â–¶ Positive Tech: While the media is not extremely focused on technology coverage—it accounts for less than 1.6% of total—much of the coverage in this area is positive, with about 23% of all technology-themed stories focusing on how technology can make peoples’ lives easier, according to a Pew Research Center study. Other findings:
• Of technology companies covered, Apple dominated with 15.1% of all technology stories, while 11.4% focused on Google, 7.1% on Twitter and 4.8% on Facebook.
• The portrayal of technology companies was generally positive. For Apple, 42% of the stories described the company as innovative and superior, and another 27% lauded its loyal fan base.
• Still, doubts persist. The most common negative topic—that Apple products don’t live up to the hype—appeared in 17% of stories about the tech brand.
Source: Pew Research Center
â–¶ Over Carbon-ated: Seems like companies can only be so green. Over 80% of the world’s top companies aren’t achieving significant carbon emissions reductions, according to the 2010 Carbon Disclosure Project report from PricewaterhouseCoopers. Specific findings of the report include:
• While 65% of the Global 500 have implemented carbon emissions reduction targets, only 19% actually show significant carbon emissions reduction. In fact, Fortune 500 companies contribute 11% of global emissions.
• The report’s top 10 scorers for disclosing greenhouse gas emissions and trying to reduce carbon output include: Con Edison, News Corp., Spectra Energy, Praxair, Cisco Systems, Dean Foods, CSX, Exelon, PG&E and Xcel Energy.
• On a positive note, more companies are actually disclosing their emissions, up from 52% in 2009 to 59% this year, or a 30% increase since 2008. PRN
Source: PricewaterhouseCoopers
