Media ethicss Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Media ethicss - Essay Example For Aristotle, proper understanding of and grateful attitude towards wealth, honor, virtue, pleasure, and friendship is what is needed for human to live well. Through appropriate behavior and good upbringing, one must learn the ability to understand, choose, and decide which conduct is best for an occasion. This, of course, should be supported by logical reasoning --- a power that all human beings are capable of. Aristotle also believes that practical wisdom cannot be acquired by following general guidelines. Through practice, every individual should learn the social, emotional, and reflective skills that allow him/her to act in ways that are appropriate for each unique event (Bertrand, 22). Per Kant, it is the cause for doing a certain action, rather than the outcome of the deed, that gives it a moral value. Kant's renowned statement regarding duty is "Act according to the belief that you choose and can do so as to make it your entire principle." (Bertrand, 45) On the other hand, countering Kant's principle on ethics is utilitarianism. Utilitarianism is the thought that a behavior's role in producing advantage for all is the moral value of the deed. Advantage for all involves the summed pleasure or satisfaction for everybody. It means that the outcome establishes the value of any behavior --- the ends justify the means (Bertrand, 25). PluralPluralism Pluralism is about different values. This ethics model asserts that there are several differing values existing in a diversely peopled world. These values are called duties, and they are unspoken guidelines so every individual's behavior will not threaten other people's happiness and life (Patterson and Wilkins, 12). This ethics model acknowledges the unique roles people play in their every day lives, and the similarly differing values people believe in based on these diverse roles in the society (Bertrand, 29). Commutarianism Commutarianism, on the other hand, places social equality as its guiding principle (Patterson and Wilkins, 14). As every individual is a part of a larger society, it asserts that every one should be sensitive to the consequences of their every action. These actions, must be beneficial not only for themselves, but for the entire society. Communitarianism stresses the relationship of the individual to the society and the correlation of the different social systems --- economic, legal, etc. This ethics model is applicable in evaluating the role of the media in the society, since per Patterson and Wilkins, it enhances the accomplishments of the media as a whole and eliminates possible rivalry among them (15). Surname 3 Ethical Issues in Reporting the Truth Chapter 2: "Taste in Photojournalism" and "Too many Bodies, Too Much Blood" In this case studies, the media had a hard time reporting the truth due to differences in moral sensibilities. A photo journalist may have a hard time distinguishing what is right and moral and what is considerate and moral. Pluralism is very obvious in this case study as different individuals who play different roles may value things at different levels. What may be deemed as a responsible publishing of a photo to warn society may be considered harsh or insensitive towards the feelings of the photo's