Media ethics covers the proper behavior that all modern media branches should adhere to, including television, print, and the internet. Conflicting ethical standards and the desire for profit create complications, and technology has created more ethical dilemmas. Different media branches have their own ethical dilemmas, such as violence in entertainment and truthfulness in news reporting. The internet has become an important part of media ethics discussions, with varying ethical standards from site to site.
Media ethics is the umbrella term describing the proper ways of behavior that all branches of modern media should try to adhere to. Branches of media that seek to live up to ethical standards include television, print communications, and the Internet. Different questions arise depending on the media branch in question, questions made more complicated by burgeoning technology. Many of the complications in media ethics stem from conflicting ethical standards and the desire of media companies to make money.
It is difficult to simplify media ethics, because the problems arising from different media can be contradictory in nature. What makes sense and appears to be fine for one branch of the media might cross ethical lines if applied by another. Furthermore, advances in technology have actually created far more ethical dilemmas for the media than they have eliminated. All corporations and media creators have to walk an ever finer line to serve the public and remain morally sound.
For television and film producers, ethical dilemmas come from the type of entertainment they bring to their audiences. For example, violence and foul language are part of everyday life and, as such, are often portrayed on TV and in movies. Many parents don’t want their children to be exposed to such things, however. Similarly, limiting an artist’s viewing can become a form of censorship, which is another huge issue in media ethics.
News organizations have their own set of media ethics to consider as they deliver information to the public. All news outlets should be truthful and adequately portray the issues or stories being reported, but they must also mistrust the truth by doing some sort of harm to a portion of the audience. The ethics of pursuing the news is also a constant issue, as the public’s need to know may clash with an individual’s right to privacy.
In recent years, the Internet has become an important part of discussions about media ethics. While other media outlets often have organizations overseeing their operations, it is nearly impossible to police anything that finds its way onto the internet. Websites are often left to their own devices to decide what is ethical to show to the public and what is not, which means that standards can vary from site to site. These examples are only a small fraction of the ethical issues that infiltrate all aspects of the media.
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