Final Paper

The media and their responsibilities will be addressed and discussed in this article from the perspective of classical ethical theories of utilitarianism and deontology. Furthermore, the article will examine perspectives of the media introduced by emotivism. In the article, the values and behavior of the media will be analyzed inherently with describing and making the comparison of the ethical theories and perspectives. Typically, the paper will show how every theory can aid the society to think about what would constitute ethical behavior, violations in ethical behavior in the media, and what are the ethical issues related to media responsibilities to the public. Concluding, the paper will lay out views, issues, concerns, and potential remedies on how the particular theories and perspective can offer resolutions to how media approaches public and how it reports on issues and events in a responsible manner to have a positive influence in the modern world.

Media encompasses various forms that include television, radio, magazines, the internet and social networks e.g. Twitter and Facebook, which is highly dependent on by the modern society. Media play a fundamental role in the current world, and its function is irreplaceable. Certainly, freedom of speech and personal connections are very vital in the modern world. However, media should uphold appropriate moral standards and give socially unacceptable and ethical information inherent with virtuous, self-worth and righteous behavior.

Deontology in the Media

According to Mosser (2013) in chapter 1, deontology judges’ actions and why they were committed. Thus, based on Mosser’s arguments media can be judged by its actions too. The society depends on media to provide them with a broad range of information about the current affairs and everything that concerns it or is affecting the society. Therefore, in any event, for example in the case of a mass shooting as may be shown in television news, the citizens often rely on the media to provide them with the information that is inherent with morals. The reporters will always strive to provide the public with as much information as possible and in the event of rushing to provide such information, they could give false and inaccurate information, therefore, harming the public. Typically, they are likely to hide some facts and provide news that is not as raw as people would like it to be, because, they would rather provide the public with the edited information rather than the raw footage to ease emotions and understanding. In deontological terms, this may appear socially and ethically acceptable, however, by providing the public with the raw footage and any available information will enable them to understand the reality of the situation with the information provided by the media. Ideally, unedited information ensures that the people emotionally comprehends the problems, issues and the concerns surrounding a specific situation as opposed to hiding crucial information as implied by Silverstone (2013).

Utilitarianism in the Media

Thesen (2013) makes implications that utilitarianism is focused on finding the best solution for the largest part of the population. Mosser (2013) concurs with Thesen as he argues that utilitarianism is about providing desirable information to the most people. Thus, this applies to the media in the essence that media are required to report on national tragedies by ensuring that the majority get the news reports that is important to them. Typically, the media at all times are required to provide information concerning a specific event as well as ensuring the utmost calmness for the public. Ideally, the media is to act responsibly in providing the information in the essence that the utilitarian mindset requires that the media should be accountable for what they provide while being held responsible. Therefore, in an event such as a public building blows up from an unverified terrorist attack, the media should strive to provide accurate and reliable information and not bombard the public with too much information or grotesque images which could aggravate panic from the public. Thus, Unitarianism theory helps in striking the balance between relevant and accountable information, and the information that could potentially cause more harm than good to the audience. That is, the media should hold off on reporting on issues that are unverified which can wreak havoc and cause public panic until the particular issues have been confirmed and authenticated to avoid causing chaos and panic from the public and hence, ensuring more good than harm to the people.

Emotivism in the Media

Always when the media report on unverified and false information, it is regarded as unethical and antisocial. However, some people within the society will argue that media are just doing their job, and thus, they are not bound by how they are reporting on an issue. Hence, emotivism plays a key role in judging actions (McKee, 2013; Berry, 2013; Mosser, 2013). Ideally, emotivism is depended on a person’s feelings and perspectives. Hence, as it applies to media, the media can report or air an individual’s documentary when the person is still alive. The reporting can be evaluated with emotivism, and some part of the public may deem it unethical as they may reveal a person’s hospitalization or expose an individual’s privacy and dignity. However, some part of the population sees it normal and correct since people are entitled to know what is happening about a particular public figure or a role model in the society. Therefore, such a situation usually elicits opposing views in the essence that some people find it right and others wrong as they are based on an individual’s personal perspective.

Indeed, media’s role in the current society is irreplaceable. In their endeavor to provide information to the people, they should adhere to ethical standards to give verified reports.  

Reference

Berry, D. (2013). Ethics and Media Culture: Practices and Representations. CRC Press.

Christians, C. G., Fackler, M., Richardson, K., Kreshel, P., & Woods, R. H. (2015). Media Ethics: Cases and Moral Reasoning. Routledge.

McKee, R. (2013). Ethical issues in using social media for health and health care research. Health Policy, 110(2), 298-301.