A media CSR model for wartime contexts

Abstract

This article examines how media organisations in eight European countries responded to the war in Ukraine through corporate social responsibility (CSR). Based on a comparative analysis of 203 initiatives, the study identifies media-specific patterns combining symbolic support, editorial interventions, philanthropic aid, and infrastructural backing, reflecting both journalistic commitments and civic engagement. Existing CSR models only partially capture this complexity. To address this gap, the article proposes a four-dimensional CSR model for wartime contexts, incorporating activity type, temporal phase, organisational depth, and target group. The model captures the hybrid nature of media CSR intersected with wartime editorial, civic, and organisational logic. This article contributes to CSR scholarship and media management research, offering a media-specific CSR model grounded in wartime conditions and applicable to other crisis scenarios.