Preview

Ethics in Media

Better Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1304 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Ethics in Media
Assignment 3 – Minor Essay

Breit argues “Ethics affect how people view right and wrong, good and bad, what is responsible and the effectiveness of accountability”. Why can ethics be problematic in media and communication industries and what solutions are viable?

Ethics is a multi-dimensional concept which is difficult to define. One definition put forward by Breit (2007, p. 308) emphasises ethics as ‘the process of decision-making aimed at making the right choices’ and how ‘people view right and wrong’. Despite the myriad of theories that have been postulated throughout history, ethics in media and communication industries continues to come under scrutiny since the notion of converging ethics into communication industries is essentially an oxymoron. This is because the act of public persuasion can be perceived as inherently unethical and it is therefore impossible to have ‘ethical communication’ (Demetrious, 2010). In order to counteract this discrepancy, a range of theories have been developed that can help media and communication practitioners develop ethical competencies, without compromising their duty toward their occupation and workplace.

Why are ethics important?
Most public communicators, who deal with powerful technology that reach mass audiences, are confronted with ethical decision making as an implicit part of their professional practice (Demetrious, 2010). Therefore, it is essentially important to pay attention to ethics because the mass media has the potential to affect and influence copious amounts of people.

How can ethics be problematic?
Furthermore, many media and communication industries are not simply neutral purveyors of information. The information these industries release is often subjective and biased, and so may not necessarily reflect the thoughts and opinions of the wider community. Hence, media and communication industries are often, creators and shapers of culture and are institutionalized agents of acculturation. Thus, if

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Powerful Essays

    “Media are an effective avenue for relaying information to a vast number of people, and, like other social agents, they serve to shape social norms, values, and…

    • 2978 Words
    • 12 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Better Essays

    cmns2720 minor essay

    • 1556 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Communication ethics are integral to the industry as a whole as well as each facet and profession within that industry. Not only do ethics provide us with a framework on which to model our values, morals and standpoints, codes ethics also maintain a high standard when it comes to the information disseminated to publics by communication professionals. Arnett, Arenson and Bell (Arnett et al from hereon in) published a 2006 article defining six categories of communication ethics. This essay will discuss and compare these definitions and draw a conclusion as to whether or not the Dialogic Turn can be seen as a postmodern answer to issues raised by communication professionals.…

    • 1556 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    329), and Roy Peter Clark’s “5 Questions” (p. 330), provide us with critical thinking models to evaluate the ethicality of our actions, both inside and outside the mass media realm. I would like to believe that journalists utilize these models before publishing articles, but I am afraid that I cannot make this assumption. We often sees news reports, articles, video clips with accompanying commentary that, while potentially entertaining for media consumers, can be hurtful and detrimental to the subjects of the news. Yes, I believe that it is important that media consumers are educated and given as much information as possible, but I believe there is a threshold to this “education”. Especially in regards to Clark’s questions, I think we could all find articles that do not abide by these…

    • 643 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    media ethics

    • 1853 Words
    • 6 Pages

    This paper will address and discuss the media and its responsibilities to society in perspective classical ethical theories of utilitarianism, deontology, and virtue ethics. It will also examine the different perspectives of the media introduced by relativism, ethical egoism, and emotivism. This paper will apply such theories and perspectives to the media and its responsibilities to society, in describing and comparing the ethical theories and perspectives, along with analyzing the issues and behaviors of the media and its responsibilities to society. I will address how each theory can help us think about what would constitute virtuous or ethical behavior, breaches in ethical behavior in the media and what are the ethical issues associated with its responsibilities to the society. In this paper I will also state issues, problems, and possible solutions on how these theories and perspectives can help or offer solutions to how media approaches society and how it needs to stay responsible in order to have a positive effect in today 's world.…

    • 1853 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Communication Ethics in the Media. Watch television for one evening and observe the number of ethical dilemmas related to communication that people and characters confront. Note their response to each dilemma. How many people/characters make choices that you consider ethical? How many do you not? What justifications or reasons do people/characters give for their choices? What consequences, if any, are portrayed? What conclusions can you draw about the portrayal of communication ethic on television?…

    • 318 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Best Essays

    Wilkins, Lee. The Handbook of Mass Media Ethics. Ed. Clifford G. Christians. New York: Routledge, 2009. Print.…

    • 4761 Words
    • 20 Pages
    Best Essays
  • Good Essays

    Media Ethics Discussion

    • 524 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Harris maintains that “it should be acknowledged that to colour correct the skies in Orange County Register photos to a specific blue is wrong". Why? What’s the big deal about changing the colour of the sky, according to Harris? Do you think that there are ever instances where digital manipulation is acceptable or should be encouraged? Support your answer with photographic evidence if possiblenet…

    • 524 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Christians, C.J., Fackler, M., McKee, K.B., Kresshel, P.J., & Woods, R.H., (2009). Media Ethics: Cases and Moral Reasoning (8th ed.). Boston: Allyn & Bacon, Incorporated.…

    • 1816 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Best Essays

    Chabrol, H., Amélie Rousseau, & Callahan, S. (2006). Preliminary results of a scale assessing instability of self-esteem. Canadian Journal of Behavioural Science, 38(2), 136-141. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/220493512?accountid=34899…

    • 1741 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Best Essays
  • Best Essays

    Brown, W., & Singhal, A. (1993, Fall93). Ethical considerations of promoting prosocial messages through the popular media. Journal of Popular Film & Television, 21(3), 92.…

    • 3624 Words
    • 11 Pages
    Best Essays
  • Good Essays

    AMA Code Of Ethics

    • 468 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Most organizations have some sort of code of ethics. These codes are the basis on how such organizations operate. This paper will compare the ethics codes of The Associated Press and The American Marketing Association. The AMA has a relatively short statement of ethics. The statement includes three key ethical norms.…

    • 468 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Analyze the issues using Chapter 3’s cross-cultural dimensions from the Globe and Hofstede studies, differences in high versus low context cultures, etc.…

    • 281 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Code Of Ethics Analysis

    • 3258 Words
    • 14 Pages

    Fackler, M., Christians, C. G., & Ferré, J. P. (1993). Good News: Social Ethics and the Press. New York: Oxford University Press.…

    • 3258 Words
    • 14 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    practices in the press, the significance of our leaders’ ethics and values to society cannot be ignored.…

    • 7825 Words
    • 32 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Better Essays

    Publishing photographs that show personal tragedy and are questionable in their moral standards with those concerning privacy and those about inflicting additional harm on victims can be supported by Aristotle's Virtue Ethics. This should be supported because, as a news organization, photographing what is seen shows the magnitude of the situation and documents as it happened.…

    • 1517 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays