Media Ethics Test 2 Review PDF

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Media Ethics Test 2 Review...

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Ethics Review Chapter 4: Loyalty: Choosing Between Competing Allegiances

Thomas Hobbes:

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God is not necessarily the focus of all loyalty Social nature of loyalty- people’s moral and/or political obligations depend on agreement Competing Loyalties- notion that we may have various loyalties that are in competition Loyalties may have limits

Role- a capacity in which we act toward others. Provides others with information about how we will act in a structured situation. Aristotelian notion of virtue- being the best in your profession while you are being loyal to the profession and its ideals.

William F. May: 4 types of loyalties 1. Loyalties arising from shared humanity - respect, honesty, compassion, fairness 2. loyalties arising from professional practice - information, entertainment, fulfill audience’s needs 3. loyalties arising from employment - keep promises/agreements, use resources wisely, work for humanity 4. loyalties arising from the media’s role in public life - be an example of transparency Potter Box: Developed by Ralph Potter 1. PRINCIPLES understanding the morally relevant facts 5. VALUES outlining the values inherent in the decision 6. FACTS applying relevant philosophical principles 7. LOYALTIES articulating a loyalty

Royce’s Concept- what you choose to be loyal to should be capable of inspiring a similar loyalty in others who are both like and unlike you.

- Wrote the Philosophy of Loyalty 1908 - Loyalty could be single guiding ethical principle - Loyalty: social act of choice; can be learned/honed; promotes self-realization Reciprocity- loyalty would not work against the interest of either party

Chapter 5: Privacy Helen Nissenbaum- privacy is neither a right to secrecy nor a right to control information, but rather a right that individuals have to “control the appropriate flow of personal information. Harm Principle- people could be hurt if something remains private Tort of Privacy: 1. Intrusion upon a person’s seclusion or solitude, such as invading one’s home or personal papers to get a story 8. Public disclosure of embarrassing private facts, such as revealing someone’s notorious past when it has no bearing on that person’s present status. 9. Publicity that places a person in a false light, such as enhancing a subject’s biography to sell additional books 10. Misappropriation of a person’s name or likeness for personal advantage, such as using Hollywood megastar Julia Robert’s image to sell a product without her permission

Privacy- is considered a need, a way of protecting oneself against the actions of other people’s institutions Potential harms when privacy is invaded: 1. informational harm such as identity theft 11. informational inequality; such as governments and corporations amassing large amounts of data about individuals without their knowledge or consent 12. informational injustice; transferring data from tour financial records to the local newspaper without appropriate contextual information 13. enrichment on moral autonomy; the capacity to shape our won moral biographies, to reflect out moral careers, to evaluate and identify our own moral choices without he critical gaze and interference of others’ Secrecy- blocking information intentionally to prevent others from learning, possessing, using, or revealing it. Discretion- the intuitive ability to discern what is and is not intrusive and injurious Right-to-know- legal term often associated with open-meeting and open-record statuses. Need-to-know- provide information that will allow citizens to go about their daily lives in society, regardless of political outlook.

Want-to-know- curiosity Privacy= control and limited access Privacy is a natural right- a need or way of protecting oneself against the actions of other people and institutions Privacy interests: - solitude and seclusion - surveillance - autonomy - anonymity

Circles of Intimacy- Louis W. Hodges

- Privacy can be considered control over who has access to your various circles of intimacy - Invasion of privacy occurs when your control over your circles is wrestled from you by people -

or institutions. Privacy doesn’t require that the information never reach public view, but dictates who has control over it

The Veil of Ignorance: John Rawls

- before a community can make an ethical decision, it must consider the option behind a veil of ignorance - behind a veil, every functions as equals in an “original position” Outcomes: - arguments are free of bias - individual is maximized - weaker parties are protected

Chapter 6: Mass Media in a Democratic Society: Keeping a Promise Social Responsibility Theory of the Press- a promise that the mass media will provide citizens with what they need to know to get along in political society

Political Communication: Bruce A. Williams When does information have political relevance? 1. The information is useful

14. The information is sufficient 15. The information is trustworthy 16. The audience is identified

It is important to factor in… - Transparency— Who is speaking? - Pluralism — diverse points of view allowed - Verisimilitude — responsible, credible source - Practice — encourages civic engagement Roles of Media in Democracy: - Radical Role - Monitorial Role - Facilitative Role - Collaborative Role Building Blocks of Political Character: Journalists should consider a politician’s - sense of trust - sense of self worth and self esteem - power and authority - influences/ policy outlook - contact with people - flexibility, adaptability and purposefulness Proper Roles of the Media: 1. Watch Dog Function - Leaks are an acceptable way of doing government business 2. Guide Dog Function - most ethicists agree that the media’s primary function is to provide citizens with information that will allow them to make informed political decisions.

Terrorism- an act of communication that suggests hatred toward the target - Symbiotic relationship with the media - terrorists need journalists to communicate their message - Dual Role of Media - a filter for terrorists’ messages - a watchdog of government response - Journalists are moral witnesses

- stories cannot be understood or reported outside of a moral framework Social Justice- the socially responsible view of the media suggests that journalists have a duty to promote community and the individuals within it....