ABSTRACT In June 2020, representatives of eight photography organizations addressed ongoing challenges to the industry by introducing the “Photo Bill of Rights,” asserting “the rights of all lens-based workers and defining actions that build a safer, healthier, more inclusive, and transparent industry.” The bill centers what “lens-based workers” are owed by the media organizations that employ them

ABSTRACT Large-scale social media services have been challenged due to their lack of ethical principles, which has resulted in allegations of user manipulation such as propagation of fake news related to COVID-19 vaccination and biased algorithmic curations that lead to social polarization. We studied current social media community guidelines and conducted a systematic literature review to identify

ABSTRACT Journalists’ and publics’ relationship with truth-telling is so messy because the term “truth” holds multitudes of competing senses that are rarely acknowledged in journalism discourse. People approach contested subjects from many, sometimes incommensurate, senses of truth. When journalists fail to identify the competing senses embedded in varying truth claims, they reproduce confusion as

ABSTRACT Crucible experiences are essential in the development of leaders. Crucibles refer to trials and challenges that test and mold the character, values and behavior of leaders. Through in-depth interviews with 32 public relations leaders, we examined how crucible experiences specifically shaped them to practice servant leadership. Through the narratives they constructed about these experiences

Published in Journal of Media Ethics: Exploring Questions of Media Morality (Ahead of Print, 2022)

(2022). Introduction. Journal of Media Ethics: Vol. 37, No. 2, pp. 77-77.

(2022). The Politics of Communicating COVID in the United Kingdom. Journal of Media Ethics: Vol. 37, No. 2, pp. 151-153.

(2022). Finding Better Ways for Newsrooms to Counter COVID Misinformation in the United States. Journal of Media Ethics: Vol. 37, No. 2, pp. 148-150.

ABSTRACT This article presents an analysis of virtuous journalism as demonstrated in the award-winning movie Spotlight. It analyzes Spotlight using key concepts from virtue ethics theory – arête (virtue), phronesis (practical wisdom), and eudaimonia (happiness), revealing an in-depth understanding of the regulative ideals embedded in the movie. The article discusses major virtues exemplified in the

ABSTRACT This study uses the theory of dyadic morality to analyze construction of cyberbullying as a contested social issue in U. S. newspaper opinion pieces. The theory of dyadic morality posits that when we claim harm, we are motivated to identify a cause of harm and a suffering victim. This moral triangulation indicts determinants of harm and suggests preferred solutions. Analysis of U.S. opinion

ABSTRACT This article utilizes Aristotelian and Kantian philosophies to probe the social responsibilities of internet intermediaries that in one way or another assist and promote suicide. Striking a balance between freedom of expression and social responsibility, it is argued that several actors should be involved in restricting or eliminating live-streaming suicide, sites that encourage and facilitate

ABSTRACT U.S. journalists must walk a fine line when reporting on hate speech. Journalists have a vested interest in standing up for the First Amendment, which gives them the freedom to do their work. However, the legal protection that people who spew hateful rhetoric enjoy vastly outweighs any protections upon which the victims can rely. As such, dealing with hate speech in the United States is an

ABSTRACT Low levels of media literacy in Bulgaria have provided fertile soil for anti-vaxxers and spawned disinformation campaigns as a major means of influencing the public opinion. Bulgaria has gained a reputation as the poorest and most corrupt country in the European Union (EU) and the fastest-shrinking nation in the world. The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated some of the well-known, long-standing

(2022). India’s Floating Disinformation during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Journal of Media Ethics: Vol. 37, No. 2, pp. 145-147.

(2022). Introduction. Journal of Media Ethics: Vol. 37, No. 1, pp. 1-1.

ABSTRACT Government whistleblowers are those who disclose classified government documents in violation of the law but do so to bring to light serious government wrongdoing. Scholarly debates have identified various procedural requirements for whistleblowing, and this paper expands upon these insights by providing an account of Edward Snowden’s moderate theory and Julian Assange’s radical theory of

ABSTRACT Based on the emerging argument that understandings of digital content comprising both editorial and advertising components require alternative cultures for critical inquiry sufficiently sensitive to the online news environment, this study assesses the professional practice of balancing news and sponsored (commercial) information while focusing on preserving traditional journalism values within

(2022). A Global Perspective on Ethics: New Resources for Teaching and Discussing Media Ethics and Journalism Ethics. Journal of Media Ethics: Vol. 37, No. 1, pp. 72-75.

ABSTRACT Conscious Communication, or Corporate Social Responsibility Communication, which is the communication about corporate engagement and activities, has received growing attention. This study analyzes the communication of two companies in the German food retailing industry: ALDI Süd and Alnatura. Quantitative data allow for an analysis of the general social media presence of the companies, user

ABSTRACT This article provides an ethical analysis of the moral conflict over access to premium audio-visual online content, which is currently regulated by geo-blocking in the domain of digital film distribution. We first identify the stakeholders of this conflict, which are the rights holders on the one hand – that is, creators, producers and distributors of audio-visual content – and the consumers

(2021). Introduction. Journal of Media Ethics: Vol. 36, No. 4, pp. 185-185.

ABSTRACT Marketing communication executives are continuously confronted with dilemmas requiring moral deliberation. To better understand morality, media ethicists have applied moral psychology theory to understand the personality traits and moral development of media exemplars who, while not perfect, set an ethical example for others. Moral psychology theory also provides a framework for understanding

ABSTRACT Comedy can hold political actors accountable, for instance through satire. But what kind of moral negotiation concerns comedians? Utilizing an understanding of accountability as a dynamic of interaction between media actors and the values of their audience, this study explores the concept of comedy accountability, combining qualitative interviews with case study analysis. Five ethical values

(2021). Audience Comments and the Civic Space that Rarely Was. Journal of Media Ethics: Vol. 36, No. 4, pp. 235-236.

(2021). Comment Sections and the Ethical Demands of Democracy. Journal of Media Ethics. Ahead of Print.

(2021). Robust Comment Sections Need Robust Resources. Journal of Media Ethics. Ahead of Print.

(2021). Online Comment Sections: Does Taking Them Down Enhance or Hurt Dialogue in a Democracy?. Journal of Media Ethics. Ahead of Print.

(2021). Depiction of Sexual Violence in Indian Films: Viewing from and in a Man/patriarch’s World. Journal of Media Ethics. Ahead of Print.

(2021). The Impact of Brazenly Glorifying Sexual Abuse in Indian Film. Journal of Media Ethics. Ahead of Print.

(2021). Introduction. Journal of Media Ethics: Vol. 36, No. 3, pp. 127-127.

ABSTRACT The widespread practices of data collection by third-party actors pose challenges to children’s and adolescents’ privacy when they navigate digital environments. Given that the informed-consent paradigm has largely failed in online contexts, nudging seems to be a promising alternative intervention to make internet users more privacy sensitive. At the same time, nudging faces sharp criticism

ABSTRACT The purpose of this qualitative study is to answer calls to examine social media, ethical engagement, and marginalized publics. Findings suggest that strategic communication and public relations professionals ethically engage marginalized individuals on social media by a) embodying an ethic of care emphasizing compassion and respect, b) listening with sensitivity, c) considering marginalized

ABSTRACT Many consumers fail to identify online sponsored content as advertising. This is an ethical problem because consumers need to know when they are exposed to advertising so they can raise counterarguments. To enhance transparency, guidelines have been issued that prescribe sponsorship disclosures. However, the actual use of these disclosures is limited and inconsistent. To better understand

ABSTRACT In this research, we surveyed 214 college journalists to assess their attitudes toward a series of ethical dilemmas. Significant predictors of a nine-item index included years enrolled in college, completion of an ethics course, ethics training as a part of student media, informal discussions about ethics in student media, number of situations calling for an ethics-related decision, familiarity

(2021). Lessons in Media Ethics: Popular Culture, Religion and Digital Media. Journal of Media Ethics: Vol. 36, No. 3, pp. 180-183.

(2021). Introduction. Journal of Media Ethics: Vol. 36, No. 2, pp. 73-73.

ABSTRACT This article seeks to “contaminate” an ethics of care with three different but interrelated theoretical interventions: the expansion of the care ethic beyond interpersonal relations, ecofeminism, and feminist political theory. This makes care theoretically resilient: durable enough to have grounded meaning but flexible enough for situational application. This also makes care a primary concept

ABSTRACT “Brave the Shave”, a campaign by the UK charity Macmillan Cancer Support, encourages people to seek sponsorship to shave off all their hair and share the event on social media. Brave the Shave has attracted fierce criticism from a group of breast cancer survivors who have made it clear that they find the campaign deeply offensive and insensitive. Despite the controversy, Macmillan is continuing

ABSTRACT Journalistic codes of ethics (N = 88) from 55 countries were analyzed for their discussions of errors and corrections. The sample includes codes from press councils, broadcast media outlets, newspapers, digital media outlets, radio stations and non-governmental organizations (NGOs). Overall, the codes were similar across countries. Most included a discussion of the error-correction process

ABSTRACT On April 15, 2013, two bombs were ignited near the finish line of the Boston Marathon, killing three people and injuring hundreds. The news “frames” used to depict the Boston Marathon bombings have contributed to our collective interpretation of this event. This study adopts a mixed-method approach to understand the ethical nature of the news frames used to represent the bombings. First, content

(2021). Introduction. Journal of Media Ethics: Vol. 36, No. 1, pp. 1-1.

ABSTRACT This article attends to the debate of what motivations – instrumental or altruistic – should drive corporate social responsibility (CSR) decisions and practice; I offer an integrated instrumental and duty-based framework. While the win-win instrumentalism that underlies much of CSR practice is problematic and needs addressing, the notion of altruism is also flawed. Such an application of deontological

(2021). Considering the Ethics of Political Communication and Doing the Right Thing. Journal of Media Ethics: Vol. 36, No. 1, pp. 68-71.

(2020). Introduction. Journal of Media Ethics: Vol. 35, Digital Ethics, pp. 201-201.

(2020). Calling Both Fyre Documentaries Unethical Misses the Point. Journal of Media Ethics: Vol. 35, Digital Ethics, pp. 241-242.

ABSTRACT It should come as no surprise that a music and arts festival dogged by scandal would lead to two separate documentaries that each raise ethical concerns. The 2017 demise of the Fyre Festival, a would-be luxury music event in the Bahamas targeted at millennials, inspired late-night comedians’ jokes, social media schadenfreude and so far, two documentaries detailing how things went so wrong

ABSTRACT This study interrogates the conventional understanding of and practice within mediated climate change communication (CCC) as a forum where transformative ideas on sustainability practices are shaped. Besides the dominance of non-African contexts and epistemologies in literature analyzing the media-climate change and public nexus, there is little attention given to problematizing public engagement

ABSTRACT The 2017 Commission on Public Relations Education (CPRE) report found new professionals are not meeting employers’ expectations regarding ethics knowledge, skills and abilities. This mixed-method study identifies the most common ethical issues facing public relations professionals today, essential competencies associated with ethics in public relations, and which of those skills are lacking

ABSTRACT In the United States, hate speech sits at the intersection of ethical and legal debates and has a complex relationship with journalism. The First Amendment provides broad legal protections for hate speech, and U.S. journalists have historically been known for their advocacy for speech freedoms. However, ethical debate persists about the extent to which hate speech should be used within U.S

ABSTRACT Social projects are based on ethical values that members defend, incorporate in their life and want to implement. Identity and mission play an important role in the transmission of values within organizations, especially in the case of social oriented projects. This article examines the digital communications of La Fageda, a socially driven commercial cooperative. The research explores how

ABSTRACT Unpublishing, or the act of deleting previously published media content from a news outlet’s online archive in response to an external request, is a growing ethical and practical dilemma for journalists. Adjudicating unpublishing requests leaves each media outlet to wrestle with balancing the ethical tenets of accuracy and objectivity. Amid a substantial rise in scholarly attention to technological

ABSTRACT In the United States, social media organizations are not legally liable for what users do or say on their platforms and are free to regulate expression in any way they see fit. As a result, dark corners of the Internet have emerged to foster communities whose sole purpose is to create and share content that subjugates members of traditionally marginalized groups. The subreddit,/r/TheRedPill

The Ethical Responsibilities of Journalism Vis-a-Vis the Economics of News Earlier this year, Dr. Ryan Thomas reached out to me about a potential topic for the Trends section of the journal. He had...

ABSTRACT Guided by theories of moral psychology and social identity, one hundred and fifty-three public relations practitioners working in the United States participated in an online experiment that tested how professional identity influences moral reasoning. Professional associations appear to be a valuable resource for socialization as members of PRSA who, in addition to engaging in higher levels

ABSTRACT On November 2019, the world commemorated the 30th anniversary of the United Nations’ Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC). The UNCRC noted that “the press and other media have essential functions in promoting and protecting the fundamental rights of the child.” United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) later developed guidelines for media for covering children. In the light of the social

ABSTRACT Objective reporting was once among the foundational norms of U.S. journalism. The emergence of alternative and economically successful partisan models exemplified by Fox News, talk radio, and a range of online sources has forced reconsideration of this norm. In this paper I argue that responsible reporting can also be partisan; the proper standard is not (putative) objectivity, but a commitment

ABSTRACT This essay discusses the impact of the situationist challenge to Aristotelian virtue ethics for media ethics instruction. Since virtue ethics is a theory that is centered around character building, it is an unnatural fit for an applied ethics setting. Some pedagogic strategies have been developed by media ethicists to deal with this problem. Referring mainly to John Doris’ situationist criticism

The Journal of Media Ethics publishes case studies in which scholars and media professionals outline how they would address a particular ethical problem. Cases asre drawn from actual experience in newsrooms, corporations, entertainment arenas and other agencies. We invite readers to call our attention to current cases and issues. We also invite suggestions of names of people, both professionals and

ABSTRACT Media coverage of influencer marketing abounds with ethical questions about this emerging industry. Much of this coverage assumes influencers operate without an ethical framework and many social media personalities skirt around the edges of legal guidelines. Our study starts from the premise that influencer marketing is not inherently unethical but, rather, the ethical principles guiding production

ABSTRACT The cyclical nature of presidential elections provides regular opportunities for journalists to reflect on patterns in election coverage. This study presents a textual analysis of press criticism of presidential election coverage from 2000 to 2016. We identified three prevalent ethical issues in press criticism over this period: Failing to exercise independent judgment; Failing to provide