Media Markets and Morals
By: Spence, Edward (Author), Alexander, Andrew (Author), Dunn, Anne (University Of Sydney) (Author).
John Wiley and Sons Ltd. Published: 09/03/2011. Audience Guide: Professional & Vocational.
Paperback. Sourced from U.S.A.
The primary aim of the book is to explore and critically analyse and evaluate the ways in which the business of running large national and international media organisations in a free market economy affects, for better or worse, the integrity of the communication of information to the public. Insofar as information can be defined as 'instructive knowledge' which must meet the traditional conditions of truth, justification and belief, the selling of information as another consumer product on the market may in some circumstances be both epistemologically and ethically problematic. One of the main objectives of the book is to enquire into and analyse how and in what ways, if at all, the commercial and market interests of media organisations, especially as concerns news, may be undermining and in some instances corrupting both the process and the product of the communication of information to the public.
Some of the factors that will be investigated as possibly affecting the integrity of information communicated to the public by the media are convergence of the mediums of communication and the related issue of cross-media ownership, concentration of media ownership in the hands of a few powerful moguls, such as for example, Rupert Murdoch and Berlusconi, and the perceived 'unholy' alliance between journalism on the one hand and advertising and public relations on the other. A close conceptual analysis of the notions of information and persuasion will be conducted to determine some of the theoretical and practical inherent inconsistencies that may underlie those two concepts and how those inconsistencies are manifested in media practice. Moreover, the book will investigate how these inherent inconsistencies when allowed to covertly undermine the integrity of media communication may constitute the corruption of communication. Infomercials and advertorials, product placements within news content may count as instances of such corruption.
Another objective of the book is to enquire into how, if at all, the aims and methods of business markets generally and media markets specifically can be reconciled with the media's aims and methods of communicating information on matters of public interest. Can the fourth estate be trusted to tell people the truth all the time or even some of the time? Should the public adopt a more sceptical attitude towards the media? Finally another objective is to examine the concept and practice of self-regulation and whether it provides effective ethical if not legal regulation over the media. If the market constrains on the media are such that the media's ability to communicate information to the public comes under question, then more regulation of the media may be required. Opposed to that suggestion, considerations of censorship come into play. Theoretically, however, insofar as the media's freedom of communication of information to the public is based on the public's right to receive such information, then the media's freedom is constrained and overridden by the public interest.
And the argument can be put forward that the public interest opposes information that is tainted by commercial and other interests that are not in the public interest with regard to an informed citizenry. The book will include relevant cases in each chapter that will illustrate and contextualise the issues examined within a practical and professional setting. Additionally, the book will, in some of the chapters, include interviews with leading media practitioners that will elicit their views on the issues examined. Item Details
ISBN10/13: 140517546X/9781405175463
TITLE: Media Markets and Morals
CONTRIBUTORS: Spence, Edward (Author), Alexander, Andrew (Author), Dunn, Anne (University Of Sydney) (Author)
IMPRINT: Wiley-Blackwell (an imprint of John Wiley & Sons Ltd)
PUBLISHER: John Wiley and Sons Ltd
FORMAT: Paperback
PUBLICATION DATE: 09/03/2011
SUBJECT: Education / Reference, Philosophy, Communication Studies, Ethics & Moral
PAGES: 208
AUDIENCE GUIDE: Professional & Vocational
CONTENTS: Part I Surveying the Ethical Landscape.This first part of the book will introduce ethical theory and an ethical decision-making model within a professional and practical setting that specifically explores and informs the ethical commitments that directly emanate from the media's role as information provider and the media's role as a business. This will establish the media's dual roles as both communicator of information and business and will lead to an examination of the compatibility or incompatibility of those roles. Additional examination will seek to determine whether those roles can be reconciled within a single coherent ethical worldview that can accommodate both roles. The media's dual roles will then be compared with a Universal Public Morality based on widely recognised and accepted ethical principles and values that apply universally to all citizens, regardless of their professional or other social, political, business, personal or other institutional affiliations. In short, this part will map the ethical landscape both generally and specifically as it applies to the media in its dual functions of being both an information provider and a business..1. Introduction. 1.1 Why a book on media, markets and morals?. 1.2 Why read this book?. 1.3 The structure and rationale of the book.As well as introduce the topic and briefly explain the overall aim of the book, this chapter will summarise briefly in outline the main features of each successive chapter in the book..2. Ethical Principles and Ethical Reasoning. 2.1 Why Be Ethical? The Authoritative Question of Morality. 2.2 Old and New Answers to that Question through Contemporary Ethical Theories. 2.3 Laws: Rules; Norms; Principles; Values; and Virtues. 2.4 An Ethical Decision-Making Model. 2.5 Ethical Worldviews.In keeping with the dialectical and Socratic methodology of the book, the chapter will seek to build an ethical decision-making model from the ground up. To do so, however, it is first necessary to ask why one should be moral? For a convincing if not conclusive answer to this question will help establish the rational and normative authority of morality with regard to our inter-personal behaviour. In addition, it will help provide rational motivation sufficient for guiding ethical conduct both personally and professionally..The chapter will also provide a conceptual analysis of values and virtues, rules and principles and their differences and similarities so as to establish ethical clarity in our understanding of theses ethical categories, thus avoiding ethical confusion and ambiguity. Finally, the chapter will propose an ethical decision-making model comprising Justification, Motivation and Compliance. This model will also be useful in exploring the desirability and limitations of self-regulation in the media. It will also introduce the notion of worldview (Michael Boylan) as a way of examining the desirability and ethical need in holding a consistent worldview which incorporates ones personal, social, cultural and professional commitments and affiliations in a harmonious integrated ethical perspective..3. Professionalism in Behaviour and Identity. 3.1 What constitutes professional identity?. 3.2 What constitutes professional behaviour?. 3.3 The crisis of identity: Who is what?. 3.4 The role of professionals within corporations - for example, the role of journalists in large media organizations and issues concerning the relation between media as business (governed purely by market norms) and media as public service (not governed purely by market norms but by the public good)..The chapter will explore the notion of professional identity in terms of what it means to be a professional and the generic ethical commitments than emanate from professionalism. The chapter will also explore the relationship between professionalism and self-regulation. Do non-professional organizations require more external regulation? If media organizations are both professional as communication providers but non-professional as businesses, this might create a tension between internal self-regulation and external regulation that might call for a reconciling type of co-regulation..4. The Business of the Media and the Business of Markets. 4.1 What is business?. 4.2 In what way is media a business?. 4.3 Is the business of media compatible with the business of markets?.The roles of media as providers of information and as businesses will be examined to determine if there might be an inherent conflict between these two roles. The chapter will further explore ways by which this conflict can be ethically resolved or if not resolved better managed. To more fully understand business as it relates to the selling of products or commodities on the open market, the nature of markets and their role in capitalist societies will be examined in some depth.5. Advertising, Public Relations and Journalism: An Unholy Alliance? . 5.1 What are the respective roles of Advertising, PR and Journalism?. 5.2 Are those roles professional roles? What constitutes a professional role? Are advertising, PR and journalism professions?. 5.3 The Role Morality of a Profession. What are the respective Role Moralities of Advertising, PR and Journalism?. 5.4 Are those roles compatible?. 5.5 What are the ethical commitments that arise out of those roles?. 5.5.1 What are the ethical commitments of the profession/practice?. 5.5.2 What are the ethical commitments of the individual organisation?. 5.5.3 What are the ethical commitments of the individual practitioner?. 5.6 Ethical dilemmas and divided loyalties.This chapter will examine the separate and potentially conflicting roles of media as journalism, public relations and advertising. The notions of information and persuasion that underlie these separate roles will be subjected to philosophical conceptual analysis to determine in what ways they are compatible and incompatible..In a commercial environment and increasing media conversion, are the traditional distinctions between journalism, public relations and advertising tenable?.Part II Navigating the Ethical Minefield.6. Cross-Media Ownership. 6.1 Who owns the media?. 6.2 Is the concentration of media ownership right?. 6.3 The Berlusconi case in Italy; the Conrad Black case in Canada; the Rupert Murdoch case in USA and Australia..Cross-media ownership has its supporters and its critics. The chapter will examine the various positions in the current debate and determine the crucial ethical issues that are at stake. If the media ultimately gains its ethical authority and legitimacy from what serves the public interest then it is possible that cross-media ownership may serve the public good. However, the experience in Canada re Conrad Black seems to oppose that argument. Is cross-media ownership more about business and less about informing the public with what they need to know?.7. Corruption in the Media. 7.1 What is corruption?. 7.2 How does corruption arise in the media?. 7.3 The clash of information and persuasion. 7.4 Conflict of interest in the media. 7.5 Cash for comment, payola, advertorials and infomercials.This chapter will examine the notion of corruption as it relates to the media. In particular it will examine how commercial interests and certain forms of covert communication may be conducive to corruption when they are allowed to undermine the integrity of the communication process and product of information. Perhaps the blurring of media as provider of information and as a business is at least one potential cause of corruption in the media. If this is so, it would then appear that the division between media as provider of information and as business must be kept as watertight as practically possible - and how practical is that?.Part III A Sustainable Ethical Environment.8. Codes of Ethics and Self-Regulation. 8.1 A comparative analysis of codes of ethics across the media: Australia, NZ, Canada, UK, USA, EU and Asia. 8.2 Are there any global standards?. 8.3 Are they adequate in principle?. 8.4 Are they adequate in practice?. 8.5 The problem of self-regulation.The chapter will examine through a comparative analysis of various media codes of ethics if there are any global and universal standards. Ethical theory will then be applied to these standards in order to determine their justification and adequacy. The codes will then be examined to assess their compliance effectiveness within a self-regulatory environment.9. The Role of Role Models in Ethical Decisions. 9.1 What constitutes a role model?. 9.2 What is the role of roles models in ethics?. 9.3 Who are some of our role models today, generally?. 9.4 Who are the perceived role models in the Media and in Business?. 9.5 Are the two types of role models compatible?. 9.6 Are those role models ethically adequate to function as ethical role models for both the media and the market?.The role of role models will be examined with regard to their effectiveness in acting as ethical motivators. If we learn from those we love, at least those we respect, role models may provide additional motivation for ethical conduct that will minimise proportionally the requirement for external compliance through regulation. In a free market economy where media organisations are run as businesses, ethical role models could potentially enhance the moral standing and effectiveness of self-regulation and render regulation, the bane of a free economy, less necessary.10. The Morally Excellent Media Practitioner. 10.1 Why are virtues important?. 10.2 Why be virtuous?. 10.3 The Unity of the Right and the Good. 10.4 Good character and Right conduct. 10.5 Morality matters.In keeping with the moral decision-making model used throughout the book that comprises justification, motivation and compliance, the concluding chapter will explore the role of virtues such as courage, moderation, prudence, justice, truthfulness, trustworthiness, and honesty among others, in the cultivation of moral character. It will be argued that moral character enhanced through the inculcation of the virtues through practice in one's professional work is a crucial moral motivator in generating internal moral compliance. In a professional setting or practice such as that of the media, this becomes important for self-regulation. More importantly still, it becomes important because the media as a business operating in a free market economy shuns regulation in favour of self-regulation..The chapter will conclude by proposing ways in which media practice can be rendered more ethical through a closer fusion between right professional conduct and moral character thus resulting, at least at the limit, in excellent ethical practice and why this matters both ethically and professionally for the good of society at large. If the bottom line of business is profit, including the media business, the bottom line does not have to be an amoral abyss but can instead be a level plain field where transparency accountability and ethical responsibility are equal partners with a healthy dividend.
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