
evolution of the environmental, CSR and SD across the OECD region. Industry went into labor and social activists challenged the
agendas. We plotted two mounting pressure compliance mode. But there were strong World Trade Organization (WTO). The triple
waves, followed by two great downwaves, pockets of resistance — and many failures. bottom line agenda evolved rapidly, but the
which tracked the profile of these agendas big media story was the anti-globalization
over time, across the OECD region.9 At the Acid rain had a major impact on EU politics (or at least anti-corporate-globalization)
time, we also made two predictions: in the early 1980s. The media story spot- movement. Millennial celebrations in the
lighted accidents and disasters, with the West and increasingly high profile protests
— First, that the second downwave would Bhopal disaster in India in 1984, the against the International Monetary Fund
run longer than many then expected Chernobyl and Rhine disasters in 1986, (IMF), World Bank, G8, World Economic
(we forecast that it would last 7–8 years, and the ozone hole surfacing as a major Forum (WEF) and other institutions pushed
compared with the year or two that most issue from the mid-1980s. the global governance agenda up the
NGOs expected, but still shorter than the political priority list.
13–14 years of the first downwave). This was a period of conservative politics,
with energetic attempts to roll back the The events of September 11, 2001, marked
— And, second, that when the third wave environmental legislation that had recently a major discontinuity, accelerating the
began, at the back end of the 1990s, it been adopted. 1987 marked a major turning oncoming recession, already heralded by the
would differ substantially from the point, with the publication of Our Common collapse of the dot-com bubble. This period
previous two waves. This time, the wave Future by the Brundtland Commission also saw the internet coming into its own as
would focus on sustainability issues, introducing the term ‘sustainable develop- a critical tool for information and
would be increasingly part of mainstream ment’ into the political mainstream. communication.13 At the time, though, it was
politics and, as a result, would initially be unclear whether the result would be an end
less visible than the previous two waves. Second Wave to the ‘third wave’ — or a new boost to its
The ‘Green’ wave really began to roll in momentum. Some media, like Newsweek,
For this report, we thought it time to revisit 1988, with issues like ozone depletion and saw major problems ahead for the anti-
this mapping exercise. Let’s run through the rainforest destruction fuelling a new globalization movement.14 Others felt that
waves and downwaves that have shaped movement: green consumerism.12 The peak September 11 only added new imperative to
public opinion and media interest to date.10 of the second wave ran from 1988 to 1991. its goods.
The media story this time was more diverse,
First Wave embracing accidents (like the Exxon Valdez Forecast
The ‘Limits’ wave built steadily from the oil spill in 1989), pollution legacies
early 1960s, with milestones including (particularly in the former USSR), and the SustainAbility’s forecast as 2002 dawned
Rachel Carson’s book Silent Spring and the partial ‘greening’ of both politics and was that the ‘Globalization’ wave would
formation of Amnesty and the World consumer markets. continue to develop for 12–18 months, with
Wildlife Fund (WWF). From the mid-1960s, the 2002 UN World Summit on Sustainable
the work of Marshall McLuhan helped put Second Downwave Development (WSSD) helping to keep the
the world of media itself under the The second great downwave began in 1991, agenda on the boil. Now, however, much
spotlight.11 sparked by the Gulf War (which gave CNN of the action will have to happen inside
such a boost) and recession, and lasted those agencies promoting and regulating
The wave really took off at the end of through much of the decade. The UN Earth the process of globalization — and in the
the decade, peaking from 1969 to 1973. Summit in Rio de Janeiro delayed the companies likely to benefit.
The period saw high impact reports like impending downwave, triggering coverage
Limits to Growth and the first UN spikes on issues like climate change and Further afield, we expect fourth and fifth
environment conference, held in Stockholm biodiversity, but against a falling trend in waves, very likely — as the triple bottom line
in 1972 (with UNEP founded shortly media interest. agenda is absorbed into the mainstream —
thereafter). The media story was largely one on even shorter time-frequencies and
of looming crises. Then in 1973–74 the first That said, the overall level of coverage possibly with less dramatic fluctuations in
Arab oil shock both underscored the natural remained significantly higher than in the interest. One central focus of these waves
resource arguments advanced by ‘limits to previous downwave period. 1995, in will be demographic pressures, both within
growth’ environmentalists and triggered a particular, saw a major spike in coverage, the OECD region and between the ‘have’ and
major recession, bringing the first wave’s with Shell in the media spotlight because of ‘have not’ parts of the world. Issues of intra-
peak period to an end. the Brent Spar and Nigerian controversies. and inter-generational equity will surface
Europe was also rocked by such issues as with real political power, in such areas
‘mad cow’ disease and genetically modified as public health care, pensions provision,
(GM) foods. A major new factor: the immigration and development. The
internet. complexity of these issues could make them
a stretch for the media, but late in 2001
The Economist showed how they might be
covered with a stunning 22-page survey by
management guru Peter Drucker.15Good News & Bad 07
Introduction
03 Waves and Downwaves
1961–2001
1987 Our Common Future published / Montreal Protocol
1989 Exxon Valdez Disaster, Alaska / Berlin Wall
1986 Chernobyl Disaster, Ukraine / Rhine Disaster, Europe
1995 Brent Spar / Shell Nigeria / Moruroa nuclear tests
High
2000 Millennium / CSR and SD on WEF Agenda
1988 Green consumer movement launched
Interest
2001 G8 Meeting, Genoa / September 11
1996 ‘Mad Cow’ Disease, UK / Nike sweatshops
1972 UN Stockholm Conference / Limits to Growth published
1992 UN Earth Summit, Brazil
1998 GM Foods Controversy, UK and EU
1973 Arab Oil Embargo / Watergate / Seveso Disaster, Italy
1990 Earth Day 20
1978 Second Oil Shock / OECD State of Environment Report
1991 Gulf War
1999 Battle of Seattle
1997 Kyoto Protocol
1969 Friends of the Earth founded
1961 Amnesty International founded / World Wildlife Fund founded
1971 Greenpeace founded
1984 Bhopal Disaster, India
Medium
Interest
1970 Earth Day
1962 Silent Spring published
Low
Third Wave: ‘Globalization’
Interest
Second Wave: ‘Green’
First Wave: ‘Limits’
Second Downwave
Second Wave Peak
First Downwave
First Wave Peak
© SustainAbility 2002
9
The three waves analysis was later 12
A movement SustainAbility helped
reported in Cannibals With Forks: The Triple catalyze with the international bestseller,
Bottom Line of 21st Century Business, The Green Consumer Guide, 1988.
John Elkington, Capstone, Oxford, 1997 13
Special Report: The Net as a Global Lifeline,
and New Society, 1998. Yahoo!, November 2001. See also
10
The waves reflect public concern, media SustainAbility’s Virtual Sustainability:
coverage and political action, but are far Using the internet to implement the triple
from scientific. They have, however, been bottom line, 2001. Online report at
tested with — and confirmed by — experts www.virtualsustainability.com
for over eight years. 14
Malcolm Beith, New power for the
11
See, for example, Marshall McLuhan, President, Newsweek, December 17, 2001.
Understanding Media: The Extensions of 15
Peter Drucker, ‘The next society: A survey
Man, first published 1964, MIT Press, of the near future’, The Economist,
1994/2001. November 3, 2001.08 Good News & Bad
European Union
EU interest in the triple bottom line agenda The meaning of the term globalization Notable EU corporate reporters have
— both in the public mind and in the media mutated through the 1990s, with coverage included ABB (Sweden/Switzerland), Anglian
— has been sustained at higher levels than in approaching a plateau in 1998 and 1999, Water (UK), BAA (UK), BASF (Germany),
the US, Latin America and Asia.17 That said, when the WTO Ministerial Conference was BMW Group (Germany), BP Amoco (UK),
while countries like Denmark, Germany, the held — and disrupted — in Seattle. From BT (UK), Cable & Wireless (UK), Camelot
Netherlands and Sweden show fairly high this point, coverage of the issue spikes (UK), The Co-operative Bank (UK), ESAB
levels of concern, others (among them dramatically and the term anti-globalization (Sweden), Fortum (Finland), Henkel Group
Greece, Italy, Portugal and Spain) are still appears more frequently. (Germany), ING Group (Netherlands), Novo
well down the curve. Nordisk (Denmark), Royal Dutch / Shell
Of established issues, recycling started the (Netherlands/UK), Statoil (Norway),
Sustainable development was already on decade well in terms of coverage, but then STMicroelectronics (France/Switzerland),
the agenda in 1990, partly because the fell away. Biodiversity coverage peaked in Stora Enso (Finland/Sweden), Unilever
World Commission on Environment and 1992, then fell away through the middle of (Netherlands/UK) and Volkswagen
Development, which introduced the concept the decade before picking up again — often (Germany).
into mainstream politics, was chaired by a linked to the issue of genetic research.
European Prime Minister, Norway’s Gro Sustainable forestry coverage was generally To date, the EU has more media sector
Harlem Brundtland. But it got a further big low, except in Germany towards the end of corporate CSR and SD reporters than other
boost with the 1992 Earth Summit. the decade. By contrast, renewable resources world regions. Media sector reporters
and energy enjoyed a fairly high profile, include Axel Springer Verlag (Germany),
Peaks and troughs peaking in 2001. Bertelsmann (also Germany; particularly
Terms like corporate social responsibility Mohn Media unit), EMI Group (UK) and
and triple bottom line began to appear in NGOs Vivendi Universal (France).
European media from the mid-1990s, One group of NGOs (Amnesty, Greenpeace,
particularly following the 1995 Brent Spar Oxfam, WWF) managed to stay on the
and Nigerian controversies centered on agenda throughout the decade, with some
Shell. Among the issues that drove the major jumps — as in the case of Greenpeace
debate was child labor, with coverage in 1995. A second group (Human Rights
ranging from practices in Brazil to those in Watch, Sierra Club, Transparency
UK cities. The issue was linked both to International) tended to surface only when
industries (from chocolate to carpets) and ‘their’ particular issues became newsworthy.
brands (e.g. Nike).
Corporate reporting
Issues Media coverage of corporate environmental
Levels of media coverage suggests that such sustainability took off from 1990, with the
issues as ozone depletion, climate change publication of Norsk Hydro’s first report in
and GM foods received more attention and 1990, covered in mainstream papers like The ‘The meaning of the
concern in Europe than in other world Financial Times. Later the focus expanded to
regions (see Figure 04, page 09). Meanwhile, the results of benchmarking surveys carried term globalization
some issues that ignited in the US, at least out by organizations like SustainAbility
for a while, failed to fully ignite in the EU, and KPMG, with specialist magazines like mutated through
including concerns about endocrine Tomorrow covering the latest reports. A peak
modulators (page 20). in coverage came with the 1998 publication the 1990s.’
of the first Shell Report, Profits & Principles.
17
The media scanned were Der Spiegel,
European Union The Daily Mail, The Daily Telegraph,
Financial Times, The Guardian, Le Monde,
From biodiversity to GM foods, the EU has and The Times. Further details at
www.sustainability.com/media
been an issues incubator since Rio. But the
media in northern EU countries are way
ahead of their southern counterparts.Good News & Bad 09
European Union
Bavaria, Germany © Dermot Tatlow / Panos Pictures
04 European Top 5 Frequency of Mentions 1991–2001 Figures: The Story
A series of figures appear through Good
2000 Greenpeace
News & Bad, as on the left. These have
1750 Genetically Modified Foods been developed by Ketchum. They show
the frequency with which given search
1500 Globalisation
terms appeared in the media scanned in
1250 Green each world region. Given the pressure on
space, some of the figures show the
1000 Climate Change
patterns of development, with the details
750 on what each line represents shown on
our website (www.sustainability.com).
500
250
91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01
© Ketchum/SustainAbility 2002
05 European Waves in Media Coverage Frequency of Mentions 1991–2001
8000
7000
6000
5000
4000
3000
2000
1000
91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01
© Ketchum/SustainAbility 200210 Good News & Bad
United States
One striking aspect of US media coverage Issues NGOs
has been its ‘CSR blind-spot.’18 Despite clear The US now has a pretty powerful media Most NGOs are seen as forceful agents of
evidence that growing numbers of US corps covering the CSR and SD beats. change and as early whistle-blowers. After
corporations have been embracing CSR, US After the coverage spike created by the the ‘Rio Spike,’ however, many were accused
media have largely ignored the trend. There Earth Summit, however, most of these issues of being unduly alarmist. Recent coverage
was a spike in US coverage in 1996, fell out of the spotlight of mainstream has been more balanced, with media interest
however, at the time of the White House journalism. Vice-President Al Gore may in the role of NGOs in relation to the private
Conference on Corporate Citizenship. And have been interested, but President Clinton sector and international economy.
there has been another change: in the mid- wasn’t, at least while in office — and
1990s, CSR was seen as little more than hot President Bush has been even less engaged Corporate reporting
air, whereas today’s coverage increasingly (and, in his case, prepared to say so). Coverage of voluntary reporting has been
highlights emerging best practice. low, although the Global Reporting Initiative
Coverage of globalization has seen the (GRI) has won increasing attention in recent
Peaks and troughs biggest shift over the Rio+10 period (page years. Notable corporate reporters in the
Figure 06 shows three distinct peaks: in 17). In the early 1990s, this was an emerging US include Baxter, Bristol-Myers Squibb,
1992, 1997 and 2000. SD took off slightly business trend, with the focus on new The Dow Chemical Company, Ford Motor
later in the US than in the EU, receiving a markets, cross-border deals and mega- Company, General Motors, IBM, Interface,
considerable boost from Rio: in 1991, the mergers. By the mid-1990s, concerns were Procter & Gamble and Sunoco. But media
media scanned carried six stories on SD, growing about American imperialism, with coverage has often been more critical than
whereas in 1992 the figure jumped ten-fold critics questioning whether globalization in the EU — as illustrated in the early media
to 62. There have been fairly high levels of brought real net benefits for poorer response to Ford’s first sustainability report.
SD coverage across the decade, although on countries. Since 1999, there has been a After a week or so, however, the coverage
a generally declining trend since 1995. surge in coverage of the anti-globalization flipped to a much more positive tone.
movement, with September 11 forcing even
Some publications have clearly ‘got’ the some of globalization’s loudest champions to The US is behind the curve in terms of
triple bottom line message, including The wonder whether it can succeed without a corporate triple bottom line reporting in
International Herald Tribune (which, perhaps major overhaul. the media sector. On the media front, for
significantly, is targeted internationally).19 example Viacom is a conspicuous laggard
But there have also been many articles Recycling sustained high levels of coverage (page 29).
critical of the SD agenda, and not just in through the decade, whereas issues like
publications perceived to be right-leaning, endocrine disruption, sustainable forestry
like Forbes (which equated SD with ‘cultural and GM foods often struggled to win
imperialism’) or The Wall Street Journal attention. By contrast, socially responsible
(which described SD as ‘a dubious investing (SRI) is now an increasingly
environmental concept’). Recently, though, accepted part of the business landscape,
anti-globalization protests have revived with media coverage spiking when new
interest in issues like child labor, climate funds are launched.
change and biodiversity.
Perhaps the most interesting shift has
been in the treatment of climate change.
Early skepticism gradually softened as new
evidence appeared. Stories have been
switching to potential solutions: USA Today
ran a cover story on ‘Six Ways to Combat
Global Warming,’ Time Magazine spotlighted
climate-friendly technology and business
publications like Fortune are running
features with titles like ‘The Coming
Hydrogen Economy’.
18
In the US, we surveyed CNN and the following
United States print media: Business Week, Forbes, Foreign
Affairs, Fortune, Harper’s, Harvard Business
The US is home to the world’s biggest Review, The International Herald Tribune,
Nature, The New York Times, Science, Time
and most influential media groups. Magazine, USA Today and The Wall Street
Journal. Further details are available at
It — and many of them — have been www.sustainability.com/media.
19
One indicator of the IHT’s interest, the World
SD skeptics since Rio. Business Council for Sustainable Development
sponsored International Herald Tribune
supplements published in 2001.You can also read
