Mixed Media: Moral Distinctions in Journalism, Advertising, and Public Relations

242 Pages·2003·1.76 MB·English

by  Tom Bivins

Thomas Bivins
Mixed Media
Moral Distinctions
in Advertising,
Public Relations,
and Journalism
TLFeBOOK
MIXED MEDIA
Moral Distinctions in
Advertising, Public Relations,
and Journalism
TLFeBOOK
TLFeBOOK
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
TLFeBOOK
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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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.
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