Hanson, Mass Communication 8e
SAGE Publishing, 2022
Lecture Notes
Chapter 15: Media Ethics: Truthfulness, Fairness, and Standards of
Decency
Learning Objectives
1-2 Describe at least two factors to weigh when considering a lie according to the Bok
model and identify the major ethical problem related to truth-telling
1-4 Describe at least two examples of how advertisers attempted to influence programming
on television
1-5 Explain why it took media outlets so long to report on the Flint, Michigan, water crisis
Annotated Chapter Outline
I. Ethical Principles and Decision Making
A. Morals: religious or philosophical code of behavior that may or may not be rational
B. Ethics: study of the rational way to decide what is good for individuals or society
C. Journalistic ethics
i. Majority of journalists with Christian or Jewish households
ii. Judging the journalist’s process of producing the product
iii. Judging the product itself
D. Aristotle: Virtue and the Golden Mean
i. Golden mean: a balance between excess and defect which leads to happiness
ii. E.g., courage as a balance between cowardice and foolhardiness
iii. Requirements of ethical behavior according to Aristotle
E. Kant: The Categorical Imperative
i. Morality lies in the act itself
ii. People cannot be used to achieve goals
iii. Categorical imperative: consider what would be the result of everyone acting the
same way they themselves wish to act
F. John Stuart Mill: The Principle of Utility
G. John Rawls: The Veil of Ignorance
Hanson, Mass Communication 8e
SAGE Publishing, 2022
i. Veil of ignorance: a principle of ethics that says that justice emerges when we
H. Hutchins Commission: Social Responsibility Ethics
i. Two conclusions
a. The press has a responsibility to give voice to the public and to society
b. The free press was not living up to that responsibility to the public
because of its need to serve its commercial masters
ii. Five requirements for a responsible press
a. The media should provide a truthful, comprehensive, and intelligent
account of the day’s events in a context that gives them meaning
I. The Bok Model for Ethical Decision Making
i. Consult your conscience
ii. Seek alternatives
iii. Hold an imaginary ethical dialogue with everyone involved
II. Truthfulness and the News
A. Two factors when considering a lie
i. Whether the speaker is intending to transmit the truth or attempting to deceive
people
ii. Whether the statement itself is true or false
iii. E.g., James Frey and A Million Little Pieces
B. Catching Fabrications
i. Stephen Glass and fabrications
a. Importance of fact-checking
ii. Lying about Who You Are
C. Disclosing Conflicts of Interest
i. Impact of conflicts of interest
a. E.g., Sean Hannity, Donald Trump, and Michael Cohen
ii. Washington Post and Jeff Bezos
D. Recognizing Fake News Is Consumer Responsibility
i. Steps for recognizing fake news
Hanson, Mass Communication 8e
SAGE Publishing, 2022
E. Photos and the Truth
i. Vulnerability to manipulation
ii. Conflicts over the digital manipulation of photos
III. Mistakes and the Consequences in the News
A. Communicators must be ready to deal with the consequences of mistakes and
misjudgments
B. When News Moves Too Fast: Kobe Bryant’s Death
i. Challenge of breaking news
a. “Getting it first, but first get it right”
ii. Inaccuracies in media outlet coverage of Bryant’s death
C. There Is No “They”: Sago Mine Disaster
i. Incorrect headlines about the survival of trapped coal miners
ii. Handling of the story by Inter-Mountain
iii. Factors for mishandling
a. Midnight deadlines
D. Ethics Enforcement
i. The Ombudsman
a. Ombudsman: the reader’s representative or audience advocate
a. Takes the point of view of those who purchase or consume the
news
b. Tasks
a. Listening to the concerns of readers or audience members
ii. Codes of Ethics
a. Society of Professional Journalists’ code has three main principles:
IV. Ethics and Persuasive Communication
A. Ethical behavior for people who are attempting to manipulate public opinion
i. Issues of truth in advertising and the level of control advertisers can expect to
have over the news content surrounding their ads
ii. Use of early warning for advertisers
iii. Advertiser influence of programming on television
a. ANA Alliance for Family Entertainment
Hanson, Mass Communication 8e
SAGE Publishing, 2022
B. Ethics in Public Relations
i. Conducting War Through Public Relations
a. Hill & Knowlton and the 1991 Persian Gulf War
ii. Whom Do You Serve: The Client or the Public?
a. Conflict between serving the client’s interests and those of the public
V. Media and Representation
A. Whose stories get told?
i. E.g., Flint, Michigan water contamination crisis
a. Media coverage and government suppression
B. Attacks on Women Through Online Media
i. Gamergate (#gamergate)
a. Began as an attack on Zoë Quinn
a. Received vicious death and rape threats
ii. Social justice warriors (#SJW): informal, derogatory noun for expressing socially
progressive views
a. Seen differently by #gamergate movement and others who fight for
social progress
C. Representation and the Movies
i. Success of Black Panther