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Title Controversies in media ethics / A. David Gordon [and others] ; with contributions by John A. Armstrong [i.e. John S. Armstrong] [and others].

Publication Info. New York : Routledge, 2011.

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Location Call No. Status
 University of Saint Joseph: Pope Pius XII Library - Standard Shelving Location  175 C764C    Check Shelf
Edition 3rd ed.
Description xxv, 580 pages ; 25 cm
Bibliography Includes bibliographical references and index.
Contents pt. I. The basics -- Overview : theoretical foundations for media ethics / John c. Merrill -- 1. Ethics and freedom : mass media accountability -- Freedom of expression in news, entertainment or persuasive communication must be zealously defended regardless of whether it is exercised ethically / A. David Gordon -- Freedom of expression cannot be allowed to become an excuse for irresponsible media conduct : in news, entertainment, public relations or advertising / Julianne H. Newton -- 2. Individual values, social pressures, and conflicting loyalties -- Stick to your personal values in making ethical decisions, despite the various pressures that you encounter in the workplace, such as those from media owners, government or advertisers / John Michael Kittross -- Sticking to your personal values is a worthy but unattainable ideal, in view of the social, economic, and political forces that often run counter to individuals' ethics / A. David Gordon -- Reflections : taking Aristotle to work : practical and moral values / John a. Armstrong.
pt. II. Roles and pressures -- 3. Gatekeepers and manipulators : truth, fairness, and accuracy -- Mass media are inevitable targets for those seeking to manipulate how content is presented, but truth and the need for exposure to new ideas remain as key principles / A. David Gordon -- social values of mass communication require practices reflecting ethical considerations extending beyond truth to include both fairness and accuracy / John Michael Kittross -- 4. The ethics of "correctness" and "inclusiveness" -- Mass media must make special efforts to deal with race, gender, culture, and ethnicity in their personnel, news, advertising, and entertainment functions / A. David Gordon -- No special efforts are required on the part of the mass media to deal "correctly" with race, gender, sexual orientation, culture, religion, age, and ethnicity / John Michael Kittross -- 5. Codes of ethics -- Codes of ethics are useful and necessary, both for the news media and in public relations and advertising, because these codes benefit society / A. David Gordon -- Ethics codes are too general to apply to many real situations, too black-and-white, and too idealistic in the cases of public relations and advertising / Michael Dorsher -- Tools for ethical decision-making / William A. Babcock, A. David Gordon, John Michael Kittross.
pt. III. Overarching problems -- 6. New technologies and techniques : new ethics? -- An interactive network, to which anyone can contribute and in which information is exchanged rather than simple delivered, creates ethical issues that go beyond those faced by professionals working in traditional media environments / Jane B. Singer -- Ethics transcends media technologies and methods, so developments such a convergence journalism, citizen journalism, blogs, and multimedia mobile phones require little if any rethinking of long-standing ethical principles or guidelines / Michael Dorsher -- 7. Digitally manipulated content -- there is not ethical mandate to authenticate digital material, especially in the persuasive and entertainment realms, and news operations can rely on corrections if they find they have disseminated erroneous material / William A. Babcock and A. David Gordon -- The ability to "doctor" visual images and audio content digitally and undetectably will not go away so we must live with it, and newsrooms should verify digital materials even at the risk of not being "first" / John Michael Kittross -- 8. Media ethics and the economic marketplace -- The economic marketplace is at best irrelevant, and at worst counterproductive ethics and the marketplace of ideas / John Michael Kittross -- The evolving economic marketplace can still help to hold the media responsible for their actions, with help from nonprofit organizations, knowledgeable media consumers, and farsighted privately owned media companies / A. David Gordon -- 9. Access to media : equity in receiving and disseminating information -- Mass media must guard against practices that isolate some groups in society from access to information they need / A. David Gordon -- Market forces are sufficient safeguards against any groups in society being deprived of access to necessary information, or of expressing themselves / William A. Babcock.
pt. IV. Hot topics in media ethics -- 10. Private lives, public interests in a digital world -- News and entertainment media cannot be the sole judges of the privacy boundary between appropriate and excessive coverage, even for public figures / A. David Gordon -- New s and entertainment media should be the sole judges of how their activities impinge on individuals' privacy rights. Furthermore, the mass media need not be concerned a bout using personal information from private or government databases, but we all should be concerned about its collection and use by others / John Michael Kittross -- News, entertainment, and persuasion media, as well as other businesses and the government, must respect privacy concerns in collecting and using personal information in their databases / Julianne H. Newton -- 11. The ethics of persuasive communication -- Advertising and public relations, no less than news, should be held to standards of truthfulness, which is to say they should not be intentionally deceitful / Peter J. Gade -- Because the function of persuasive communication is to sell products, services, and ideas, there is no need for persuaders always to adhere to absolute standards of truth : but transparency is needed / A. David Gordon -- 12. The ethics of new advertising technologies and techniques -- Product placement, spam, "pop-ups", and similar techniques are ethical tools for advertisers and their clients to use, as long as they are legal and can sell a product / Kim Sheehan -- The "anything goes" philosophy regarding the use of new advertising techniques is not only unethical but also counterproductive, and will destroy the credibility of the advertising industry / Michael Dorsher -- 13. Infotainment, sensationalism, and "reality" -- News and entertainment content are both valid avenues for delivering useful information and ideas to citizens of a democracy, thus helping them make informed choices / A. David Gordon -- Tabloid news publications and programs, "reality" and talk shows, and other forms of infotainment confuse the public and offer "fluff" at the expense of more important content / William A. Babcock -- 14. Violence and sexuality -- Violence and pornography in the media, however regrettable, are merely reflections of the world, and government or group measures to control them would create a "cure" that is worse than the disease / John Michael Kittross -- There is fare more violence in today's mass media than is good for society, and that violent content must somehow be controlled / A. David Gordon -- 15. More topics in the ethical debate -- Objectivity? -- Checkbook journalism? the final marketplace -- Citizen journalism -- Arrogance -- Civility, "dirty" language, and religion -- Honesty in reporting -- Pack journalism -- Interviews -- Co-option -- Postscript : some questions without answers and answers without questions.
Summary "Controversies in Media Ethics offers students, instructors and professionals multiple perspectives on media ethics issues presenting vast "gray areas" and few, if any, easy answers. This third edition includes a wide range of subjects, and demonstrates a willingness to tackle the problems raised by new technologies, new media, new politics and new economics. The core of the text is formed by 14 chapters, each of which deals with a particular problem or likelihood of ethical dilemma, presented as different points of view on the topic in question, as argued by two or more contributing authors. The 15th chapter is a collection of "mini-chapters," allowing students to discern first-hand how to deal with ethical problems. This edition has been thoroughly updated to provide discussions of issues reflecting the breadth and depth of the media spectrum numerous real-world examples, broad discussion of confidentiality and other timely topics. Companion Website supplies additional resources for both students and instructors. Developed for use in media ethics courses, Controversies in Media Ethics provides up-to-date discussions and analysis of ethical situations across a variety of media, including issues dealing with the Internet and new media. It provides a unique consideration of ethical concerns, and serves as provocative reading for all media students""-- Provided by publisher.
Subject Mass media -- Moral and ethical aspects.
SOCIAL SCIENCE -- Media Studies.
Mass media -- Moral and ethical aspects. (OCoLC)fst01011269
Added Author Gordon, David, 1935-
Armstrong, John S.
Standard No. 40019611933
ISBN 9780415992473 (hardback)
0415992478 (hardback)
9780415963329 (paperback)
041596332X (paperback)
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