We present soft x-ray absorption spectra from a series of Co doped ZnO films. We discuss systematic variations of the Co L-edge white line intensity and multiplet features for this series of samples. We document sizeable differences in the electronic state of the Co ionic cores, as well as in the local environment of the host lattice atoms, characterised by means of x-ray absorption spectra at the O K-edge and Zn L-edges. Model calculations allow to correlate the observed effects to small structural distortions of the ZnO lattice.