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"Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter." Martin Luther King, Civil Rights Leader
Fortune
 MARC GUNTHER: MAVERICK, JOURNALIST Few have done more for the Good Business movement than Marc Gunther, senior editor for Fortune Magazine. Since his watershed moment with the 2001 cover story “God and Business,” Gunther has reported on the unusual and out-of-the-box trends that define 21st century business. Fortune encompasses both traditional journalism and cutting edge trends thanks to Gunther’s steady inquiry. Gunther writes a regular “Sustainability” column on Fortune.com on the colossal trend of green business. In his columns both online and in Fortune’s glossy print version, Gunther reports on everything and anything in the new business paradigm.
Issues under the mainstream business radar from civil rights, employee discrimination, enslaved labor, the economics of genocide, to environmentally sound and unsound business practices are ferreted out in his reporting. In the last several years, Gunther has become a driving force behind the changing face of business. Marriot Hotel chain and its efforts to protect the Amazon Rainforest, carbon farming, anti-discrimination policies in the workplace, Goldman’s effort to support the world’s women in business, Gunther reports on everything from human rights to environmentally conscious practices. His expose of the energy giant TXU’s plan to open 11 more coal plants forced public scrutiny of greenhouse gas proposal. A few months after the article appeared in Fortune, TXU abandoned 8 of the 11 plants and switched to wind power. This shows how powerful the printed word in the right medium can be.
Gunther writes in February 2007, “For whatever reason - the wreckage of Hurricane Katrina, Al Gore's "An Inconvenient Truth," the plight of polar bears in the Arctic, the Democratic takeover of Congress - this is the moment when corporate America has at long last decided to get serious about global warming.” Marc Gunther’s investigative journalism also has something to do with it.
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VALUE DRIVEN COLUMN Another Fortune Writer to take special note of is Geoff Colvin, senior editor at large, who writes the Value Driven Column. In an April 2008 article, Rewarding Failure, Colvin hones in on one of his favorite issues—outsized CEO pay. Colvin writes that CEO pay should be tied to stock performance. If a company loses value, the CEO should experience the loss with shareholders in his or her compensation. Colvin believes that bonuses should be paid in stock and stretched out in payments over a few years. He cites as outrageous examples “the mammoth pay and disastrous performance of Countrywide Financial's Angelo Mozilo, Citigroup's Chuck Prince, and Merrill Lynch's Stan O'Neal.” Colvin claims that outsized executive pay damages shareholders and the economy. He says it serves everyone involved to rein in runaway pay or as Colvin writes to “at least to keep trying.”
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Business Week
SECOND ONLY TO FORTUNE in its finger on the business pulse is Business Week’s environmentally and socially responsible business trend reporting. A ground breaking cover story in January 2007, "Beyond the Green Corporation" reported on how “eco-friendly and socially responsible practices” can enhance the bottom line. Journalist Peter Engardio reported on the trend of combining purpose and profit in the business community. He cites the practice as more than PR and notes responsible efforts by businesses will separate the “survivors from the dinosaurs.” Adam Aston edits a regular column called “Green Biz” detailing energy saving and environmentally sound practices by companies. In a December 2007 issue, BW’s Alyson Warhurst described how “Human Rights Are a Business Issue.” Warhurst cited the reputation and confidence challenges a company faces when involved in businesses that are complicit in human rights violations. Kelly Bronk reported on an Aspen Institute survey that compared MBA students socially responsible commitment to their bottom line focus.
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Forbes
THE TRADITIONAL BUSINESS JOURNAL The traditional business journal is reporting on current issues like global warming, child labor, passion & purpose in work, and CEO pay. A Forbes April 8, 2008 story by Martha Graybow discusses the need for corporate governance on CEO pay. Quoting regulation advocate, Robert Monks, “every societal interest has basically been subordinated to CEO’s pay” the conservative Forbes moves into new territory. A February landmark article on "Child Labor: Why We Can't Kick our Addiction" by Megha Bahree details the ongoing ugly battle to end child labor. Despite the fact that Steve Forbes called global warming a “myth” in 2006, Forbes Magazine’s January 4, 2008 story, The Old Future is Gone details the global warming as “an emerging reality.” Journalist Renee Kirk writes the stunning un-Forbes like declaration “global climate change is rapidly turning into the defining issue of our time.” This proves that even the old guard is catching the "good" business wave.
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The Wall Street Journal
NEVER THE LEADER in cutting edge views, but stoic and dependable to the end. The Journal still has some of the best financial news reporting around. Yet they haven’t exactly ventured out-of-the-box in their big picture of 21st century business. Over the past few years, an interesting debate has been carried out in the journal pages of global warming debunkers and their emphatic counterparts. Are there still debunkers out there? The answer is yes, there are perhaps remarkably many global warming skeptics in the US unlike their global colleagues. In the global business community outside the US, including Britain’s conservative leadership, Global Warming is accepted as a matter of fact. . In WSJ, skeptics are given plenty of print space to express their disbelief. However, WSJ.com has recently established a column called Environmental Capital covering “daily analysis of the business of the environment by The Wall Street Journal.”
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Fast Company 
FAST COMPANY was reporting on responsible and sustainable long before anyone else. Then in 1995 the magazine was sold to a company owned by Joe Mansueto of Morningstar, Inc. FC doesn’t have the same edginess as before. In fact, it is sometimes hard to get a handle on its genuine focus, yet it does maintain a clear message in its social responsibility and work/life columns. The 2008 Social Capitalist Awards sponsored by Fast Company, 45 Social Entrepreneurs who are changing the world, was an echo of a more progressive past and sounded a clear socially conscious message. Writes FC, “Change the world. Make some money. It's an appealing prospect.” Definitely an appealing prospect and these forty five groups and individuals prove that is also possible.
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CRO (formerly Business Ethics)
BUSINESS ETHICS MAGAZINE may not be missed much by anyone except perhaps former Editor Marjorie Kelly. BE reported on business ethics as if lecturing naughty school children. CEO and founder Jay Whitehead has definitely upgraded the dull cousin with a glossy new version. CRO (stands for Corporate Responsibility Officer) is fast becoming the regulatory source for CSR departments. 100 Best Corporate Citizens 2008 were chosen according to standards set by CRO for the industry. CRO covers environmental, legal, labor, governance, social responsibility, and ethics issues with an informed and enlightened staff of journalists.
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Harvard Business Review
Harvard Business Review continues to breakaway from the traditional business mindset, much to everyone’s surprise. Late June of this year editor Steve Prokesch commended Jeff Immelt on his very unique point of view, especially for a CEO, in “Finally, A CEO Speaks up on How to Renew America.” Immelt spoke of America needing radical change, business and government letting down Americans, and how business and government working together to turn America into an exporter could help save our economy. These are truly revolutionary thoughts!
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Stanford Social Innovation Review
THE QUINTESSENTIAL JOURNAL on all matters in socially responsible business. The Review reports on human rights and business, social entrepreneurship, labor, environment, ethics, value, common good and profit issues just to name a few. See “what’s happening” section for detailed highlights on this forward thinking journal.
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ODE Magazine
Ode Mag Introduces the "Passive House"
Ode Magazine is taking a break from Big Business and Big Brother and tackles another biggie- Climate Change. Ursula Sautter interviewed Rolf Disch, an architect and environmentalist in Freiburg, Germany, and asked him about how to combat both the recession and CO2 emissions. His solution- build “passive houses that produce more energy than they consume.” The house would work as a “power plant” consuming and producing energy. This “passive house” is guaranteed to lower bills, reduce CO2 emissions, and put a few coins back into the pockets of millions of Americans. Sounds like a win-win
situation for all!
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Ethisphere
Ethisphere Magazine reports on issues that are provocative and insightful ranging on topics from compliance laws to sustainability. A recent issue makes the argument the GoodB wholeheartedly supports, that change is needed- Big and Small businesses need to include ethics in the profit making equation. Ethisphere continues through conferences and articles to support its bottom line dedicated to demonstrating the “direct link between ethics and profits.”
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Sustainable Industries
Sustainable Industries (SI), established in 2004, bills itself as “the independent source of green business leaders.” SI hosts an on-going series of green building webinars. The print and web journal covers every aspect of green business from finance to marketing. A recent SI issue reports on Intel’s new energy-efficient technology. Other important coverage included in the June issue details the landmark initial public offering (IPO) of wind developer, Noble Environmental Power, “the first U.S. power company solely focused on wind to trade on the Nasdaq.” The journal has a decidedly American west coast flavor with offices in Seattle, San Francisco, and Portland, Oregon.
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ACROSS THE POND:
(Editor’s Note: No one would think of Britain’s top two financial journals as cutting edge, yet compared to American conservative journalism they far outpace the US in socially responsible and environmental sustainable reporting. Perhaps because the UK is part of the trend setting European Union its business journalism is pushed beyond the cautious US media.)
Financial Times
Financial Times continues to stay true to its “traditional business” route, but every now and there is inkling of progressive thinking. FT’s current issue includes reports on the need for “UK banking transparency" and future FT conferences regarding the “environmental, social, and political consequences of climate change.”
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The Economist
IN JANUARY 2006, Clive Crook (who now writes for Financial Times) wrote a now classic op ed in the Economist Leaders column claiming corporate social responsibility was a non critical business issue. Crook reported that any business claim of CSR savvy and environmentally conscientiousness were essentially products of empty publicity campaigns. In January 2007, the Economist dedicated the issue to, “The Greening of America,” detailed the environmentally responsible efforts of American business to go green. The Economist blog, the Inbox reported on January 19, 2008 that CSR was “just good business.”
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International Herald Tribune
THE HERALD TRIBUNE reports on environmental, social, and human rights issues around the globe as a matter of course. Elisabeth Rosenthal’s investigative report on “Putting Pollution on Grocery Bills” in the April 26, 2008 edition exposed the added environmental issues caused by shipping food around the world. Rosenthal and James Kanter also write an innovative HT blog called, Business of Green, “a global dialogue on the environment.”
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