US Media Coverage of Tobacco Industry Corporate Social Responsibility Initiatives

Abstract

Media coverage of tobacco industry corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives represents a competitive field where tobacco control advocates and the tobacco industry vie to shape public and policymaker understandings about tobacco control and the industry. Through a content analysis of 649 US news items, we examined US media coverage of tobacco industry CSR and identified characteristics of media items associated with positive coverage. Most coverage appeared in local newspapers, and CSR initiatives unrelated to tobacco, with non-controversial beneficiaries, were most commonly mentioned. Coverage was largely positive. Tobacco control advocates were infrequently cited as sources and rarely authored opinion pieces; however, when their voices were included, coverage was less likely to have a positive slant. Media items published in the South, home to several tobacco company headquarters, were more likely than those published in the West to have a positive slant. The absence of tobacco control advocates from media coverage represents a missed opportunity to influence opinion regarding the negative public health implications of tobacco industry CSR. Countering the media narrative of virtuous companies doing good deeds could be particularly beneficial in the South, where the burdens of tobacco-caused disease are greatest, and coverage of tobacco companies more positive.

The environmental externalities of tobacco manufacturing: A review of tobacco industry reporting

“…To preempt regulation, PMI has begun investigating the efficacy of life-cycle assessments, which might sidestep pressure for third-party analysis and interventions (Philip Morris International 2017b). This strategy of preempting policy intervention through undertaking voluntary reporting and self-censure has been used previously by the industry (McDaniel and Malone 2009; McDaniel et al 2016, 2018). PMI’s performance of LCAs may indicate their awareness that LCAs are used for EPR, and could be used to preempt EPR regulation.…”

“…While the questions surrounding the tobacco industry’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) reporting and auditing are unique due to the scrutiny this particular industry receives, the problems of industry externalities and the lack of transparent third-party auditing are more general problems with the CSR paradigm shared by other companies (Tesler and Malone 2008; Hirshbein 2012; Fooks et al 2013; McDaniel et al 2016, 2018). Fernando and Lawrence (2014) propose an integrated theoretical framework for explaining CSR practices by bringing together three inter-related and complementary theories: legitimacy theory, stakeholder theory and institutional theory.…”

“…Brand image is also crucial to a CSR calculus (McDaniel and Malone 2009; Hastings 2012). Some companies have been shown to spend more money on advertising their CSR than they actually spent on sustainability or social responsibility projects (Gonzalez et al 2012; Hastings 2012; McDaniel et al 2018). Minimizing environmental harms through comparison with other industries is also a common tactic.…”

Setting the policy agenda for graphic health warning labels: An analysis of online news media coverage in South Korea, 2016

“…The news reports were manually coded by two coders according to the report tone or slant in terms of being in favor of or opposed to GHWLs (positive, negative, or neutral) 25 . A report with a positive slant included supporting arguments in favor of tobacco control, such as positioning of pictorial warnings at the top of cigarette packaging and opposition to the recommendations of the RRC.…”

Japan Tobacco corporate social responsibility activities misleadingly claim to advance Sustainable Development Goals

“…According to the Conference of Parties guidelines for implementing Article 5.3 and Article 13, corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities by the tobacco industry should be banned as they are a type of TAPS 3 4. In other countries, the tobacco industry’s efforts to promote CSR activities have been reported and analysed 5 6…”