Mass Media Ethics final

T/F Advertisers try to promote cognitive balance in their target audiences.

False. Advertisers want to promote cognitive dissonance in audiences by sending conflicting signals that, for example, make consumers believe there is something missing from their life that can be fixed by purchasing a particular product or service.

T/F The concept of fault lines can help ensure "excellent journalism" and allow media producers and consumers to evaluate ethical representation in persuasive media such as advertisements.

True. Considering fault lines is a way for media professionals to determine if race, ethnicity, age, geography, etc. are at play. This allows them to consider if they've provided the elements of context, complexity, voice, and authenticity in their media product.

T/F It is important that media producers and consumers convey and understand the context behind photographs, like the one pictured here.

True. Photos are just snapshots of reality and don't necessarily convey important contextual information that might change a viewer's opinion or feeling.

You're a social media manager for a fast-food restaurant chain, and you’ve been asked to create a promotional campaign centered on representing the company as sensitive to social justice issues. For one element of the campaign, your media team proposes creating a video in which actors, athletes, musicians and social media influencers perform a cover of the song "Imagine" by John Lennon. The idea is each celebrity’s segment of the performance will depict them in a situation linking the restaurant chain to a specific issue related to social justice, such as eating food from the restaurant with an ethnically diverse group of people, or while participating in a pride march, among other potential scenarios.

• How would you respond to this suggestion?

• If you would agree to produce the video, what would you want to ensure to make it an ethical piece?

• If you would not agree to produce the video, what suggestions would you have for a different video idea that you believe is more ethically sound?

• Draw upon the most relevant ethical theories, concepts, philosophies, and models discussed in class to justify your response.

stockholder theory

companies will do anything for the bottom line. whatever is legally done to increase stock price is right

stakeholder theory

anytime a corporation places anything other than itself at the center

• individual citizens • Communities • Audiences • Creative artists • Governments