Media Ethics: Meaning, Concept and Codes
Published by Emil Abraham,
The word ‘Ethics’ stems from the term ‘ethos’, which for Aristotle, was "the speaker’s personal character when the speech is so spoken as to make us think him credible." Ethics is concerned with principles and ideas that regulate an individual’s behavior.
The Macquarie Dictionary defines ethics as, "A system of moral principles by which human actions and proposals may be judged good or bad or right or wrong." The Webester’s New Collegiate Dictionary defines ethics as "a set of principles... conforming to accepted professional standards of conduct."
Another definition of ethics is, "A set of standards by which a particular group decides to regulate its behavior — to distinguish between what is legitimate or acceptable in pursuit of their aims and what is not."
Ethics refers to principles that define behavior as right, good and proper. Such principles do not always dictate a single "moral" course of action, but provide a means of evaluating and deciding among competing options.
Ethics: Meaning and Concept
The concepts of ethics is very subjective and relative, therefore it would be relevant to look at the theories which can be considered to determine correct media behavior. Basically three efficient theories that are consistently employed to determine media behavior are:
- Consequentialism
- Utilitarianism
- Deontology
Consequentialism:
This theory suggests that the ethical value of an action should be determined on its consequences. Consequentiality theories concentrate only on the outcome of an action without considering about the means, i.e. how the consequences came about. Hence, all actions should be considered as of their possible outcomes before being executed. The consequences of an action can be judged from two perspectives: Ethical Egoism13 and Ethical Altruism14.
Ethical Egoism does not reflect a cohesive social model as such actions can harm others while Ethical Altruism holds those actions that benefit others and can be considered good.
Utilitarianism:
Utilitarianism theory is applicable to the media as it considers the betterment of society at large. It considers ethical as that which is designed to create the greatest good for the maximum numbers. Mahatma Gandhi’s concept of Sarvodaya15 talks about the welfare of all and reflects the utilitarian theory. However, Gandhi’s Sarvodaya1 was not a utilitarian because he realized that the utilitarian objective of satisfying many people was not a sufficiently ethical model. Gandhi was of an opinion that asked why the well-being of the minority should be of any less value than that of the majority or why the welfare of certain people should be sacrificed. There are many arguments against consequentialism and the utilitarian theories of ethics.
The utilitarian approach encourages responsible and thoughtful behavior. Although it is possible to make mistakes in judgment, it is advisable to invest time in considering all the possible outcomes of a certain action, to determine whether the overall good is greater than the negative consequences.
Deontology:
Deontology concentrates on a person’s duty as a means to determine appropriate action. Kant is believed to be the most famous follower of this theory. He was of the opinion that it was the pretention behind an action that rendered it ethical or unethical. Kant felt that there was only one virtue which was good without qualification: goodwill. Actions inspired by goodwill are done out of respect for moral law and duty. Kant’s categorical perspective- Will to act well out of duty- has three important guidelines:
- An agent should be motivated by the principle, which he would be happy to see as a universal maxim.
- Always treat people as an end in themselves and not just a means.
- Act as if you were the law maker in the kingdom of ‘End’. (Kant, 1785)
Ethics vs. Journalistic Principles
Principles of journalism deal with how news should be got from various
sources and reported. Ethics are the moral principles involved in news
reporting and coverage.
Code of Ethics
A journalist needs to have certain moral principles to be followed in his/her
profession which could be termed 'professional ethics'. Ethics could not be
forced on anyone but each professional "Codes of Ethics" or "Codes of
Conduct" can be seen as rules of practice, or an ethical framework, in respect
to a certain category of human actions. Ethical guidelines are peculiar to each
profession and are designed to prevent the abuse or unrestrained use of the
powers and privileges of that profession. Ethics tend to be codified into a
formal system or set of rules which are explicitly adopted by a group of
people. Many newspapers in India have formulated their own code of ethics
for their employees to follow.
Gone are the days when journalism was considered to be an idealistic
profession and pen's mightiness over sword was well-maintained. Now the
journalists as well as the society has accepted that journalism is just another
profession and media organizations are considered to be business ventures
who compete with each other to win the race and be ahead in ratings. The
rising popularity of electronic media and their giving utmost importance to
entertainment aspect has paved the way for this sort of unhealthy competition.
Even in such a scenario, some basic ethical considerations need to be
kept in mind by the journalists.
Objectivity: A newspaper or channel might be having affiliation
towards a particular political party or a business group. But, in news
reporting, such priorities of the media organizations should not get reflected.
Also, the reporter of a news item should also be careful that his individualistic
opinions should not form part of the report. On the whole, views and news
need always to be separated if objectivity has to be maintained by the
journalists.
Conflict of interests: When there is a conflict of interests, i.e. when
public interest and the interest of a particular media organization may not go
hand in hand in certain instances. Still, priority needs to be given to the
public interest and not business interests.
Crass commercialism: Crass commercialism must be avoided, i.e., indulging in unfair practices like obscene scenes, pictures and writings must be totally given up. That such portrayal would spoil the mind of the youngsters and children should be kept in the mind by the media.
Sensationalism: Sensationalising the events/happenings needs to be
avoided by an ethical journalist. Especially in times of communal clashes and
disasters there is a rush and anxiety among the people to know the latest news. Instead of cashing on such expectations, media should see to it that the
reporting should be in such a way that it does not aggravate the clashes or create unnecessary fear in minds of the people about a disaster. The temptation to give the latest news and be ahead in the ratings need to be
overcome by the concern for societal order.
Privacy: It is true that sources are needed for breaking news but at the
time their privacy also should be respected and safeguarded and should
not be taken for granted by media.
Obscenity: Extreme care must be taken by journalists that obscene
words and depiction are avoided especially while reporting crime and
involving women.
Bribes/Gifts: Not accepting bribes/gifts, even when voluntarily given,
is the norm of an ethical journalist.
Not just the journalists, but each and everybody involved in media
business right from advertisers, marketing department and non-working
journalists need to follow ethics if media ethics need to be safeguarded.
Principles are the guidelines when values are translated for behavioral adjustments. For example, honesty, is translated to tell the truth, don’t deceive, be candid, keep the promise, possess not what is not due etc. Thus, principles are "dos" and "don’ts" that arise out of the values.
Ethics is involved in putting principles into action. Consistency between what we say we value and what our actions say we value is a matter of integrity.
Ethics is also about self-restraint:
- Not doing what you have the power to do.
- Not doing what you have the right to do.
- Not doing what you want to do.
Advantages of being ethical:
- Inner harmony and peace.
- Social Approval and respect
- Integral social development
Obstacles to be ethical
Priority to personal advantage than common good
1. Sarvodaya means ‘universal uplift’ or ‘progress of all’