Mass Communication: Key Concepts and Ethical Issues

Pictograph

Symbol representing an object.

Ideograph

Symbol representing an idea.

Scriptoria

Monastic rooms where monks copied manuscripts.

Typemold

A device used in early printing presses to make metal letters.

Johannes Gutenberg

Inventor of the printing press and typemold

Benjamin Franklin

A major figure in American printing and publishing.

Cultural Imperialism

The dominance of one culture's media over another.

Globalization

The exchange of ideas, goods, and media worldwide.

BBC World Service

A major international news provider.

Al Jazeera

A news network offering perspectives outside Western media narratives; 40 million viewers

First Amendment Protections and Limits

Freedom of speech and the press, but not all speech is protected (e.g., threats, obscenity, and incitement to violence).

Prior Restraint

Preventing media from publishing before release.

Defamation

False statements that harm someone's reputation.

Libel

Written defamation (false statement harming someone's reputation).

Slander

Spoken defamation.

Actual Malice

Reckless disregard for the truth

Intellectual Property and Copyright

Laws protect original works from being copied without permission.

Fair Use

Allows limited use of copyrighted materials for education, criticism, and journalism.

Obscenity

Sexually explicit material not protected under free speech (from Miller v. California, 1973).

Privacy Laws

Protect individuals from media intrusion.

Shield Laws

Protect journalists from revealing sources.

Golden Mean

Aristotle's idea of moderation of excess and defect.

Categorical Imperative

Kant's belief in universal moral principles; idea of moral obligation that we should all act in a way which we would be willing to have everyone else act.

Principle of Utility

Mill's ethical framework based on maximizing well-being; ethical behavior arises from that which will provide the greatest good for the greatest number of people.

Veil of Ignorance

Rawls' theory for fair ethical decisions; justice comes from making decisions that maximize liberty for all people.

SPJ Code of Ethics

Journalism's ethical guidelines; preamble, seek truth and report it, minimize harm, act independently, and be accountable and transparent

John Peter Zenger

His 1735 trial established early free press rights.

Judith Miller

Jailed for refusing to reveal a source, sparking debates on press freedom.

Aristotle

Introduced the Golden Mean.

Immanuel Kant

Developed the Categorical Imperative.

John Stuart Mill

Created the Principle of Utility.

John Rawls

Introduced the Veil of Ignorance framework.

morals

individual's code of behavior based on religious or philosophical beliefs

ethics

rational way of deciding what is good for individuals/society

Ida B. Wells

human & women's rights activist; covered & advocated against lynching

"The Struggling Girl"

Pulitzer prize photo by Kevin Carter; 1993 famine in Sudan

Nellie Bly

Irish-American that faked insanity to uncover and expose abuses in 19th-century institutions

Hutchins Commission

The press has a responsibility to give voice to the public and to society

social responsibility theory

press has ethical obligation to society; AFRpGvN

ombudsman

representative of a publication's readers who takes the point of view of those who purchase or consume the news

Alien and Sedition Acts

crime to criticize the U.S. government

Smith Act

crime to advocate violent government overthrow

USA Patriot Act

Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism

elements of libel

defamation, identification, publication

intrusion

physical trespass into a space surrounding a person's body or property

false light

untrue statements that alter public image in a way he/she can't control

misappropriation

using someone's name for commercial purposes without permission

equal time provision

FCC policy that requires broadcast stations to make equivalent amounts of time available to all candidates running for public office

fairness doctrine

A former FCC policy that required television stations to "afford reasonable opportunity for the discussion of conflicting views on issues of public importance."

net neutrality

rules that require internet service providers to give equal access to all online content providers

Darnella Frazier

filmed and published George Floyd's death

Marie Colvin

American reporter killed by Syrian government with French photojournalist Remi Ochlik

media ideals

country's culture, government, level of development

authoritarian theory

oldest, role of press is to be a servant of the government

libertarian theory

press belongs to the people and serves as independent observer of government

soviet/communist theory

press run by government to serve government's needs

John C. Nerone

"Last Rights: Revisiting 4 Theories of Press"

development theory

developing nations may need to implement press controls in order to promote industry, national identity, and partnerships with neighboring nations

4 Theories of the Press

authoritarian, libertarian, soviet, social responsiblity

Alan Wells

control, financing, accomplish w/ programming, target audience, feedback mechanisms

"Charlie Hebdo"

satirical newspaper whose 12 workers were killed in response to a comic of Muhammad and ISIS leaders

Human Rights Act

requires the press to observe a "proper balance" between privacy and publicity

General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)

companies need to be clear about how data will be used and request permission

right to be forgotten

purge search engine results that are out of date or irrelevant

small media

alternative media used to distribute news that may be suppressed by the government

manga

comics or amusing drawings; 40% of all books and magazines in Japan

350 BC

writing origin in Middle East

written language age

5,500

spoken language age

40,000

emojis

small icons that stand for emotions/ideas

phonography

a system of writing where symbols stand for spoken sounds

alphabet

letters represent individual sounds

papyrus

primitive paper form papyrus reed

parchment

skin of goats and sheep

paper

cotton rags/wood pulp

Aldus Manutius

invented italics

William Caxton

established rules for English

serial novels

novels published and sold in single-chapter installments

dime novels

Inexpensive paperback books that sold for as little as five cents; popular during the Civil War era.

rotary press

Steam-powered printing invention using cylinders

linotype

a typesetting machine that let operator type from a keyboard

trade books

commercial mass market books targeted at general audiences

domestic novels

told of women who overcame tremendous problems through their Christian strength, virtue, and faith, ending up in prosperous middle class homes

types of control

eliminating, removing, refusing, and threatening

book challenge

attempt to remove/restrict materials based on objection of a person/group

book banning

removal of those materials following a challenge