Media Ethics: Cases and Moral Reasoning, 8th Edition

Media Ethics uses original case studies and commentaries about actual media experiences to impel readerss to think analytically about ethical situations in mass communication. Aiming to facilitate and enhance readers' ethical awareness, this market-leading text provides a comprehensive introduction to the theoretical principles of ethical philosophies. Media Ethics introduces the Potter Box (which uses four dimensions of moral analysis: definitions, values, principles and loyalties) to provide a framework for uncovering the important steps in moral reasoning for analyzing the cases that follow. Focusing on a wide spectrum of ethical issues facing media practitioners, the cases in this Eighth Edition include issues in journalism, broadcasting, advertising, public relations and entertainment.

Part I News

Chapter 1:  Institutional Pressures

1.        The New York Times Fires Jason Blair

2.        CNN in Baghdad

3.        The Time Warner colossus

4.        NBC and GM/s Pickup

5.        The Wichita Experiment

Chapter 2: Truthtelling

6.        Obesity Epidemic

7.        Al Jeezera

8.        The Unabomber’s Manifesto

9.        Fabrication at the Globe

10.     Muhammad Cartoon Controversy

Chapter 3: Reporters and Sources

11.     Crisis in Darfur

12.     Covering the Middle East

13.     Stolen Voice Mail

14.     Risky Foods 

Chapter 4: Social Justice

15.     Affirmative Action in Michigan

16.     Distributing the Internet

17.     Sexism and World Cup Soccer

18.     Ten Weeks at Wounded Knee

Chapter 5: Invasion of Privacy

19.     The Controversial Patriot Act

20.     Bloggers’ Code of Ethics?

21.     A Prostitute on Page 12

22.     Dead Body Photo

Part 2 Persuasion in Advertising

Chapter 6: The Commercialization of Everyday Life

23.     “Is That a Guerilla I See?”

24.     Selling Students as a “Captive Audience”?

25.     DTC Advertising: Prescription Drugs as Consumer Products?

26.     Shopping to Save the World

Chapter 7: Advertising in an Image-Based Culture

27.     Making the Same Different: Branding

28.     Stereotyping Attitude

29.     We All Know Her: The Unattainable Ideal

30.     Real Beauty: Responsible Images?

31.     Pitching Sex Appeal

32.     A Responsible Parent?  

Chapter 8: The Media Are Commercial

33.     Marketing U.S. Latindad

34.     Gatekeepers: Closing the Door

35.     Refusing the Invitation

36.     Breaching the Firewall: Advertising and Editorial Content

37.     Selling the Game

Chapter 9: Advertising’s Professional Culture

The Role of Codes of Ethics

38.     The AAAA Standards of Practice

Ethics in the Everyday

39.     Ethical Vision: Moral Muteness and Moral Myopia

40.     What does it mean to serve clients well?

Rules of Engagement: Inclusion/Exclusion

41.     A Woman’s Place Is ….

42.     Diversity in Advertising: What is it? Where is it?

Part 3 Persuasion and Public Relations

Chapter 10: Public Communication

43.     Mr. Ethics Sells Out

44.     Playing Defense on the Court[room] of Public Opinion

45.     Indictments Indicate Corrupt Lobbying

46.     A Campaign Pioneer?

47.     Your Tax Dollars at Work

Chapter 11: Telling the Truth in Organizational Settings

48.     A Good Thing?

49.     Wal-Marting Across the Internet

50.     Who’s the Boss?

51.     “This News Story Is Brought to You By…”

Chapter 12: Conflicting Loyalties

52.     A New Client?

53.     Case 1:  Friends?

54.     Case 2:  The Friendly Journalist?

55.     The Medical Endorsements

56.     The Long-Distance Client

57.     Tragedy at the Mine

Chapter 13: The Demands of Social Responsibility

58.     Practicing Good Citizenship

59.     “Thank You For Smoking”

60.     Pepsi Challenged by Rumors

61.     Swept Away in the Storm

Part 4   Entertainment

Chapter 14: Violence

62.     Hear It, Feel It, Do It

63.     Crunchy Terror in T-Rex Park

64.     Violence Centered

65.     “The Storyteller”

66.     Comics for Big Kids

Chapter 15: Profits, Wealth, and Public Trust

67.     Copyright Wars

68.     Grand Theft Auto

69.     Deep Trouble for Harry

70.     Super Strip

71.     Superman Walks Again

Chapter 16: Media Scope and Depth

72.     Reel History

73.     They Call It Paradise

74.     Tragedy Lite

75.     The League of Literary Makeovers

Chapter 17: Censorship

76.     The Voice of America

77.     Fencing the Net

78.     Frontal Assault

79.     Rescue Us