Media Ethics

Deontology

(duty-based)

Philosopher related: Immanuel Kant

Philosophy of the philosopher: categorical imperative

“Ethical person should never do anything that he or she would not want to see applied as a universal standard of behavior.

 Teleology

(the consequences of ones action’s)

An example of a Teleological moral dilemma is the Trolley Problem

A REAL LIFE example of a teleological moral dilemma is self-driving cars!

Utilitarianism/Happiness theory:

the best ethical decision is the one that produces the greatest good for the greatest number (MOST COMMON IN JOURNALISM)

Philosopher related: John Stuart Mill

Philosophy of philosopher: harm principle

Harm principle: the only good reason to prevent someone from doing what they want is to prevent harm to other people

Relativism:

(The moral thing depends on your POV)

Philosopher related: John Dewey

He says, “Ethics change over time. Different cultures have different perspectives. Don’t judge”

Egalitarianism:

(All individuals deserve equal treatment)

Minority groups and minority views showed be given the same consideration as the majority

Virtue Ethics:

Philosopher associated: Aristotle

Philosophy of the philosopher: Aristotle’s Golden Mean

Virtue in most cases, is somewhere between extremes

Similar to Golden Rule: fundamental creed of Judeo-Christian ethic

“Love thy neighbor as thyself,”

Seen in journalism through a balance between truth-telling and minimizing harm done

However, minimizing harm does not equate to avoiding the truth because it will hurt

Socrates/Sophists:

Socrates sought universal, objective truth through questioning, saw virtue as knowledge, and did not charge for his services

Morals are absolute, and they apply to everyone the same way; not everything is relative

WE DON’T KNOW WHAT GOOD OR BAD IS.

Knowledge is good

Socrates lost an argument that he could’ve easily won, because he wanted to live a noble, virtuous life

Ethical Issues associated with AI

• AI Rogue threat

• environmental impact

• losing creativity

• people lose jobs

Definition of SITUATION

What are the ethical issues?

What are the facts?

Principles and values that we have?

ANALYSIS of the situation with respect to one or more of the moral theories

Look at pros and cons that apply to the conflicting values and principles

Don’t limit yourself to the most likely events

Consider the consequences of your alternatives

Think about how the public reacts, what is their impact on decision making

Show the public interest

Final DECISION

Defend yourself

Appeal to one or more of the moral theories

Show the expected outcome of your decision and how it is superior to the alternatives stated

General and Particularistic Obligations:

generalism holds that moral judgments should be based on broad, universal principles,

particularism argues that morally relevant features depend entirely on the specific context and circumstances of a situation.

What is ethics

Determined by societies, groups, and institutions

NOT UNIVERSAL

Sometimes legally binding if you are a doctor or lawyer

If we let everyone determine their own moral standards, we’d probably have anarchy

Practicing Ethics

A process

Resolving a conflict in a way that satisfies you and attempts to be fair to those affected by your decision

Considers consequences

The best way to arrive at an ethical decision is to ask the right questions

PRSA Code of Ethics: (Public Relations Society of America)

Is committed to ethical practices

Values

• Advocacy: advocates for those we represent

• Honesty: accuracy and truthtelling

• Expertise: acquire and responsibly use specialized knowledge and experience and building credibility through that

• Independence: providing objective counsel to those represented, and accountable for actions

• Loyalty: faithful to those we represent

• Fairness: respect all people involved and support all opinions and free expression

SPJ Code of Ethics: (Society of Professional Journalism)

Public enlightenment is the forerunner of justice and the foundation of democracy

Guiding Principles:

• Seek Truth and Report It: ethical journalism is accurate and fair

• Minimize Harm: treats sources, subjects, colleagues, and members of the public as human beings deserving of respect

• Act Independently: The highest and primary obligation of ethical journalism is to serve the public

• Be Accountable and Transparent: Ethical journalism means taking responsibility for one’s work and explaining one’s decisions to the public

Other codes

Law: legally binding

Hippocratic Oath: legally binding

Versus SPJ and PRSA code, which is technically not enforced by a legally binding code, but is followed for ethical reasons.