International Encyclopedia of Communication Online

Extract

Questions of media ethics address the way media practitioners – journalists, public relations (PR) representatives, bloggers, technical support staff – resolve various types of dilemmas they face, as well as the value judgments that media audiences make regarding media content and performance. What does it mean to be “responsible” as a media professional? How should journalists balance the need for sensitivity with their mission to convey accurate, comprehensive depictions of events? What should a PR practitioner do when the interests of a business client conflict with professional values of public service and transparency? How do newspaper readers and television viewers expect news organizations to minimize potential harm to people without sanitizing the news? These are examples of key questions that concern media ethicists. As such questions make clear, ethics generally is not concerned with defining “right” and “wrong,” which is the subject of the broader field of moral philosophy. Instead, ethics provides tools to help navigate “gray” areas in which conflicting or competing solutions may be legitimately argued. The purpose of ethics, then, is not to provide clear-cut answers regarding what constitutes good behavior or the “right” thing to do, but to enable people to resolve conflicts and dilemmas by asking the right questions based on the promotion and prioritization of key ... log in or subscribe to read full text