Ethics in communication

Few areas in society are more subject to charges of ethical compromise than the communication professions, particularly media and public relations (PR). These are major components of the public sphere, and encroach on people's lives in many ways. They deal in information, and that information can be manipulated for many purposes. Media and public relations practitioners have attempted to diffuse ethics-based criticism by producing codes of ethics that seek to monitor the behaviour of those working in these fields. Most practitioners also recognise that working sustainably and ensuring that the media and PR play positive roles in modern society require a high standard of conduct. The record shows that only a relatively small proportion of media and PR professionals actively seek to be unethical. But the intense scrutiny and visibility inherent in communication and the power of what they do make these professions especially vulnerable to complaint in this area. This chapter will examine the ethical issues at stake, and outline the ways the professions attempt to deal with these issues

Ethics in communication

Few areas in society are more subject to charges of ethical compromise than the communication professions, particularly media and public relations. These are major components of the public sphere, and encroach on people's lives in many ways. They deal in information, and that information can be manipulated for many purposes. Media and public relations practitioners have attempted to diffuse ethics-based criticism by producing codes of ethics that seek to monitor the behaviour of those working in these fields. Most practitioners also recognise that working sustainably and ensuring that the media and public relations play positive roles in modern society require a high standard of conduct. The record shows that only a relatively small proportion of media and public relations professionals actively seek to be unethical, but the intense scrutiny and visibility inherent in communication, and the power of what practitioners do, make these professions especially vulnerable to complaint in this area. This chapter examines the ethical issues at stake, and outlines the ways the professions attempt to deal with these issues

Ethics in communication

Few areas in society are more subject to charges of ethical compromise than the communication professions, particularly media and public relations. These are major components of the public sphere, and encroach on people's lives in many ways. They deal in information, and that information can be manipulated for many purposes. Media and public relations practitioners have attempted to diffuse ethics-based criticism by producing codes of ethics that seek to monitor the behaviour of those working in these fields. Most practitioners also recognise that working sustainably and ensuring that the media and public relations play positive roles in modern society require a high standard of conduct. The record shows that only a relatively small proportion of media and public relations professionals actively seek to be unethical, but the intense scrutiny and visibility inherent in communication, and the power of what practitioners do, make these professions especially vulnerable to complaint in this area. This chapter examines the ethical issues at stake, and outlines the ways the professions attempt to deal with these issues

The Beaconsfield mine disaster and the evolution of chequebook journalism

Using the reporting of the 2006 Beaconsfield mine disaster in Tasmania as a case study, this paper explores the changing nature of chequebook journalism and the shift towards the consumerist model of entertainment news in Australia. The paper argues that the media’s coverage of the disaster was a major turning point in the evolution of chequebook journalism in Australia. The moment miner Todd Russell, one of two survivors from the disaster, asked then-Channel 9 CEO Eddie McGuire to “tell me how big your chequebook is” on national television in response to a question about an exclusive interview, chequebook journalism was outed. Seldom before in Australia had a member of the public been so up-front about their monetary value to the media

Media and Journalism: new approaches to theory and practice

An introductory text that provides an overview of the 'mediasphere' to demonstrate how a knowledge of media can inform a knowledge of journalism and vice versa; and to show how such knowledge is best acquired through a combination of theory and practice. It integrates media theory with journalistic practice by drawing on current theories of the media as well as providing practical instruction on how to write journalistic pieces that put these theories into practice

Media and Journalism: new approaches to theory and practice

An introductory text that provides an overview of the 'mediasphere' to demonstrate how a knowledge of media can inform a knowledge of journalism and vice versa; and to show how such knowledge is best acquired through a combination of theory and practice. It integrates media theory with journalistic practice by drawing on current theories of the media as well as providing practical instruction on how to write journalistic pieces that put these theories into practice. This book is divided into five parts, with the focus becoming progressively broader – from journalism and news writing, to the contexts in which they operate, to the larger mediasphere, to the media industries themselves, to the contexts in which these industries function. This encourages students to follow the flow of information and ideas from news production through to dissemination and negotiation, revealing how important journalism and media studies are to each other

Media and Journalism: new approaches to theory and practice

An introductory text that provides an overview of the 'mediasphere' to demonstrate how a knowledge of media can inform a knowledge of journalism and vice versa; and to show how such knowledge is best acquired through a combination of theory and practice. It integrates media theory with journalistic practice by drawing on current theories of the media as well as providing practical instruction on how to write journalistic pieces that put these theories into practice. This book is divided into five parts, with the focus becoming progressively broader – from journalism and news writing, to the contexts in which they operate, to the larger mediasphere, to the media industries themselves, to the contexts in which these industries function. This encourages students to follow the flow of information and ideas from news production through to dissemination and negotiation, revealing how important journalism and media studies are to each other