Media ethical cases

This paper deals with the demonstration of media ethical cases by reaching and developing ethical decision-making with the help of Potter Box. Peter Box is a model for the analysis and assessing process of corporate and ethical decision-making. Peter Box had been developed by Ralph Potter as a tool to demonstrate different ethics and project effective decision-making. For the application of Potter Box analysis, we have selected three media lawsuits as listed below:

1. The case of Nanfang Daily newspaper pointing out the issue of Photojournalism ethics.

2. Media ethics violations through plagiarism of content.

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Case #1 The case of Xiamen pointing out the issue of photojournalism ethics

• Situation: The most famous communist Chinese newspaper had pointed out that online photojournalism seems to commit non ethical media steps to deliver the information through photojournalism. In particular, there were several images published online that indicated a Chinese citizen in Xiamen fell from his bicycle during rainstorm. The bicyclist could not see the deep hole in the road because of the heavy rainstorm. At the same time the photo was captured to publish the story of the deep hole in the roads of Xiamen.

The photo did send a negative impact on the viewers because the bicyclist fell on his face and the photo made it quite a visible footage. On one hand the viewers have commented the photo in a more negative aspect because the photographer would have helped the citizen by providing a sign board to provide a warning regarding the deep hole (Christians and Fackler). On the other hand some supports the photographer that if picture would not have been photographed then it would have been difficult to get the attention from the authorities and government.

• Values:

One of the most applicable and important value of photographers of photojournalism is that they need to convey their message through effective photography. If they would be entering in the scene to help the victim then they would become a volunteer and thus photojournalism would not be possible.

• Principles: Thus the principle that is applicable for the Xiamen case is Kant’s Categorial Imperative ethics that shows that is to make sure that one is innate in human beings. The ethical judgment needs to be superior to reason. In Xiamen case, the photographer could have apprehended by conscience rather than logic and reason (Kieran, 1999).

• Loyalties: The practical implication of this ethical principle could be the fact that a photograph can hire an assistant who can take the photographs of the volunteer working. The photographs do not have to be depressing rather it must delver the right message the right way.

Case #2: Media ethics violations through plagiarism of content

• Situation: The situation of he current media persons is that due to larger number of channels of media coverage and spread of communication among mass media, more and more information is being plagiarized by media persons and officials which is in turn a crime that should not be committed.

Mike Barnacle case had been given more and more highlights due to his attempt to commit the crime of using plagiarized content. Mike Barnacle had been fired by the Veteran Column. The columnist Mire Barnacle had provided his statement that he did not plagiarized the information. According to Mire, he got late in sending the publishing copy to the gateways but yes the statistics were already got published in another newspaper in the mean time (Pattyn, 2000).

• Values A columnist or news story writers need to publish the story as soon as they get the hint of action in the society.

The newspaper fired him on the basis of the content available on the other news channel.

• Principles The principle that is applicable for the above discussed media ethics case would be the use of Aristotle view or in other words media ethics. The principle by Aristotle is to organize the content of the news story or journalism in the form of moderated content. Moderation is the key term of the media ethics as proposed by Aristotle.

• Loyalties The main focus of the journalist needs to be sure of moderation.

The content of media news story needs to be perfectly genuine as it’s the right way to present perfect communication among the target audience or mass audience.

Case #3 Media Channels reporting rape case Vs rape case

• Situation The case of rape case Vs rape case has denoted a great deal of turmoil in the society. Media is projecting almost every insight story of the cases without even understanding the fact that there is a need of filter for the flow of the content of media. An unnamed British channel had introduced a great deal of rape cases that leaded into violence of projecting news into a form of spicy gossips.

It is due to fact that the non filtered media content that the authorities have started to take the cases as general cases. One school of thoughts pronounce that more and more inform

• Value The media provides a great deal of news information in the current scenario and this is also the micro function of mass media to aware people about current information that comes in a flow. Media and news channels continue to publish and broadcast news after another as a reply in a competition.

• Principles The principle that is applicable in this case is Confucius code of ethics.

The Confucius code of ethics determines to lead to decision-making that helps in locating the moral virtue and keeping a balance between the equilibrium (Kieran, 1999).

• Loyalty Media can project issuance of cases of rapes with only initial information instead of contributing in competition. The real message must be free from agenda setting as it was used to be in the past.

Reference List

Christians, C. , & Fackler, M. (2009). Media Ethics. New York: Allyn and Bacon/Pearson. Kieran, M. (1999). Media Ethics . Washington: Routledge. Pattyn, B. (2000). Media Ethics . New York : Peeters Publishers.

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