Summary media law and ethics-1

MEDIA LAW AND ETHICS LECTURE 1 WEEK 1


 Media Law = is an established field of expertise in law

o Functional approach to the law

 Media ethics = duties and responsibilities for those working in the field


LAW & ETHICS



-external -self-imposed


- Law is enforceable, and often represents minimum standards
- Ethics is not enforceable, and ethical rules sets above the minimum


Reading: Theoretical Foundations for Media Ethics, John C. Merrill

 From book ‘Controversies in Media Ethics’ (2011)

 Fields such as journalism and mass communication cannot be considered
ethical or unethical, but the workers in the media can

oMedia ethics = the standards media people have and the
kinds of actions that they take

oAverage person working in media field Ethics is an
important concern

oProfessional ethics courses exist for different fields such
as business, law, medicine, journalism…

 Ethical concern is fundamental in media so that the media person is forced to
make commitments and thoughtful decisions

 The author states that although concern with media ethics is growing, is still
underdeveloped