Media Ethics And Self Regulation

The British press has been accused of drinking in the Last Chance Saloon. Now, with the coming of the new millennium, many fear that broadcasters are also getting a taste for the commercially-popular cocktail of sensation and intrusion that it sells. But does it have to be like that? Are journalists doomed to ignore stories about important public interest issues in favour of titillating tales that pander solely to the public's prurient curiosity? Are docusoaps and current affairs series based on questionable evidence replacing the award-winning documentary programmes of past years? Media Ethics and Self Regulation looks closely at the moral dilemmas facing journalists in their day-to-day working lives and examines the self-regulatory bodies that police the various codes of practice.

Technology, and the democratising of news gathering, continue to change traditional journalistic practice making the path through ethical and regulatory frameworks tough to negotiate. As high-profile celebrity cases such as Max Mosley's vividly illustrate, conflicts between the law, ethics and the public’s right and desire to be informed are not easily resolved. This comprehensive volume addresses the ethical considerations, dilemmas and challenges the practising journalist faces, each minute, every day. Providing context and practical advice, it explores an area of crucial importance for the 21st century, thoroughly equipping the reader with the information and tools to negotiate this challenging area knowledgeably, practically and responsibly. This book has been written for students and trainee journalists, working journalists and editors, and indeed for any student of the media.

"This book provides useful pointers to help journalists navigate the dilemmas they face in the professional practice. It provides an enlightening overview of the views of Mauritian journalists on their own industry and an in-depth look at the South African model for self-regulation. As part of the ethical approach, the book also reviews the main issues related to gender-senstive reporting, in view of the significant role the media have to play in genedr education.... Journalism is a public good and the need to a clear social contract is stronger than ever in a world where transparency and acoountability are on the agenda. Mechanisms for ensuring ethical practice are essential and should be hailed as beacons for a stronger journalism." -- Back cover.

Concerns about the role and responsibilities of the media have become an increasingly important part of public debate. Media Ethics brings together philosophers, academics and media professionals to debate both ethics and morality.

Media Ethics brings together philosophers, academics and media professionals to debate pressing ethical and moral questions for journalists and the media and to examine basic notions such as truth, virtue, privacy, rights, offence, harm and freedom which are used in answering them.

Over the last few years, the O.J. Simpson case, then the Lewinsky-Clinton affair, and scores of minor scandals have dominated the US press, often taking precedence over important domestic and international issues. This tabloidization of the news media, both here and abroad, has proved that "the market" cannot insure media quality. In a democracy, for media to function well, they must be free of both political and economic muzzling. The only solution is to add self-regulation, or quality control, by professionals and public to the other two forces, the market and state regulation. In this controversial volume, Claude-Jean Bertrand sets out to define a set of accountability systems--democratic, efficient, and harmless--to insure true freedom and quality of media. This brief, highly literate volume focuses not on philosophical foundations of media ethics or case stories, but on what is now missing in the codes. Many books deal with media ethics but few deal with accountability. Media Ethics and Accountability Systems zeroes in on the many nongovernmental methods of enforcing "quality control," and on the difficulty of getting the media microcosm to accept such accountability. To remedy this lack, Bertrand proposes rethinking existing "media accountability systems," some 30 to 40 in number, and creation of new ones. He observes that existing systems are rooted in four basic approaches: training: the education of citizens in media use and the incorporation of ethics courses in journalistic education; evaluation: criticism (positive and negative) not only from politicians, consumerists, and intellectuals, but from media professionals themselves; monitoring: by independent, academic experts over extended periods of time into the long-term effects; and feedback: giving ear to the various segments of media users and their needs and tastes, rather than scrutinizing sales and ratings. Media Ethics will be of particular interest to academics in the fields of communication and journalism, as well as to the general reader with an interest in public issues and a civic concern for society. Claude-Jean Bertrand is professor emeritus, Institut franais de presse, Universit de Paris-2. He has taught British and US civilization in several French universities, gradually specializing in the study of U.S. media. He has edited or written seventeen books on various topics and lectured extensively.

This volume provides a comprehensive discussion of enduring and emerging challenges to ethical journalism worldwide. The collection highlights journalism practice that makes a positive contribution to people’s lives, investigates the link between institutional power and ethical practices in journalism, and explores the relationship between ethical standards and journalistic practice. Chapters in the volume represent three key commitments: (1) ensuring practice informed by theory, (2) providing professional guidance to journalists, and (3) offering an expanded worldview that examines journalism ethics beyond traditional boundaries and borders. With input from over 60 expert contributors, it offers a global perspective on journalism ethics and embraces ideas from well-known and emerging journalism scholars and practitioners from around the world. The Routledge Companion to Journalism Ethics serves as a one-stop shop for journalism ethics scholars and students as well as industry practitioners and experts.

* Real world studies of accountability in broadcast news, cable TV, newspapers and other media