GC / MCS 115 CHAPTER 14. Ethical Considerations

Transcription

1 GC / MCS 115 CHAPTER 14 Ethical Considerations

2 A Short History of the First Amendment Defining and Refining the First Amendment 6. Free Press vs. Fair Trial Ø Free Press (First Amendment) Ø Fair Trial (Sixth Amendment) Ø Can pretrial publicity deny citizens judgment by 12 impartial peers?

3 A Short History of the First Amendment Defining and Refining the First Amendment 6. Free Press vs. Fair Trial Ø Free Press (First Amendment) Ø Fair Trial (Sixth Amendment) Ø Should cameras be allowed in the courtroom, supporting the public s right to know, or do they alter the workings of the court that a fair trial is impossible?

4 A Short History of the First Amendment Defining and Refining the First Amendment 7. Libel and Slander Ø Libel: the false or malicious publication of material that damages a person s reputation Ø Slander: the oral or spoken defamation of a person s character Both are not protected by the First Amendment

5 A Short History of the First Amendment Defining and Refining the First Amendment 7. Libel and Slander Ø New York Times vs. Sullivan (1964) Ø The U.S. Supreme Court defined the standard of actual malice

6 A Short History of the First Amendment Defining and Refining the First Amendment 8. Prior Restraint Ø The power of the government to prevent the publication or broadcast of expression Ø Near vs. Minnesota (1931) Supreme Court ruling that freedom from prior restraint was a general, not an absolute principle Ø The Progressive magazine (1979)

7 A Short History of the First Amendment Defining and Refining the First Amendment 9. Obscenity and Pornography Ø Landmark Supreme Court cases that established definition and illegality of obscenity: Ø Roth vs. United States (1957) Ø Miller vs. State of California (1973) How do courts, media, and the public judge content against standards set out in Miller case?

8 Other Issues of Freedom and Responsibility Indecency Deregulation Copyright A Short History of the First Amendment The Internet and Expanding Copyright

9 Social Responsibility Theory Normative theory Ø Social responsibility theory: Media must remain free of government control, but in exchange media must serve the public

10 Social Responsibility Theory Normative theory Core assumptions of social responsibility theory: 1. Media should accept and fulfill certain obligations to society 2. Media can meet these obligations by setting high standards of professionalism, truth, accuracy, and objectivity 3. Media should be self-regulating within the framework of the law

11 Social Responsibility Theory Normative theory Core assumptions of social responsibility theory: 4. Media should avoid disseminating material that might lead to crime, violence, or civil disorder or that might offend minority groups 5. The media as a whole should be pluralistic 6. Public has a right to expect high standards of performance, and official intervention can be justified to ensure public good 7. Media professionals should be accountable to society, employers and the market

12 Media Industry Ethics Ethics: The rules of behavior or moral principles that guide our actions in given situations Ø Metaethics Ø Normative ethics Ø Applied ethics

13 Media Industry Ethics Ethics: The rules of behavior or moral principles that guide our actions in given situations Truth and honesty Privacy Confidentiality Personal conflict of interest Profit and social responsibility Offensive content

14 Media Industry Ethics Codes of Ethics and Self-Regulation Ø All major groups of media professionals established formal codes or standards of ethical behavior Ø Broadcast networks have Standards and Practices Departments Ø Local broadcasters have policy books. Ø Newspapers and magazines: operating policies and editorial policies

15 Media Industry Ethics Codes of Ethics and Self-Regulation Ombudsmen Media councils

16 Developing Media Literacy Skills Media Reform Numerous organizations and media personalities publicly oppose the FCC s weakening of the country s media ownership rules American citizens are making their voices heard in far greater numbers to reclaim the airwaves The people have spoken against greater media concentration and for media reform