Mixed Media: Moral Distinctions in Journalism, Advertising, and Public Relations PDF
Preview Mixed Media: Moral Distinctions in Journalism, Advertising, and Public Relations
Thomas Bivins Mixed Media Moral Distinctions in Advertising, Public Relations, and Journalism MIXED MEDIA Moral Distinctions in Advertising, Public Relations, and Journalism MIXED MEDIA Moral Distinctions in Advertising, Public Relations, and Journalism Thomas H. Bivins University of Oregon LAWRENCE ERLBAUM ASSOCIATES, PUBLISHERS 2004 Mahwah, New Jersey London Copyright(cid:1)2004byLawrenceErlbaumAssociates,Inc. Allrightsreserved.Nopartofthisbookmaybereproducedin anyform,byphotostat,microform,retrievalsystem,oranyother means,withoutthepriorwrittenpermissionofthepublisher. LawrenceErlbaumAssociates,Inc.,Publishers 10IndustrialAvenue Mahwah,NJ07430 CoverdesignbyKathrynHoughtalingLacey LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData MixedMedia:MoralDistinctionsinAdvertising,PublicRelations,andJournalism, byThomasH.Bivins. ISBN0-8058-4257-8(pbk:alk.paper). Includesbibliographicalreferencesandindex. CopyrightinformationforthisvolumecanbeobtainedbycontactingtheLibraryofCongress. BookspublishedbyLawrenceErlbaumAssociatesareprintedonacid-freepaper, andtheirbindingsarechosenforstrengthanddurability. PrintedintheUnitedStatesofAmerica 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Contents INTRODUCTION ix 1 WHAT MAKES AN ETHICAL ISSUE? 1 EthicsorMorals? 1 EthicsandtheActofCommunication 2 TheMediaandMorality 3 AretheMediaPronetoEthicalDilemmas?3 TheMediaAreNotUs 4 MediaCultureandtheClashofPriorities 5 TheEffectsofOrganizationalStructureonMoralDecisionMaking 7 MoralExcuses 9 CanPersonalEthicsBecomeProfessionalEthics? 10 MediaSimilarities:TheCommonThreads 11 MediaDifferences:ACoatofManyColors 13 MediaGoals 13 MediaLoyalties 16 FormingEthicalStandardsfortheMassMedia 17 Values,Ideals,andPrinciples 18 ProfessionalCodesandtheLaw 20 CantheMediaBeEthical? 22 Exercises 23 CaseStudy:NewsweekandtheDeathofaStory 23 CaseStudyQuestions 25 CaseStudy:PatriotismintheNewsroom 26 CaseStudyQuestions 27 v vi CONTENTS 2 MORAL CLAIMANTS, OBLIGATION, AND SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY 28 TheLinkageConcept 29 TheImportanceofConsequences 32 TheNatureofObligation 33 SynthesizingtheApproaches 37 TheLibertarianApproach 40 TheSocialResponsibilityApproach 41 Exercises 44 Hypothetical:EducationforSale 45 QuestionsforHypothetical 46 CaseStudy:ProfitsVersusProfessionalObligation 46 CaseStudyQuestions 48 3 THE MEDIA AND PROFESSIONALISM 49 CentralFeatures 50 SecondaryFeatures 50 AretheMediaProfessions? 51 ServicetoSociety 53 ThePublicJournalismDebate 54 ProBonoWork 55 TheProfessional–ClientRelationship 57 JournalismandthePaternalisticModel 58 AdvocacyandAgency 60 TheFiduciaryModel 61 TrustandtheProfessional–ClientRelationship 62 CantheFiduciaryModelWork? 66 Codes 66 ProfessionVersusProfessionalism:IfItWalksLikeaDuck. . . 70 Exercises 71 Hypothetical:TheTerroristManifesto 71 QuestionsonHypothetical 72 CaseStudy:DefiningaJournalist 72 CaseStudyQuestions 73 4 ETHICAL THEORY 74 WhyCan’tWeAllBeRight?TheDilemmaofRelativism 75 Subjectivism 75 TheTestofReason 76 WhyWeReasontheWayWeDo 77 SocialContractTheory 78 Plato 79 CONTENTS vii Aristotle 81 ThomasHobbes 82 JohnLocke 83 Jean-JacquesRousseau 84 TheArgumentOverMeansandEnds 86 NonconsequentialEthicalTheories 86 ImmanuelKant 87 NonconsequentialTheoryinModernPractice 90 ConsequentialEthicalTheories 91 Egoism 92 Utilitarianism 93 ModernUtilitarianism 95 VirtueEthics 98 HistoryofVirtueEthics 98 VirtueEthicsinModernPractice 100 FreeSpeechTheories 102 BenedictSpinoza 103 JohnMiltonandtheMarketplaceofIdeas 103 TheMarketplaceofIdeasinModernTimes 104 TheLibertyTheory 106 FreeSpeechandtheIndividualVersusSociety 108 HowtoChooseApplicableTheories 112 Exercises 114 Hypothetical:FreeSpeechorFreedomFromFear 115 QuestionsonHypothetical 116 5 TO TELL THE TRUTH 117 TruthasaLegalConcept 118 Defamation 119 InvasionofPrivacy 120 TruthandtheActofCommunication 121 JournalisticTruth 122 JournalisticDeception 123 TruthinAdvertisingandPublicRelations 125 EthicsandPersuasion 129 TheArtofPersuasion 131 TheStrategiesofPersuasion 131 GuidelinesForEthicalPersuasion 134 CanWeTelltheTruthFromFiction? 135 Consumers:VictimsorInformedChoosers? 137 TheCaseforWithholdingInformation 138 TheUltimateTruth 140 Exercises 142 Hypothetical:DeceptiveAdvertising 142 QuestionsonHypothetical 143 Hypothetical:PRandtheGunLobby 143 viii CONTENTS QuestionsonHypothetical 144 CaseStudy:ToAirorNottoErr 144 CaseStudyQuestions 146 6 AVOIDING HARM 147 CausalHarm 149 ProfessionalResponsibility 150 Liberty-LimitingPrinciples 151 TheHarmPrinciple 151 TheOffensePrinciple 152 ThePrincipleofLegalPaternalism 153 ThePrincipleofLegalMoralism 153 MitigatingHarminJournalism 154 MitigatingHarminAdvertisingandPublicRelations 156 CaringandHarm 159 CantheMediaCare? 162 PersuasiveModelsandCare 163 TheRightThingtoDo 166 Exercises 167 CaseStudy:ArthurAsheandInvasionofPrivacy 168 CaseStudyQuestions 169 7 A CHECKLIST FOR ETHICAL DECISION MAKING 172 AChecklistforMoralDecisionMaking 174 AnExample 180 Rules 183 Summary 185 Hypothetical:SportsTeamNames 186 FurtherAnalysis 187 APPENDIX: MEDIA CODES OF ETHICS 188 REFERENCES 222 AUTHOR INDEX 225 SUBJECT INDEX 227 Introduction Media professionals spend a great deal of time talking about “doing the right thing.” Why is it then that the consumers of mass media perennially find so much fault with the “ethics” of the disseminators of news, informa- tion, and entertainment? What has led the purveyors of mass communica- tion to believe and act the way they do? Do they have a special obligation forethicalbehaviorthatordinarycitizensdonot;ordothey,infact,havea special waiver of the basic moral tenets that the rest of us must accept in orderthatwemayhaveaccesstoa“freemarketplaceofideas”?Theseare the questions we must ask ourselves if we are to be moral agents of the mass media. This book is designed to familiarize you with the tools needed to make moral decisions regarding the use of mass media, both as a consumer of the“products”ofthemediaandasapotentialoractualworkingmemberof the media. You should realize from the outset that there are no “right” an- swersinthisbook—onlyanswersthatare“mostappropriate”incertainsit- uations.Towhomtheyarethemostappropriateisamajorconcernofthis book. Many questions will be asked, and many answers will be discussed. Ultimately, it will be up to you to draw your own conclusions about the rightness of the answers you choose to accept. It is to be hoped that you willcomeawaywithagreaterappreciationforthecomplexitiesofmakinga moral decision. At the very least, you will be forced to develop a personal yardstick by which to measure your decisions. ix
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