The mass media are one of the most powerful institutions in society. With that power, comes great ethical responsibility. Ethics are concerned with how individuals or institutions SHOULD act when considering “right” and “wrong.” We will critique media practices, while searching for suggestions that will most positively affect both the media institutions and the publics with which they interact and upon which they rely for their livelihood.
We will apply ethical philosophy and reference media codes of ethics to frame our discussions and suggestions.
Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) Code of Ethics
- Seek truth and report it
- Minimize harm
- Act independently
- Be accountable and transparent
Institute for Advertising Ethics (IAE) 9 principles
- Truth and high ethical standards in serving the public
- Obligation to highest personal ethics
- Distinguish ad and pr from news
- Exercise full disclosure and transparency for products and endorsements
- Treat consumers fairly based on nature of audience and product
- Never compromise consumers’ personal privacy and use full disclosure
- Follow the law
- Be open to discussion of ethical issues
- Full transparency in business relations
Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) Code of Ethics
VALUES (a person’s principles or standards of behavior):
- Advocacy
- Honesty
- Expertise
- Independence
- Loyalty
- Fairness
PRINCIPLES:
- Free flow of information
- Competition
- Disclosure of information
- Safeguarding confidences
- Conflicts of interest
- Enhancing the profession