Conceptualizing Media CSR Communication: Responsible Contributions to the (Global) Public Sphere?

When corporations communicate across cultures—especially when issues like responsibility and sustainability are in the focus—the old local vs. global dilemma in international management and communication becomes high ethical relevance. Ethical norms and moral values differ across cultures—this may seem trivial and evident and has been discussed in business ethics and international CSR research for more than four decades. Differences in the economic development (e.g., emerging economies vs. the global north), the political situation (democracies with freedom of speech vs. censorship), differences in the cultural settings (importance of sustainability, commitment to environment) and in religious beliefs education and media usage—to name just a few do call for an adaption of CSR strategies, not only but also when it comes to the communication of CSR. But if media corporations communicate CSR across cultures the latter aspect moves from periphery into the center—as their main product is content (even if a broader definition of the term “media corporation” is applied) and they deliver a contribution to the public sphere. So, what does it imply when content companies communicate CSR across cultures, what could and should it mean for them to communicate responsibly across cultures? The chapter sketches answers to these questions and will argue for a connection between communication with integrity and about integrity and outline why and how the CSR communication of international media corporations (and intermediaries) should address these aspects.