Media Ethics, Accountability Systems, media, journalism, communication studies, political science and sociology
This paper will show that the role of ethics determining the content of media outlets is dependent on social demands. Ethics are present in every social function. They dictate the modes of communication and their application based on the propriety and social structures. Media ethics are a specific code of conduct for media personalities and they dictate the parameters of reporting as well as the important forces affecting the reporting process. Media personalities have to consider the ethical considerations and implications of reported material and context to the society.
Literature review shows that the role of ethical practice is central in journalist training and social responsibilities of the media. The role of media ethics is determined by objectivity in media reporting, political forces acting on the media and relevance of new articles or other material to the target audience. The role of the society in determining the concept of material in the media dictates that social forces are a big factor in evaluation of media ethics. All the forces acting on the media shape the services provided by the media. Therefore, ethical considerations have a limited influence on what is sold by media outlets.
The ethical role of the media is present in the fields of journalism, communication studies, political science and sociology. It explores the role of people in respecting the ethical considerations of a society in selecting communication models or in selecting articles for presentation in the news (Christians, 2008). For example, it is important to present appropriate content in televisions because children often watch televisions without supervision.
[...] Nevertheless, personal differences affect direction and efforts of journalist and therefore have an important bearing on ethical considerations in the media(Bertrand, 2000). Therefore, personal attributes are an important aspect of measuring the role of ethics in the media. Political forces There are cases where the media is controlled by the state. One of the key ethical roles of the media is to retain objectivity and report to the society. However, political controls inhibit the ability of the media to fulfill ethical obligations. [...]
[...] For example, the demands of the target audience define the direction of a media house. The society has a big role to play in determining the nature of media content provided the government policies do not affect the screening process. Therefore, media ethics is a function of the specific demands of the society. The changes in outlook merely reflect the evolution of the society since the media is driven by social demands that create economic opportunities. References Alia, V. (2004). Media ethics and social change. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press. Bertrand, C. [...]
[...] The implication is that the media has a duty to report accurately and objectively because the reports affect political leadership. However, existing regulatory laws considerably limit the ethical considerations. For example, there are governments that control the information passed to the people by the media, hence the role of media ethics in the field of political science. In sociology, the role of the media and its ethical considerations are present in the role of the media in a community, both as a source of information and influence on the children development process. For example. [...]
[...] However, omitting facts or presentation of facts in a certain manner skews the opinion of the public(Alia, 2004). Therefore, the media has the ability to affect the attitudes of the readers by directing their judgments. For this reason, the aspect of ethical journalism is important in evaluating the ethical function of the media. The implication of the role of the media in directing the attitudes of the society therefore raises a need for a certain element of ethical considerations. In contemporary societies, the media has taken an appearance of business entities. [...]
[...] Therefore, the emphasis shifts from ethics and propriety to demand. It is important to consider the role business models of the media because they are the biggest influence on content. They measure the degree of media obligation based on the monetary returns derived from the obligations (Bertrand, 2000). Media ethics is aligned to all the metrics used to measures its validity and presence. It is important for the media to pay attention to all the metric because they affect the quality and ethics present in a media presentation. [...]
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