1
Netizens’ Evaluations of Corporate Social Responsibility:
Content Analysis of CSR News Stories and Online Readers’ Comments
Abstract
Analyzing both CSR news stories and attached readers’ comments from the
online Korean newspapers, this study investigated the news coverage of CSR activities
and how the online readers interpret the CSR activities dependent on CSR types,
situations, and a degree of corporate fame. Online readers more frequently expressed
opinions on and tend to be cynical toward crisis-related CSR and monetary donation type
of CSR. Also, the more famous the companies are, the more likely there are cynical
opponents toward their CSR activities. The study offers PR professionals in charge of
CSR valuable insights—CSR should be planned as a long-term strategy to restore the
impaired corporate reputation after a crisis, not as a mere form of corrective action.
Keywords: Corporate Social Responsibility, News, Readers’ Comments, Crisis