Codes of Ethics in Media.

CF301 Communication Ethics and Rights.Fall, 2012.

Lecturer : Dr. Ayten Görgün Smith Teaching assitant: Sabina Jafarova  Kadir Has University Grad. Stud. Kadir Has University Faculty of Communications Faculty of Communications Department of Public Department of New Media Relations and Information

Codes of Ethics.Codes of minimal standards:For those who professionally uninformed.

Created by management and imposed on newcomers.

Codes of ideal expectations or ‘aspirational’ codes:

Developed by people who expect to follow them.

Source: Jay Black and Chris Roberts Doing Ethics in Media; Theories and Practical Applications

The Potter Box

Define the Situation

Identify the Values

Identify the Principles

Choose your Loyalties

Source: Jay Black and Chris Roberts Doing Ethics in Media; Theories and Practical Applications, pp.53

Doing ethics by asking and answering the ‘5WS and H’.

•1. What’s your problem?•2. Why not follow the rules?•3. Who wins, who loses?•4. What’s it worth?•5. Who’s whispering in your ear?•6. How’s your decision going to look?

Source: Jay Black and Chris Roberts Doing Ethics in Media; Theories and Practical Applications

Ethics Case Studies.

•Offensive Images

Question: Do we publish the cartoons or not? 

Daily Mirror editor Piers MorganFake photo showing British soldiers abusing an Iraqi 

Morgan refused the demand to apologise, was sacked and immediately escorted fromthe building.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/3716151.stm

5 Codes of Ethics examples

•Code of Moral ethics: Our value systems that we believe

in. These are codes that are non-written and may vary from individual to individual.

5 Codes of Ethics examples

•Code of Personal ethics: 

Applied to an individual’s personal conduct in daily life. How we Behave with others? What moral values we imbibe? How we look upon humanity? How we maintain our own integrity?

These are a few examples of one’s personal code of conduct.

5 Codes of Ethics examples

•Code of Societal Ethics:

When the ethics are applied to an entire society we term them as societal code of conduct.

 They too have a rulebook regarding their beliefs about culture, religion, race and their own beliefs by which they are identified.

Mahatma Gandhi(1869-1948)

He did a huger strike which continued for days till entire India vowed of not going backto violence again.

5 Codes of Ethics examples

•Code of Business Ethics:To prevent an organization from doing

activities that may harm the interests of other organizations, individual society or the country

Apple

•Helps to bring down the greenhouse gas emissions•Has made this a policy that they design

each and every product as per the energy efficiency categories listed within the EPA ENERGY STAR 5.0

•To keep a check on the green house gas emissions. 

5 Codes of Ethics examples

•Code of Professional Ethics:

Teach us how to behave with our colleagues in the profession also help us grow as an individual. 

Readings:Jay Black and Chris Roberts Doing Ethics

in Media; Theories and Practical Applications, ‘Codes of Ethics and Justification Models’, London: Routledge, 2011 pp.39-68.