Student Resources

Chapter Summary

Chapter 1

Chapter 1 examines the institutional pressures that work upon news organizations, often compromising the ethical stances of media editors, publishers, and producers. Through five case studies, the text demonstrates how media practitioners are often caught in conflicting duties to their employers, to their readers or viewers, and to their own professional conscience.

Chapter 2

Chapter 2 examines the several dimensions surrounding the truthtelling issue.

The first case in this chapter, on the obesity epidemic in the United States and elsewhere, centers on the Institute of Medicine's Report authorized by the U.S. Congress. The issue is the press's ability to communicate scientific findings to the many parties involved.

The second case introduces Al Jazeera, the independent news organization based in Qatar, which is in a region where state-owned media dominate the airwaves. As an Arab news network, it reflects Arab culture.

The third case, "The Unabomber's Manifesto," struggles with the ethical issues of violence and technology. Does someone advocating and engaged in violent attacks against an evil technological order deserve a hearing?

The fourth case introduces the worldwide controversy over the publication of the Muhammad cartoons, a complicated story involving religion, politics, and press freedom. The challenge for the news media is to present a truthful account of highly emotional issues in a multicultural context.

Chapter 3

Chapter 3 demonstrates five of the myriad aspects of the reporter-source relationship.

The first case, on the WikiLeaks website, illustrates the enormous difficulties in locating reliable information among the emerging technologies.

In the second case, the debate revolves around the use of stolen materials. The Cincinnati Enquirer's investigation of Chiquita Brands provides an opportunity to examine Kant's restrictions against theft and lying.

The third case, on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, concerns the question of reliable and balanced sources amid ongoing conflict.

The fourth case, which involves the increasingly complex issues of chemicals in foods, asks whether reliable and unbiased sources are possible./

Finally, the classic Watergate break-in case continues to instruct reporters about sources and ethics.

Chapter 4

Chapter 4 introduces four problems of social justice that have differing scales but nonetheless involve typical issues of justice.

The victims of genocide in Darfur illustrate the maxim that a newsworthy account making justice explicit should strive to represent complex cultures and religions adequately. The people involved at all levels are portrayed authentically without stereotype or simplistic judgments. The victims of poverty, in this case the majority of U.S. Appalachian children, are illustrative of journalism's ability to illuminate problems that raise questions of public policy and its obligation to offer suggestions for solutions.

Sexism within the world of women's soccer focuses on the aspects of gender in newsgathering.

The Native American occupation of Wounded Knee, South Dakota in 1973 is illustrative of a highly complex story in which only the sensational elements were effectively communicated to the media consumer.

Chapter 5

Chapter 5 examines the issues surrounding privacy. There are several reasons why establishing an ethics of privacy that goes beyond the law is important in the gathering and distribution of news.

The law that conscientiously seeks to protect individual privacy excludes public officials. The press has been given great latitude in defining newsworthiness. The relationship between self and society continues to defy clear definition.

Case studies include examinations of social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter, the journalistic implications of the USA PATRIOT Act of 2001, an Internet bloggers' code of ethics, defining newsworthiness in a hometown paper, and the ethics surrounding pictures of human bodies in print.

Chapter 6

Chapter 6 introduces Part Two of the text, "Persuasion in Advertising." The realities of life in the image-centric West such as democracy, capitalism, consumer orientation, media orientation, and reinforcing technology form an ideological web in which advertising operates.

Difficulties arise when trying to define advertising. The chapter's first case study focuses on what an ad can be, especially important when considering product placement within the media and guerrilla tactics of new marketing.

Direct-to-consumer (DTC) advertising is addressed in the second case study, specifically as applied to prescription drugs.

Cause-related marketing demonstrates advertising's true power. The third case study explores the necessity of companies to market themselves as good citizens with connections to important issues.

The final case study illustrates how behavior targeting has increased through the popularity of social networking sites.

Chapter 7

The cases in Chapter 7 introduce you to some of the ethical dilemmas encountered and the questions raised with regard to our marketplace of images.

"Making the Same Different" addresses the question at the heart of many branding activities: Is it appropriate to "manufacture" difference between parity products?

"Stereotyping Attitude" explores the construction and perpetuation of stereotypes hidden within strategies of humor.

"Everyone Knows Her: The Unattainable Ideal" examines advertising imagery that, despite widespread criticism and sometimes legal challenges, persists in the celebration of an ideal feminine beauty that is unattainable for most women.

"But she's only 4! Hypersexualization of Young Girls" examines the trends that have led to this phenomenon and explores its ethical dimensions.

The last two cases are grounded in advertising as a vehicle for social change. "Real Beauty: Responsible Images?" looks at the Dove Campaign for Real Beauty as a social advocacy effort. "Animal Rights: Responsible Images?" focuses on PETA, a highly successful organization known perhaps more for its controversial advertising than for its animal rights work.

Chapter 8

The cases in Chapter 8 examine several complex ethical dilemmas.

"Marketing U.S. Latinidad" explores the processes and implications of the active construction of the Hispanic market as a target market and media audience desirable to advertisers.

"Media Gatekeepers: 'Sorry, No Admittance'" reminds us that while media need advertisers, advertisers also need media to reach audiences effectively and efficiently. This case explores power wielded by the media in terms of advertising acceptance/rejection.

"Shocking: The Case for Due Diligence" focuses on the unusual situation of shock-jock radio, asking us to consider whether advertisers have responsibility for the content their money supports.

"Front Page for Sale?" probes the professional dilemma posed by the blurring of advertising and editorial content.

A final case, "Welcome to Madison and Vine," examines the ever-increasing presence of product placement in media content.

Chapter 9

Chapter 9 reveals some things about advertising's professional culture.

The first case, "...Perhaps the Absence of a Code of Ethics"? considers the role of ethical codes in defining behavior, providing guidance in day-to-day decision making, and fostering an environment in which ethical decision making is the norm.

The second case, "Ethical Vision: What Does It Mean to Serve Clients Well?" looks at a hypothetical decision-making scenario to probe the ethical dilemmas and constraints that might occur day-to-day in the advertising workplace. It explores the concept of responsibility and the relationships among advertising practitioners, clients, and the public.

The third case, "Kids Are Getting Older Younger," pulls us back to the macro level to explore one of the most contentious and persistent criticisms facing the profession: advertising to children. The chapter uses a single case to illustrate broader ethical questions inherent in that practice.

The last two cases center on the profession's rules of engagement with complex issues of diversity, looking first at women's experiences and then at the lack of ethnic and racial groups in the advertising workplace.

Chapter 10

This chapter introduces Part Three: "Public Relations and Persuasion." The four cases in Chapter 10 all speak to the role of public relations in our society.

"What Happened to Mr. Ethics?" examines how journalists and public relations practitioners influence public communication.

"Publicity and Justice" probes the expanding field of litigation public relations. Is the cause of rendering justice advanced when high-profile defendants or prosecutors use public relations tactics to communicate their views before trial?

The last case, "Bundling Campaign Support," explores the factors involved in raising large donations for political campaigns.

Chapter 11

The cases in Chapter 11 will explore the demands of truthtelling within various organizational settings, both formal and informal.

The first case, "Private Issues and Public Apologies," focuses on the controlled news conference held by Tiger Woods after a personal scandal.

The second case, "Wal-Marting Across the Internet," and the third case, "Who's the Boss?," examine the impact that information included in or omitted from corporate and personal blogs may have on credibility and believability.

The fourth case, "This News Story Is Brought to You By...," examines truthfulness and video news releases.

The final case, "Posting #Truth @Twitter," questions the importance of authorship disclosure in the digital information flow across social networks such as Twitter.

Chapter 12

The case studies in Chapter 12 provide examples of ways practitioners, clients, associations, and corporations have struggled to balance conflicting loyalties and values.

The pressures faced by individual practitioners as they decide which clients to represent are explored in "New Clients."

"Indictments Indicate Corrupt Lobbying" questions the clash between conflicting client interests and legal and public standards.

The pull of loyalties experienced by a corporation facing an expensive recall is discussed in "Accelerating Recalls."

Case 55 examines the film Thank You for Smoking and provides an ironic analysis of the long-term implications when individual profit is allowed to outweigh loyalties and obligations to consumers.

The values and loyalties called on during times of human tragedy are recounted in Case 56, "Tragedy at the Mine."

Chapter 13

The cases in Chapter 13 prompt you to consider different aspects of social responsibility from different philosophical and ethical perspectives.

"One for One: Helping Consumers Become Heroes" highlights how TOMS Shoes has used its charitable outreach as a major component in its consumer relations.

"Promoting 'Hope for Haiti Now'" describes what happens when individuals demonstrate a willingness to put aside their own fame and fortune to pursue a greater social good.

The last two cases examine how two organizations faced different types of crises. The classic case, "Pepsi Challenged by Rumors," recounts the approach taken by a corporation needing to control rumors about product safety, and "Swept Away in a Storm" discusses the challenges the Red Cross faced in serving victims of Hurricane Katrina.

Chapter 14

The cases in Chapter 14 struggle constantly with the impulse towards freedom and the moral boundaries of liberty.

The first case raises the effects argument: Hear violent lyrics, do violent deeds; show a violent program, commit a violent crime. No matter that the violence is sometimes directed toward the self and sometimes to others. But what would stories tell if all violence were expunged on moral claims?

The second case insists that violence has its purposes. It cannot be read out of human experience, and it should not be so tempered in entertainment that we fail to deal with reality and history.

The third case, "Comics for Big Kids," looks at the persistence of violence in media entertainment.

The final case explores violence inherent in some video games.

Chapter 15

The first case in Chapter 15, "Copyright Wars," raises two concerns simultaneously: the moral infringements of pirated material and the morality of copyright laws that effectively disenfranchise vast populations from mainstream culture.

"Deep Trouble for Harry" looks at the cost to actress Linda Lovelace in the form of profits she never saw.

"Super Strip" points to an example of fairness that carries a note of human care when legal contracts did not require it.

And the last case examines the story of Christopher Reeves, the actor who played Superman. Did Reeves understand the plight of disabled people or did he lend his considerable prestige and charisma to a mission that the disabled may find morally unacceptable?

The chapter's final case asks whether truly great television drama can survive what appears to be a weakening market for it.

Chapter 16

In the first case in Chapter 16, "Reel History," the story of the Nixon presidency is retold with glaring historical boldness. Against this background, we have to ask what truth is if it fails to make emotional sense.

The second case examines one of our most current vogues, reality television, with a particular look at Paradise Hotel, a program supposedly about love but more about anti-love, jealousy, fickleness, and young exhilaration gone sour.

The third case, "Tragedy Lite," wonders if some human trauma goes too deep for fictionalized accounts of it.

The fourth case ponders whether classic stories remade and remixed devalue the originals and obscure their authors' contributions.

The fifth case pokes a bit of fun at one of television's favorite comedies, South Park.

The last case in this chapter looks at what many call a frivolous pastime, video gaming, and its impact on advertising demographics.

Chapter 17

Chapter 17 examines several facets of censorship in the media.

The first case in this chapter points the moral compass at one of the most popular entertainment figures in the world. Can an artist ethically assault moral values if he claims not to really mean it?

The second case finds moral boundary lines drawn once again by force of law and moral logic.

The third case focuses on the most destructive impulses that we as humans feel. Mediated experience gives vent to those feelings but also may propagandize and convert too many of us for public comfort and safety.

The moral outcome of the last case will depend on how you judge the role popular art plays in sorting out human affairs.