Media Ethics- Test 1

What type of journalist is most approving of hidden cameras and altering video?

Broadcast journalists

What is "faction"

Combining facts with fiction

Pluralistic theory of value

Competing duties, which one is more important; duties are: fidelity, reparation, gratitude, justice, beneficence, self-improvement, not injuring others.

Data Mining

Data mining is the process of sorting through large data sets to identify patterns and establish relationships to solve problems through data analysis. Data mining tools allow enterprises to predict future trends.

Communitarianism

Decision must trump the individual, but not tramp the individual; focuses on the outcome of individual ethical decisions analyzed in light of their potential to impact society.

Dilemma

AP Style suggests that it is a difficult choice between two or more unattractive alternatives. [ON A TEST: When you're asked to articulate a given dilemma, express it in terms of who or 17what gets hurt and how, for each of the unpleasant choices.]

In what way are advertising depictions of African Americans often distorted?

Advertisers employ troubling stereotypes, as well as only using african-americans with eurocentric feautres in their ads, with small noses, thin lips and lighter skin tones.

What did a study of Iraq war stories find?

All but 34 originated from the White House, the Pentagon, or the State Department;

What was the reason sources didn't complain about Jayson Blair's fabricated stories?

Altough NYT doesn't admit so, Blair insists that it was because of his race. He is black and was hired as a part of a diversity initiative, and some of his most fervent supporters at the paper were also black. (This is all according to the book.)

How does truthfulness differ from authenticity?

Authenticity suggests that it's important not only to do the right thing, but to do it with the right attitude.

Advertisers began targeting ethnic minorities for what PRACTICAL reason?

Because they wanted to buy the same things as any other buyer, in addition to the fact that ethnic minorities are a rapidly growing subgroup in America with money to spend.

Behavioral Marketing

Websites take information you give them and sell it to advertisers, who advertise to you using cookies embedded into you computer. The ads are catered to you based on what information you have signed off to sites like facebook, eharmony, etc.

Philosophy of Truth: Plato

What abides in the world of of perfect forms; Plato's metaphor of the cave, implies a world in which humans only have indirect access. Truth is knowable only to the human intellect-- it cannot be touched or verified.

Philosophy of Truth: Milton

What emerges from the "marketplace of ideas;" competing notions of the truth should be allowed to coexist, with the ultimate truth eventually emerging.

Philosophy of Truth: Pragmatists

What is filtered through individual perception.

Philosophy of Truth: Ancient Greeks

What is memorable and handed down; encompassing what humans remember and pass down orally

Philosophy of Truth: Enlightenment

What is verifiable, replicable, universal; "correspondance theory" emerges from this. modern journalism borrows its notion of truth from this philosophy and era.

Philosophy of Truth: Medieval

What the King, church or God says

How do cookies and web beacons differ?

While both are trackers on your computer embedded to advertise to you, cookies are traceable and deletable, while web beacons are not.

Aristotle's Golden Mean

Virtue lies at the mean between two extremes of excess and deficiency. Emphasizes the actor

School should teach you____________ to think an not _________ to think.

how, what

Caveat emptor

let the buyer beware

The worst thing you can do is tell the truth _____________.

poorly

What are the pros and the cons of the advocacy model?

pros:The Advocacy Model argues that misleading information will somehow be "self-corrected" by the gatekeepers of the media or by the self-righting "marketplace of ideas." cons:opposers of the model argue that advocacy too easily morhps into distortion and lies. Long-term health of many enterprises are ill-served by "spin"

Consider the ____________________.

source

What's the "official truth?"

the "official truth" became the recieved truth, and only the bravest journalists dared depart from it. Stories outside the mainstream were not rewarded, they were spiked.

Bok's Three-Step Model

1. Consult own conscience. (How do you feel about the action?) 2. Seek expert advice for alternatives to the act creating the ethical problem. 3. Conduct a public discussion with the parties involved in the dispute.

Studies show that advertising showing "perfect" bodies triggers what belief in women?

That they believe their bodies to be less acceptable.

Walter Lippman (1992) said, "For the most part, we do not first see, and then define, we..."

"...define first and then see." He means that we tend to pick out what our culture has defined for us, and then percieve it in the form stereotyped for us by our culture.

What does the dartboard say in the "How Reporters start their day at work" cartoon?

"Today I am an expert in"

Kant's Categorical Imperative

-Act as if the choices one makes for oneself could be universal law. -Treat each individual as an end and never merely as a means. (Each of these imperatives ought to be universal, and not subject to situational factors. Kant's ethical theory is based on the notion that it is in the act itself Emphasizes the action

Disadvantages of manufactured news

-journalists have missed important stories because they're searching for an event to cover rather than a historic development with both a past and future -preoccupation with events coverage affects coverage of science -stories are misreported because they lack the easy "peg" editors are looking for -slow-onset disasters such as topsoil erosion, climate change and waste management are underreported

Ethics begins when...

...elements within a moral system conflict.

What does the book say about factual omissions?

A message would pass the test if it meets a genuine human need to provide truthful information, even if some facts are omitted.

CASE STUDY 3-D: What was the ethical problem with the University of Phoenix donating to a Head Start nonprofit?

A sponsorship between The University of Phoenix and a Head Start nonprofit required the nonprofit to promote UP to students, although the university of UP was under fire for its poor programs. However, UP was providing the nonprofit with money to keep its education intitatives going, thus presenting a dilemma.

There is no ethics without __________.

A will to be ethical

Kant's Model is similar to which biblical rule?

Do unto others as you would have others do unto you.

The Era that spawned Journalism's definition of Truth?

Enlightenment Era; "Correspondance Theory"

"Truth is more than just a collection of______________"

Facts

The mind is not a vessel to be filled but a ___________________.

Fire to be kindled

Most members of Investigative Reporters and Editors said was OK to do what to a source?

Flattering a source to get more information, even if the flattery is insincere.

What's one of the most credible polling sources out there?

Gallup

False equivalency or false balance

Giving equal prominence to unequal claims. Example: A news story gives equal space to advocates of evolution and of creationism, or to holocaust experts and holocaust deniers, since they're both, on the surface, two sides of an argument. But creationism and holocaust denial are BELIEFS, and evolution and the holocaust are FACTS. Since journalism must separate fact and opinion, it's false equivalency to give beliefs the same prominence and space.

What did the blind journalism professor (on page 27) prove?

He claimed he could predict the race of the football players mentioned in the play-by-play by listening to what was said about them. Caucasian athletes were described as intellectually gifted while black athletes were described as physically gifted. "In a culture that values brains over brawn, black football players were the subject of repeated stereotypical insults-- all couched as praise."

How is "equity" defined?

Is the recipient of the message int he same level playing field as the ad's creator? It's linked to Access for public relations professionals. EX. While Exxon mobile claiming that it builds double-hulled tankers is truthful, it is not equitable because many viewers will not be familiar with the debates surrounding double-hulled tankers. The ad assumes that viewers will know the facts about the topic when most of them don't.

The Minimal Definition of "Objectivity"

It is the requirement that journalists divorce fact from opinion.

3-F: What's "product placement" and its alternate term "brand integration"? What happened with cases in Britain and Germany?

It's when products are written into a show or movie in return for money to fund the movie. In Britain and Germany, product placement is illegal.

What's the core difference between journalism and public relations?

Journalism serves the public and its need to know. Public relations serves the client. EX. Journalists will expose a leak of toxic chemicals by Dow Corp. and the effects of that chemical, but Dow's public relations people will try to protect the company's reputation -- for example, by pointing out that Dow reported the leak immediately and did everything it could to keep the leak from spreading.

Yellow Journalism

Journalism that is based upon sensationalism and crude exaggeration. Fabricated stories, etc.

CASE 2-A: Quote Approval Express the dilemma:

Journalist can either choose to not subscribe to quote approval, but lose out on a quote to another journalist, or subscribe to quote approval but risk the ethical misgiving by publishing a quote that isn't accurate.

Journalists in what kind of market are most likely to approve of deception?

Journalists who work in the more competitive markets.

Define "domesticating the foreign"

Journalists working for U.S. media outlets tell stories about international events in cultural terms Americans can readily understand but which also sacrifice accuracy.

How do advertisers use cognitive dissonance?

Knock a customer off balance early in the commerical and then promise restoration of that balance through the purchase of a product. EX. The opening scene of a commercial might suggest that your dandruff is making you a social outcast, and the subsequent copy promises you social approval if you use the correct shampoo.

What's the fundamental motivation for lying?

Lying is a way to get and maintain power. Those in positions of power feel they have the right to lie because they have a greater than ordinary understanding of what is at stake.

Utility Principle

Mill; emphasizes the outcome; The ends justify the means

Difference between Ethics and Morals

Morals are right v. wrong. Ethics are codified rights and wrongs in a profession.

CASE 2-F: Murdoch's Mess What kind of journalistic violations brought down news of the world?

Murdoch hacked into several voicemail accounts of not only high-profile politicians and celebrities, but people involved in high-profile national stories; not only were they hacking into voicemails, but they were tampering with them as well. They hacked into the voicemail of murdered schoolgirl Milly Dower, and tampered with her voicemails in a way that convinced her family that she was still alive. They were also bribing sources.

In the 19th century, the motivation for creating the public relations industry was what?

Newsmakers sought to find a way to get past journalism's gatekeepers to get their stories told; they employed the use of simple press releases and publicity stunts. For the client, PR practicioners offered free access to the audience, and for newsmakers it was a free story.

Strategic Communication

Otherwise known as "the persuasion business." Umbrella term for advertising and public communications.

What the term "eyeballs" means for advertisers

People acting in their roles as consumers

CASE 1-A

Picture of two people, a child and a woman falling from the fire escape, photojournalist won Pulitzer Prize for photographing this moment. One of the girls in the picture ended up falling to her death. (-) -No parental consent in taking picture. -The Boston Herald profited off the death of one of the girls. -The photographer didn't photograph the girls after impact. (+) -However, the picture can shed light and change the way fire escapes are made/inspected. It ended up forcing the city of Boston to improve its fire escapes within the next 24 hours. -The journalist also went to the middle of the action rather than staying in the crowd where he would have missed the opportunity to take the picture.

Horse-Race Metaphors

Political journalism of elections that resembles coverage of horse races because of the focus on polling data, public perception instead of candidate policy, and almost exclusive reporting on candidate differences rather than similarities. "For journalists, the horse-race metaphor provides a framework for analysis. A horse is judged not by its own absolute speed or skill, but rather by its comparison to the speed of other horses, and especially by its wins and losses."

Even the FTC allows ___________________ in advertising but not ______.

Puffery in advertising but not deception.

3-G: Dove's "real beauty" ad campaign was the result of research showing what? The campaign was both praised and criticized for what reasons?

Research showed that out of 3,200 women from many different countries, only 2% considered themselves to be beautiful. It was praised because of its wide representations of women of all colors, shapes and sizes, but was criticised because it was still catering to women's insecurities by trying to sell them products that would supposedly make them more beautiful.

The three drives that marketers go for

SEX, CRAVING AND FEAR

Reporting on scandal is like ______________________________________.

Shooting a fish in a barrel.

Legacy Media

Slang for Web sites that use outdated technology or presentation styles (as in brochureware). It's the opposite of new media.

CASE STUDY 3-B: Why did small businesses sue YELP? What change did YELP later make in favor of such businesses?

Small businesses were suing YELP because of its publishing of false and defamatory statements by users. Later, YELP decided to give businesses the opportunity to publicly respond to YELP reviews.

"Journalists need to engage in reporting that looks more like_________________ than storytelling."

Social science

Solipsism v. Postmodernism

Solipsism is the notion that it's impossible to know anything outside of one's perceptions; postmodernism insist that truth- if it exists at all- is unknowable.

3-H: Who constituted a "captive audience" watching Channel One, and what's the ethical problem?

Students were the captive audience, and the ethical problem is: The schools will be provided with technology under one condition: that they view the Channel One broadcast. In doing this, the students are exposed to two minutes of advertising from the commercials in the broadcast. The problem is that if you don't show the broadcast, you can't have the technology, but if you hvae the technology, you hvae to show the broadcast.

___________________is the best disinfectant.

Sunshine

CASE STUDY 3-A: A congressional investigation into Planned Parenthood triggered what action, and what happened as a result of that action?

The Susan G. Komen organization broke its partnership with Planned Parenthood, even after the investigation did not find anything unethical. Susan G Komen org recieved much criticism, and ended up giving back money to Planned Parenthood. Majority of executives ended up quitting.

What's manufactured news, and several types of pressure that cause it

The drive to package news has led to a methodical approach that values finding an "event" to report and to be there first. The pressures that go along with this are: -deadlines -the need for a powerful story to captivate an audience

Quandary Ethics

The feeling that no best choice is available and that everyone's choice is equally valid.

A student asks, "Well, what's the answer?" The prof rewrites the question how?

The prof asks if she wants the capital-A-Answer or the lowercase-a-answer; he suggests that the answer lie within her after much systematic studying and grappling with the issues.

CASE 2-C: NPR, The New York Times and Working Conditions in China What was the one journalistic mistake?

The show was based extensively on a single source.

What's cognitive dissonance?

The state where a message and an action give conflicting and uncomfortable signals. EX. Think of it as knowing the hazards of smoking but choosing to smoke anyway, setting up a classic brain-action dissonance. The desire to eliminate that dissonance is a strong one-- sometimes strong enough to influence purchasing behavior and voting habits.

CASE 2-E: Springfest at JMU... "The Warzone" Express the dilemma:

The student editor could either relinquish the photos to the chief local prosecutor, thus emboldening future prosecutors to intimidate student journalists, harm The Breeze's journalistic reputation, and discourage important future sources OR refuse to give anything to local authorities and possibly shut down the newsroom, public accusations of shielding criminals, and a long time's worth of court appearances.

The ethical issue with the Joe Camel and budweiser ads?

The tobacco company agreed to withdraw Joe Camel cartoons after documents revealed that the company was targeting underaged smokers. Budweiser has no such ban, and advertising intended for adults is often seen by those who cannot legally drink but do remember the catchy commercials.

What Ad thing did Sao Paulo do in the movie?

They banned all outdoor advertisements.

Define "Symbiotic" in terms of the relationship between journalism and public relations.

They could not live without one another. No news organization is large enough to gather the day's news without a PR organization, while media outlets provide an audience for PR firms.

Describe the perspective of technology as a system of values:

This idea asserts that technology is embedded with values. Technology is, at its core, a system of values that must be understood before any decision to adopt a technology can be made.

Describe the perspective of technology as a room of requirement:

This idea asserts that technology itself raises no ethical issues, but rather the ethical issues arise in how technology is put to use. (Harry Potter's room of requirement... it appears to Harry when he needs a place to train other students for defense against the dark arts, but it also appears to Malfoy as a way to allow death eaters in to Hogwarts to kill Dumbledore.) It is in the intent of the user- not the room itself- that the capacity for the ethical choice lies.

What does TARES stand for?

Truth Authenticity Respectfulness Equity Socially responsible

Correspondance Theory

Truth should correspond to external facts or observations.

Bok's two premises behind her model

Two premises: -We must have empathy for people involved in ethical decisions -maintaining social trust is a fundamental goal

The authors' demonstrate that ethics and science differ in what important way?

While most people believe that science is rigid, unchanging and can provide definitive andswers and ethics as the opposite of that, this idea tends to not take into consideration historical context. Over the centuries, science has changed drastically while ethics and moral theory tends to remain the same. "[Ethics] has the rigor, the systematic quality and the relationship to reality that moderns too often characterize as the exclusive domain of scientific thinking."

Native ad and ethical issues surrounding it

an ad that tries to look like news, also called "sponsored content."publishers are not following guidelines enough to warn readers of sponsored content You have to give the public warning if you're being paid to advertise something

Pack journalism

an emphasis on journalistic excess and an unwillingness to engage in independent thought (group think)

Without ___________ we are nothing.

credibility

Mistakes need to be___________________ or ___________________ and dealt with accordingly.

destigmatized or restigmatized

Neuromarketing

emotional peak, curiosity, fear. Literally f***ing with people's brains to make them more susceptible to advertising.

Don't do anything you wouldn't want to see_________________.

enlarged in a courtroom exhibit.

What's legal isn't always__________, what's ethical isn't always______.

ethical, legal.

Competing duties mentioned in The Pluralistic Theory of Values

fidelity, reparation, gratitude, justice, beneficence, self-improvement, not injuring others.

"Of Markets and Morals": To reflect "the marketing of everything" in American life, the example of free tickets to a Shakespeare play showed that "Those with money move to the __________________."

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