Social Audits as Media Watchdogging

Abstract

The Hutchins Commission's notion of media responsibility is being re-invigorated by the Corporate Social Responsibility/sustainability movement among U.S. and European corporations, though media companies tend to lag behind in adopting these programs. One exception is Britain's Guardian News & Media, which has adopted a social auditing system to examine how its operations meet its core ethical values. This study applies a concept of collective responsibility in evaluating the social audit for its ethical value. Considering truth-telling, media diversity, social betterment, and stewardship as fundamental dimensions of responsibility, the study finds the social audit a credible approach to overcoming the persistent criticism of responsibility; that is, that the concept is too vague and poorly elaborated.

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