INTRODUCTION:

“Media Ethics”
“ Let noble thoughts come to us from every side” is the eternal
message of the Rigveda given several millennia ago signifying the
freedom of expression.
The modern democratic edifice has been constructed drawing on
the above and the individual liberty of expression of thought as the
supreme principle. 'Journalism', the concrete form of this expression has
grown in power over a period of time. It has become a coveted
profession amongst the present day career conscious youth and I am
sure I find here today a most promising group many of whom will surely
find place amongst the leading journalists in the years to come.
The fundamental objective of journalism is to serve the people with
news, views, comments and information on matters of public interest in a
fair, accurate, unbiased: and decent manner and language.
”.
The press is an indispensable pillar of democracy. It purveys public
opinion and shapes it. Parliamentary democracy can flourish only under
the watchful eyes of the media. Media not only reports but acts as a
bridge between the state and the public.
At a time when the globalization of Indian economy has brought
about drastic change in the mediascape and the Indian press is also
going global, the responsibility of the press to safeguard the interest of the
people and the nation has increased manifold. With the advent of private
TV channels, the media seems to have taken over the reigns of human
life and society in every walk of life. The media today does not remain
satisfied as the Fourth Estate, it has assumed the foremost importance in
society and governance. While playing the role of informer, the media
also takes the shape of a motivator and a leader.
Such is the influence of media that it can make or unmake any
individual, institution or any thought. So all pervasive and all-powerful is
today its impact on the society.
With so much power and strength, the media cannot loose sight of
its privileges, duties and obligations. Journalism is a profession that
serves. By virtue thereof it enjoys the privilege to 'question' others. This
privilege includes the right to collect information from primary authentic
sources, which are of use and importance to the society or the nation and
then report the same in an unbiased and positive way with the aim to
inform and not to create sensation and harm the public. Any direct or3
indirect interference from state, the owner or other sector is
encroachment on its freedom to discharge its duties towards the society.
However to enjoy these privileges, Media is mandated to follow
certain ethics in collecting and disseminating the information viz.,
ensuring authenticity of the news, use of restrained and socially
acceptable language for ensuring objectivity and fairness in reporting and
keeping in mind its cascading effect on the society and on the individuals
and institutions concerned.
As Albert Schweitzer, German Nobel Peace prize winning mission
doctor and theologian had remarked “The first step in the evolution of
ethic is a sense of solidarity with other human beings”.
Ethics is a code of values, which govern our lives, and are thus very
essential for moral and healthy life. In the context of the press, “Ethics”
may be described as a set of moral principles or values, which guide the
conduct of journalism. The ethics are essentially the self-restraint to be
practised by the journalists voluntarily, to preserve and promote the trust
of the people and to maintain their own credibility and not betray the faith
and confidence of the people.

MEANING:
Media ethics is the subdivision of applied ethics dealing with the
specific ethical principles and standards of media,
including broadcast media, film, theatre, the arts, print media and
the internet. The field covers many varied and highly controversial
topics, ranging from war journalism to Benetton advertising.

Area Of Media Ethics:

1. Ethics of journalism:
The ethics of journalism is one of the most well-defined branches
of media ethics, primarily because it is frequently taught in schools
of journalism. Journalistic ethics tends to dominate media ethics,
sometimes almost to the exclusion of other areas. [1] Topics
covered by journalism ethics include:

 News manipulation. News can manipulate and be

manipulated. Governments and corporations may attempt to
 manipulate news media; governments, for example,
by censorship, and corporations by share ownership. The
methods of manipulation are subtle and many. Manipulation
may be voluntary or involuntary. Those being manipulated may
not be aware of this. See: news propaganda.

 Truth. Truth may conflict with many other values.

Public interest. Revelation of military secrets and other sensitive

government information may be contrary to the public interest,
even if it is true. However, public interest is not a term which is
easy to define.

.Privacy. Salacious details of the lives of public figures is a

central content element in many media. Publication is not
necessarily justified simply because the information is
true. Privacy is also a right, and one which conflicts with free
speech. See: paparazzi.

 Fantasy. Fantasy is an element of entertainment, which

is a legitimate goal of media content. Journalism may mix
fantasy and truth, with resulting ethical dilemmas.
See: National Enquirer,Jayson Blair scandal, Adnan Hajj
photographs controversy.
 Taste. Photo journalists who cover war and disasters
confront situations which may shock the sensitivities of their
audiences. For example, human remains are rarely screened.
The ethical issue is how far should one risk shocking an
audience's sensitivities in order to correctly and fully report
the truth. See photojournalism.
 Conflict with the law. Journalistic ethics may conflict with the
law over issues such as the protection of confidential news
sources. There is also the question of the extent to which it is
ethically acceptable to break the law in order to obtain news. For
 example, undercover reporters may be engaging
in deception, trespass and similar torts and crimes.
See undercover journalism, investigative journalism.

2.Ethics of entertainment media

Issues in the ethics of entertainment media include:

 The depiction of violence and sex, and the presence of strong

language. Ethical guidelines and legislation in this area are
common and many media (e.g. film, computer games) are
subject to ratings systems and supervision by agencies. An
extensive guide to international systems of enforcement can be
found under motion picture rating system.
 Product placement. An increasingly common marketing tactic
is the placement of products in entertainment media. The
producers of such media may be paid high sums to display
branded products. The practice is controversial and largely
unregulated. Detailed article:product placement.
 Stereotypes. Both advertising and entertainment media make
heavy use of stereotypes. Stereotypes may negatively affect
people's perceptions of themselves or promote socially
undesirable behaviour. The stereotypical portrayals
of men, affluence and ethnic groups are examples of major
areas of debate.
 Taste and taboos. Entertainment media often questions of
our values for artistic and entertainment purposes. Normative
ethics is often about moral values, and what kinds should be
enforced and protected. In media ethics, these two sides come
into conflict. In the name of art, media may deliberately attempt
to break with existing norms and shock the audience. That
poses ethical problems when the norms abandoned are closely
associated with certain relevant moral values or obligations. The
extent to which this is acceptable is always a hotbed of ethical
 controversy. See: Turner Prize, obscenity, freedom of
speech, aesthetics.

3.Media and democracy

In democratic countries, a special relationship exists between
media and government. Although the freedom of the media may
beconstitutionally enshrined and have precise legal definition and
enforcement, the exercise of that freedom by individual journalists
is a matter of personal choice and ethics. Modern democratic
government subsists in representation of millions by hundreds. For
the representatives to be accountable, and for the process of
government to be transparent, effective communication paths must
exist to their constituents. Today these paths consist primarily of
the mass media, to the extent that if press freedom disappeared,
so would most political accountability. In this area, media ethics
merges with issues of civil rights and politics. Issues include:

 Subversion of media independence by financial interests. [2]

 Government monitoring of media for intelligence gathering
against its own people. See, for example, NSA call database.

See: freedom of information, media transparency Right to

Information. L Mera
he primary themes common to most codes of journalistic
[edit]
standards and ethics are the following.

PRICNIPALS OF MEDIA ETHICS:

1.Accuracy and standards for factual

reporting
  Reporters are expected to be as accurate as possible given
the time allotted to story preparation and the space available,
and to seek reliable sources.
 Events with a single eyewitness are reported with attribution.
Events with two or more independent eyewitnesses may be
reported as fact. Controversial facts are reported with attribution.
 Independent fact-checking by another employee of the
publisher is desirable
 Corrections are published when errors are discovered
 Defendants at trial are treated only as having "allegedly"
committed crimes, until conviction, when their crimes are
generally reported as fact (unless, that is, there is serious
controversy about wrongful conviction).
 Opinion surveys and statistical information deserve special
treatment to communicate in precise terms any conclusions, to
contextualize the results, and to specify accuracy, including
estimated error and methodological criticism or flaws.

2.Slander and libel considerations

 Reporting the truth is almost never libel [4], which makes
accuracy very important.
 Private persons have privacy rights that must be balanced
against the public interest in reporting information about them.
Public figures have fewer privacy rights in U.S. law, where
reporters are immune from a civil case if they have reported
without malice. In Canada, there is no such immunity; reports on
public figures must be backed by facts.
 Publishers vigorously defend libel lawsuits filed against their
reporters, usually covered by libel insurance.

3.Harm limitation principle:

During the normal course of an assignment a reporter might go
about—gathering facts and details, conducting interviews,
doing research,background checks, taking photos, video taping,
recording sound—harm limitation deals with the questions of
whether everything learned should be reported and, if so, how.
This principle of limitation means that some weight needs to be
given to the negative consequences of full disclosure, creating a
practical and ethical dilemma. The Society of Professional
Journalists' code of ethics offers the following advice, which is
representative of the practical ideals of most professional
journalists. Quoting directly:[17]

 Show compassion for those who may be affected adversely

by news coverage. Use special sensitivity when dealing with
children and inexperienced sources or subjects.
 Be sensitive when seeking or using interviews or
photographs of those affected by tragedy or grief.
 Recognize that gathering and reporting information may
cause harm or discomfort. Pursuit of the news is not a license
for arrogance.
 Recognize that private people have a greater right to control
information about themselves than do public officials and others
who seek power, influence or attention. Only an overriding
public need can justify intrusion into anyone's privacy.
 Show good taste. Avoid pandering to lurid curiosity.
 Be cautious about identifying juvenile suspects or victims of
sex crimes.
 Be judicious about naming criminal suspects before the
formal filing of charges.
 Balance a criminal suspect's fair trial rights with the public's
right to be informed.

4.Presentation:
Ethical standards should not be confused with common standards
of quality of presentation, including:

 Correctly spoken or written language (often in a widely

spoken and formal dialect, such as Standard English)
 Clarity
 Brevity (or depth, depending on the niche of the publisher)

FUTURE OF MEDIA ETHICS:

Over time, the free market based Libertarian model has resulted in a number of
problems, from corporate and political censorship, to media bias. Stories, that
would logically be important are not always reported, and are in fact substituted
with more entertaining news. For example, major world issues, such as the
ongoing conflict in Somalia, are seldom covered in the news, while media outlets
become saturated with sensationalist news such as the death of Michael Jackson.
Also, without the requirement of social responsibility, the Western media tends to
cover only the political candidates that can afford advertisements, limiting the
coverage of various political movements.

These tendencies result in a lack of media ethics and a deluge of entertaining

information, but not necessarily the most important information. Major
humanitarian issues can go unnoticed for years, environmental problems are
covered intermittently, and many voices remain unheard. Media continues to
change however. With the internet, there are new opportunities for information to
be spread and knowledge to be shared.

The media system of the future may not fall into either the social responsibility or
Libertarian model, as the public is no longer dependent on mass media sources
for news. What role media ethics will play in the new system only the future can
tell.

What more accurate and better way to conclude can be than the
words of Mahatma Gandhi, an eminent journalist is his own right, “The
sole aim of journalism should be service. The newspaper press is a great
power; but just as unchained torrent of water submerges the whole
countryside and devastates crops, even so an uncontrolled pen serves
but to destroy. If the control is from without, it proves more poisonous
than want of control. It can be profitable only when exercised from
within”.