JRN 352 Media Ethics

The right to free speech, as guaranteed in the United States Constitution, is the best-known underpinning for a democratic nation in the world. But does that guarantee mean you can say or write anything? And if not, why not? The simple answer is that it would not be ethical and has potential for negative consequences.
Ethics are not unique to the media. They are taught in every profession, even in a every nondemocratic country. But nowhere are they more important than in journalism. And at no time are they more important than now. The market economy, the pressure by those in power, business interests and digital technology all challenge media ethics.

Media ethics are not limited to political news. Ethics play a crucial role in advertising and public relations as well. Misleading in marketing and communication also can have terrible consequences. Digital technology and social media introduce new challenges in media, marketing and communication. Today, videos have more influence than text and, therefore, this course will address media ethics in video production as well.
Pseudo-news outlets and bots spread harmful misinformation repeatedly shared on Facebook and other social media. They confuse the audience and help in creating a ?post-truth? society. In such environments, the media outlets have been struggling to maintain ethics in journalism, making compromises for the sake of profit, interest, or politics.
The course will discuss the key ethical rules in media, advertising, and communication. We will analyze the application of ethics to real world situations in media news coverage, advertising, and public relations.