Transcript Powerpoint - GEOCITIES.ws

Chapter 14
Media Ethics
Goals of this chapter
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We will be covering the importance of
ethical practices in media
Introduction to Basic Concepts
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First Amendment influence on media
– Generally relies on industry for self-regulation: practice
and monitoring
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Media Ethics are guidelines or moral rules about
how professional communicators act in settings
where their behavior could negatively effect others
(and such behavior is not restricted by laws)
– Typically deal with:
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Accuracy – is the content truthful
Fairness – present all sides of the story equally
Confidentiality – protects the identity of news sources
Book’s Interesting Scenario
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Portrayal of inter-racial crime in LA and
Miami in the 1980s and 90s resulted in
increased racial tension
– The interracial aspect of the crime was sought
out because it had been proven to attain higher
ratings
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Ethical?
Considerations for Individuals
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Aristotle’s Golden Mean – “moral virtue’s appropriate location is
between two extremes”
– Keys are moderation and balance
– Leads to the idea of presenting a balanced discussion—not biased to either
side (through inclusion nor omission!)
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Golden Rule – cover a story for someone as you would want them to
cover it for you
Kant’s Categorical Imperative – “Act on that maxim which you will
[wish] to become a universal law”
– If you want everyone to be balanced in content-sidedness presentation, be
balanced yourself
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Situational Ethics – more recently evolved from Kantian philosophy;
use your instincts, there are no moral absolutes, sometimes you have to
violate your principles for the greater good (dependent upon one’s
perceptions)
John Stuart Mill’s Principle of Utility – “seek the greatest happiness
for the greatest number” – again, dependent on the perceptions of the
individual
Pragmatic Ethics (Dewey) – actions had to be judged by their results,
not by whether they adhered to a particular philosophy or guideline
Ethical Dilemma Deconstruction
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Potter’s Box – Method of deconstructing ethical
dilemmas
– 4 stage model for working through complicated ethical
dilemmas:
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Situation – define or clarify the facts of the issue, all the details
Values – identify the different choices possible and the values
or ethical issues that underlie the options/outcomes
Principles – look for general principles that underlie the
options identified previously (considerations for individuals)
Loyalties – clarify your main loyalties in the situation (to
yourself? The public? Your country? Etc.)
– Doesn’t solve the problem, but helps you break it apart
Ethical Codes
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The Hutchins Commission and Social
Responsibility (1947)
– General guidelines based on two fundamental ideas:
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Whoever enjoys a freedom or position (like professional
journalist) has an obligation to society to use their freedoms
and powers responsibly
Society’s welfare is paramount for journalists and media
professionals, more important than individual careers or rights
– They listed 5 suggested requirements of the press:
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To present meaningful news, accurate and separated from
opinion
To serve as a forum for the exchange of comment and
criticism; allowing many points of view
Should project a “representative picture of the constituent
groups in society”; avoiding stereotypes and inclusively
present minorities in stories/discussions
Should present and clarify the goals and values of society
To give broad coverage of what is known about society
Ethical Codes (cont’d)
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The Society of Professional Journalists’ Code of Ethics
– Provides more detail, attempting to anticipate more specific situations and to
offer guidance on how to deal with them
– For example:
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“Avoid misleading reenactments or staged news events. If reenactments are
required to tell a story, label it.”
– 1993 NBC staged GM blow up
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Ombudsmen serve as watchdogs of newspapers (with their own
code to enforce ethical conduct of employees)
– Experienced reporter or editor who acts as internal critic and spokesperson
for public interest
– Duties include:
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Represent the reader who has complaints, suggestions, questions or compliments
Alert the newspaper to public complaints
Investigate complaints and recommend action when needed
Serve as in-house critic
Write columns to the public about the paper’s policies, attitudes and operations
Defend the paper publicly or privately when needed
– Fewer than 40 American papers have Ombudsmen
Journalism Ethical Issues
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Accuracy of Information and Deception
– Do we need different standards for different media?
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Internet vs. Television vs. Tabloids?
Fairness or Responsibility
– How critical of a story/person can a reporter be?
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Are they responsible about the consequences?
– Should reporters write about things that they agree
with? Withhold negative stories about parent
companies?
– Do you protect the privacy of anonymous sources even
if they are breaking the law?
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Book says there is widespread agreement that you do…
references future credibility with the “leakers”….
– How does this differ from what we were just discussing?
Ethical Issue: Sensationalism
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Began in New and Yellow Journalism periods.
 To get ratings, sometimes reporters break the law
– Pentagon Papers during Vietnam; NYTimes
– Two New York Daily News reporters smuggled
weapons through security systems in Logan airport just
a month after 9/11
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Aimed to dramatize security holes
They were successful, but broke the law
Or dramatize an issue (the weather)
 Or insensitive reporters who shove cameras and
microphones into peoples faces
Ethical Issues (cont’d)
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Junkets, Freebies and Expenses
– A way for news organizations to send reporters out to
cover a story at the expense of the company (whom the
story is about)
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Junket - Expense-paid trip to gain publicity for a cause, or a
product, a resort, or anything else
Freebies – small media outlets can get free tickets to plays,
concerts, books and other things (again, in hopes of favorable
writeups)
Commercialism
– Ratings reign supreme: “If it bleeds, it leads”
– Many stations plan sensationalized stories to run during
sweeps—despite the fact that there is nothing new to
report on the issue (prostitution, drugs, underage
drinking, etc.)
– Muted criticism about parent company’s other holdings
Ethical Issues (cont’d)
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Press Releases and Journalism
– Oftentimes journalists rely on press releases for details
of their story (sometimes overly so)
– Press releases are clearly biased (in the company’s
favor), written by PR professionals
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Privacy
– Privacy – is the right to be protected from unwanted
intrusions or disclosures
– Source confidentiality is typically considered by
journalists to be paramount
– Journalists typically don’t consider the privacy of the
subject of the story
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Seedy details, or even just regular details often make the story
seem more tangible, more interesting
Is this okay?
Ethical Issues (cont’d)
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Ethical Entertainment
– Should movie/TV industry be concerned about potential
social impact of their movies/shows?
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Pirates of the Caribbean; Supersize Me;
Fahrenheit 9/11?
– Current trend is to ignore or arbitrarily eliminate the
link between media portrayals and societal impacts
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Good? Bad?
Willimantic, CT
Radio Issues
– Payola – pay-per-play; commission paid to the DJ
(which is illegal) to play a company’s song
– Plugola – paying someone to get a product mentioned
on the air
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Payment doesn’t have to be monetary!
Ethical Issues (cont’d)
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Advertising Ethics
– Product Placement – is not typically obvious to the viewer,
therefore may be influencing them without their knowledge
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ET and Reeses Pieces
Game shows
– Ethic, Gender stereotypes to sell?
 Taco Bell’s Latin-Chihuahua
– Should some places be advertisement free?
 What about ads targeted at kids? (Flintstones)
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Plagiarism
– Copying material from websites, other sources
 www.turnitin.com
– Buying term-papers online
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Intellectual Property
– Theft of Music, movies, papers