본 연구는 한국 언론의 주요 과제인 언론 신뢰 회복을 위한 실천적 방안을 제시하고자 신문사의 사회적 책임(CSR)이 신문사 신뢰도에, 신문사 신뢰도가 언론 신뢰에 미치는 영향을 알아보았다. 신문사의 사회적 책임은 미디어 기업의 가치와 밀접한 연관이 있는 편집의 책임과 사회에 대한 책임과 관련 있는 CSR 활동유형에 주목하였다. 주요 연구문제와 가설을 분석하기 위해 수도권에 거주하는 20세 이상 59세 이하 304명의 일반인을 대상으로 2 (CSR활동 유형: 시상 활동 vs. 지역사회 봉사활동) x 2 (편집의 책임: 높음 vs. 낮음) 집단 간 요인 설계로 실험연구를 진행하였다. 연구결과, 공중이 편집의 책임 수행 수준을 높게 인식할 때 신문사 신뢰도 역시 높게 형성되는 것으로 나타났다. 신문사의 CSR 활동유형에 따른 신문사 신뢰도는 유의미한 차이를 보이지 않았으므로, 신문사의 시상 활동과 지역사회 봉사활동은 신문사 신뢰도에 차별적 영향력을 발휘한다고 보기 어려웠다. 신문사 신뢰도는 언론 신뢰에 유의미한 영향력을 발휘하였는데, 신문사 신뢰도를 높게 인식한 공중은 언론 신뢰가 증가하였으며, 신문사 신뢰도가 낮게 형성되면 언론 신뢰 역시 저하되는 것으로 나타났다. 이 연구는 신문사가 편집의 책임을 충실하게 수행할 때 신문사를 향한 공중의 신뢰도 역시 높게 형성될 수 있으며, 개별 신문사를 향한 높은 신뢰도가 한국 언론신뢰에 긍정적인 영향력을 발휘한다는 점을 확인하였다.

Recently, Koreans have shown a low level of trust in the press although they consume news actively. This study was intended to suggest a way to restore the public trust in the press by investigating corporate social responsibility (CSR) of newspaper companies. Applying Ingenhoff and Koelling"s (2012) fields of responsibility of media organizations, this study regarded CSR of newspaper companies as editorial responsibility and responsibility for the society. The awards program was found to be a typical and unique CSR program of Korean newspaper companies, and the community volunteer program was a common CSR initiative of Korean companies. The study employed a 2 editorial responsibility (good vs. poor) x 2 CSR program types (award vs. community volunteer programs) between-subjects experimental design with 304 participants, aged 20 to 59, using panel data in Korea. It found that the public"s awareness of good editorial responsibility is significant in increasing public trust in newspaper companies. When the editorial responsibility of newspaper companies was high, the public trust in the newspaper companies was high. However, the study failed to find significant effects of CSR program types (award vs. community volunteer programs) on public trust in newspaper companies. The public trust in newspaper companies had a significant relationship with the public trust in the press. This study found a positive relationship between the public trust in newspaper companies and the public trust in the press. The hierarchical multiple regression analysis revealed that public trust in newspaper companies had a significant effect on the public trust in the press. Using the paired t-test, this study analyzed the effects of public trust in newspaper companies on the public trust in the press by dividing groups according to levels of trust in newspaper companies. It found that the group of lower trust in newspaper companies showed lower trust in the press, and the group of higher trust in newspaper companies showed higher trust in the press. The results emphasized that the editorial responsibility of newspaper companies affects public trust in newspaper companies significantly. There was no significant relationship between CSR program types and public trust in newspaper companies. Public trust in newspaper companies has a positive effect on their trust in the press significantly. The results of this study emphasized that newspaper companies should comply with editorial standards to restore public trust in newspaper companies and the press in Korean society.