Ralph E. Hanson, Second Edition
HomeWeblogChaptersCh. 1: Living in a Media WorldCh. 2: The Media Business: Consolidation, Globalization, and the Long TailCh. 3: Mass Communication Effects: How Society and Media InteractCh. 4: Books: The Birth of the Mass MediaCh. 5: Magazines: The Power of Words and ImagesCh. 6: Newspapers: Reflection of a Democratic SocietyCh. 7: Sound: Music and Talk Across MediaCh. 8: Movies: Mass-Producing EntertainmentCh. 9: Television: Broadcast, Cable and BeyondCh. 10: The Internet: Mass Communication Gets PersonalCh. 11: Advertising: Selling a MessageCh. 12: Public Relations: Manufacturing the NewsCh. 13: Media Law: Free Speech and FairnessCh. 14: Media Ethics: Truthfulness, Fairness, and Standards of DecencyCh. 15: Global Media: Communication Around the WorldAbout the BookAbout the AuthorHelp
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Chapter 14: Media Ethics

Exercises

1. Teen and YM magazines admitted to combining multiple reader letters into a single letter in an attempt to appeal to a larger audience. After learning of this admission, are you skeptical when reading similar columns in other magazines?


2. What are your thoughts on respectable news media mixing in celebrity gossip, like news of Britney Spears' late night adventures, with serious news stories, such as the war in Iraq or the current U.S. immigration battle? Does this in any way lessen a media outlet's standing as a reputable news source?

3. Chapter 14 discussed the practice of photo manipulation and the consequences. Even though this practice presents serious ethical debate, it seems that news of “doctored” photos has become commonplace.

•  Source: Who has been found “guilty” of manipulating photographs?

•  Analyze & Reflect: Is there a difference in moving a pyramid, adding a minority to an all white group of students, or moving a soldier to change the setting of a photograph?

•  Examine: What level of reprimand has come to the individuals responsible for significant photo manipulation? How does it affect their employers, the various media outlets, who are ultimately responsible for delivering the manipulated photos?

•  Conclude: The fallout after the alteration of the O.J. Simpson mug shot was severe. Is the controversy over that particular Time cover more significant than controversies over an untouched image of a disturbing event, such as casualties of war or people plummeting to their deaths?