On this page:
General
Course text:
Kieran, Matthew. Media ethics : a philosophical approach. Praeger Publishers, 1997. (Available online)
A useful collection of articles, that you are strongly recommended to read (incl. for tutorials), is:
Kieran, Matthew (ed.). Media ethics. Routledge, 1998. (Available online)
Readings by topic
** = Strongly recommended
* = Recommended
Media Ethics and Ethical Journalism
** Kieran Media ethics : a philosophical approach (1997), ch.1.
**Belsey, Andrew. ‘Journalism and ethics: can they coexist?’, in Kieran (ed.) Media ethics (1998), ch.1
* Belsey and Chadwick, "Ethics and Politics of the Media" in Belsey and Chadwick (eds.), Ethical issues in journalism and the media (London: Routledge, 1992), pp. 1-14.
* Klaidman and Beauchamp, The virtuous journalist (New York: O.U.P., 1987), Chapter 1, pp. 3-29.
* Lambeth, Edmund, Committed journalism : an ethic for the profession (Bloomongton: Indiana University Press, 1992), Chapters 1-5.
* Daniel, “Some Conflicting Assumptions of Journalistic Ethics” in E.D. Cohen (ed.), Philosophical issues in journalism, (New York: O.U.P., 1992), 50-58.
Aibel, Robert, "Ethics and Professionalism in Documentary Film-Making’ in Gross et al (eds.), Image ethics : the moral rights of subjects in photographs, film, and television (New York: O.U.P., 1988), pp. 108-118.
Raymond Snoddy, The good, the bad and the unacceptable : the hard news about the British press (London: Faber, 1992), chapter 2.
Saul E. Wisnia, “Private Grief, Public Exposure” in Impact of mass media : current issues, ed. Hiebert, 3rd ed., (NY: Longman, 1995), 113-118.
News and the Goal of Journalism
** Kieran Media ethics : a philosophical approach (1997), Ch.2.
* O'Neill, John, "Journalism in the market place" in Belsey and Chadwick (eds.), Ethical issues in journalism and the media (London: Routledge, 1992), pp. 15-32.
* Klaidman and Beauchamp, The virtuous journalist (New York: O.U.P., 1987), Chapter 2, pp. 30-58.
* Morson, Benny, "The Significant Facts" in Philosophical issues in journalism, E.D. Cohen (ed.), (New York: O.U.P., 1992), pp. 22-33.
* Halberstam, Joshua, "A Prolegomenon for a Theory of News" in Philosophical issues in journalism, E.D. Cohen (ed.), (New York: O.U.P., 1992), pp. 11-21.
Weaver, Paul, News and the culture of lying (New York: Macmillan, 1994), esp. chapter 1.
Curran, James, "Rethinking the media as a public sphere" in Dahlgren and Sparks (eds.), Communication and citizenship : journalism and the public sphere (London: Routledge, 1991)
McNair, Brian, News and journalism in the UK : a textbook (London: Routledge, 1994), Ch.1
Fiske, John, Television culture (London: Routledge, 1987), chapter 15.
Impartiality, Objectivity
** Kieran Media ethics : a philosophical approach (1997), Ch.3.
** Kieran, Matthew. ‘Objectivity, impartiality and god journalism’, in Kieran (ed.) Media ethics (1998), ch.3
* Kieran, Matthew “News Reporting and the Ideological Presumption”, Journal of communication., Vol. 47, 1997, pp. 79-96.
* Edgar, Andrew, "Objectivity, bias and truth" and Hanlin, B, "Owners, editors and journalists" in Belsey and Chadwick (eds.), Ethical issues in journalism and the media (London: Routledge, 92).
* Abramson, Jeffrey, "Four criticisms of press ethics" in Lichtenberg (ed.), Democracy and the mass media : a collection of essays (New York: C.U.P., 1990), pp. 229-268.
* Klaidman and Beauchamp, The virtuous journalist (New York: O.U.P., 1987), Chapter 3, pp. 59-92.
* Gans, Herbert, "Multiperspectival News", Smoller, Fred, "Network News Coverage of the Presidency" and Stocking and Gross, "Understanding Errors and Biases that can affect Journalists" in Philosophical issues in journalism, E.D. Cohen (ed.), (New York: O.U.P., 1992.)
* Judith Lichtenberg, "In Defence of Objectivity Revisited", in Curran and Gurevitch (eds.), 2nd ed., Mass media and society (London: Arnold, 1996), pp. 225-242.
McNair, Brian “Journalism and the critique of objectivity” in his News and journalism in the UK : a textbook (London: Routledge, 1994), pp. 22-38.
Meyer, Phillip “The Objectivity Issue” in his Ethical journalism : a guide for students, practitioners, and consumers
Chomsky, N., Necessary illusions : thought control in democratic societies (London: Pluto, 1989)
Fiske, John, Television culture (London: Routledge, 1987), chapter 4 and chapter 15.
Fiske, John, Media matters : race and gender in U.S. politics (Minneaplois: University of Minnesota Press, 1994).
Philo, Greg, Seeing and believing : the influence of television (London: Routledge, 1990), Chapter 7
Lies, Deceit, Bias
** Kieran Media ethics : a philosophical approach (1997), Ch.4.
* Klaidman and Beauchamp, The virtuous journalist (New York: OUP, 1987), Chapters 6-7, pp. 154-209.
* Jackson, J, "Honesty in investigative journalism" and Harris, N, "Codes of conduct for journalists” in Belsey & Chadwick (eds.), Ethical issues in journalism and the media (London: Routledge, 1992)
* Daniel, Stephen, "Conflicting Assumptions of Journalistic Ethics" in Philosophical issues in journalism, E.D. Cohen (ed.), (New York: O.U.P., 1992), pp. 50-58.
* Klaidman and Beauchamp, The virtuous journalist (New York: O.U.P., 1987), Chapter 4, pp. 93-125.
* Meyer, Philip, "The Reporter's Refusal to Testify" in Philosophical issues in journalism, E.D. Cohen (ed.), (New York: O.U.P., 1992), pp. 110-124.
* Donnell, Franklin, "What can Philosophy do for a Journalist?" in E.D. Cohen (ed.) Philosophical issues in journalism, pp. 264-269.
Bok, Sissela, Secrets : on the ethics of concealment and revelation (Oxford: O.U.P., 1982), "Gossip", pp. 89-101 and 249-253.
Bok, Sissela, Secrets : on the ethics of concealment and revelation (Oxford: O.U.P., 1982), "Reporters in Disguise", pp. 259-264.
Bok, Lying : moral choice in public and private life (Hassocks: Harvester, 1978)
Dworkin, Ronald, "The Farber Case: Reporters and Informers" in his A matter of principle (Oxford: O.U.P. 1985), pp. 373-380.
Christians, Fackler and Rotzoll (eds.), “Reporters and Sources” in their Media ethics : cases & moral reasoning
McNair, Brian, News and journalism in the UK : a textbook (London: Routledge, 1994), Chapter 8, pp. 143-159.
Weaver, Paul, News and the culture of lying (New York: Macmillan, 1994), esp. chapter 1.
Wisnia, 'Private Grief, Public Exposure' and R. Baker, 'Truth, Lies and Videotape' in R. Hiebert, Impact of mass media : current issues (NY: Longman, 1995)
Imagery and compassion fatigue
S. D. Moeller, Compassion fatigue : how the media sell disease, famine, war and death (New York: Routledge, 1998).
Privacy
** Kieran, Matthew Media ethics : a philosophical approach (Westport, Conn: Praeger, 1997), Chapter 4.
** Archard, David. ‘Privacy, the public interest and a prurient public’, in Kieran (ed) Media ethics (1998), ch.7.
** Belsey, Andrew, "Privacy, publicity and politics" in Belsey and Chadwick (eds.), Ethical issues in journalism and the media (London: Routledge, 1992).
*Midgley, Mary, ‘The problem of humbug’, in Kieran (ed) Media ethics (1998): ch.4.
Franklin & Pilling. ‘Taming the tabloids: market, moguls and media regulation’, in Kieran (ed) Media ethics (1998), pp.111-122.
* Klaidman and Beauchamp, The virtuous journalist (New York: O.U.P., 1987)
* Parent, W.A., "Privacy, Morality and the Law" in Philosophical issues in journalism, E.D. Cohen (ed.), (New York: O.U.P., 1992), pp. 92-109.
* J. B. Abramson, “Four Criticisms of Press Ethics”, in Democracy and the mass media : a collection of essays (N.Y.: Cambridge University Press, 1990).
* Gross, H, "The Right to Privacy” & Jarvis Thomson, J, "The Right to Privacy" in Beauchamp & Pinkard (eds.), Ethics and public policy : an introduction to ethics (New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, 1983), pp. 25-33, 34-50.
* Lambeth, Edmund, Committed journalism : an ethic for the profession (Bloomongton: Indiana University Press, 1992)
Christians, Fackler, Rotzoll (eds.), Media ethics : cases & moral reasoning, 4th ed., (New York: Longman, 1995), “Invasion of Privacy”.
* Warren and Brandeis, ‘The right to privacy’ in Beauchamp and Pinkard (eds.), Ethics and public policy : an introduction to ethics (New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, 1983
Bok, Sissela, Secrets : on the ethics of concealment and revelation (Oxford: OUP, 1982), "Gossip", pp.89-101 & ‘Investigative Journalism’, pp.249-259.
Mill, J.S., On liberty (Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1982), Chapter 4
Wisnia, ‘Private Grief, Public Exposure’ and R. Baker, ‘Truth, Lies and Videotape’ in R. Hiebert, Impact of mass media : current issues (NY: Longman, 1995)
Ferdinand D. Schoeman (ed.), Philosophical dimensions of privacy : an anthology (Cambridge: C.U.P., 1984)
Sex and Sexuality in the Media
**Kieran (1997) Media ethics : a philosophical approach, Ch.5.
**Graham, Gordon. ‘Sex and violence in fact and fiction’, in Kieran (ed) Media ethics (1998), ch.12.
* Williams, Bernard, Report of the Committee on Obscenity and Film Censorship (London: H.M.S.O., 1979)
Stratford, Theresa, "Women and the Press" in Belsey and Chadwick (eds.), Ethical issues in journalism and the media (London: Routledge, 1992)
MacKinnon, Catherine, Only words (Oxford: O.U.P., 1995)
Dworkin, Andrea, “Pornography and Grief” in her Letters from a war zone (London: Secker and Warburg).
Easton, Susan, The problem of pornography : regulation and the right to free speech (London: Routledge, 1995)
Fiske, John, Television culture (London: Routledge, 1987), chapters 10 and 12.
Strossen, Nadine, Defending pornography : free speech, sex, and the fight for women's rights (London: Abacus, 1996)
Nagel, Thomas, "Sexual Perversion" in his Mortal questions (C.U.P., 1979)
Scruton, Roger, "Fantasy, Imagination and the Screen" in his The aesthetic understanding : essays in the philosophy of art and culture (Manchester: Carcanet, 1983), pp. 127-137
Kaplan, E. Ann, "Feminist Criticism and Television" in Robert C. Allen (ed.), Channels of discourse reassembled : television and contemporary criticism (London: Routledge, 1992)
K. Soothill and Sylvia Walby, Sex crime in the news (London: Routledge, 1991)
Violence in the Media
**Kieran (1997), Media ethics : a philosophical approach Ch.6.
**Graham, Gordon. ‘Sex and violence in fact and fiction’, in Kieran (ed) Media ethics (1998), ch.12.
* Williams, Bernard, Report of the Committee on Obscenity and Film Censorship (London: H.M.S.O., 1979)
Barker, Martin, "Sex, Violence and Videotape" in Sight and sound., vol. 3, no. 5, May 1993, pp. 10-12.
Section IX, ‘Sex, Crime and Violence’ in R. Hiebert, Impact of mass media : current issues (NY: Longman, 1995)
Carroll, Noel, The philosophy of horror, or, paradoxes of the heart (N.Y.: Routledge, 1990), pp. 159-194.
Hodge and Tripp, Children and television : a semiotic approach (Oxford: Polity Press, 1986), Chapter 7.
Gunter, Dimensions of television violence (Aldershot: Gower, 1985)
Singer and Singer, Television, imagination, and aggression : a study of preschoolers (Erlbaum, 1981), Chs 6 and 9.
Dewe Matthews, Tom, Censored (London: Chatto and Windus)
Free Speech, Censorship and the Public Interest
** Kieran (1997), Media ethics : a philosophical approach ch.7.
**Ellis, Anthony. ‘Censorship and the meida’, in Kieran (ed) Media ethics (1998), ch.13.
* Williams, Bernard, Report of the Committee on Obscenity and Film Censorship (London: H.M.S.O., 1979)
* Burnet, David, "Freedom of speech, the media and the law" in Belsey and Chadwick (eds.), Ethical issues in journalism and the media (London: Routledge, 1992).
* Dworkin, Ronald, "Is the Press Losing the First Amendment?" in Beauchamp and Pinkard (eds.), Ethics and public policy : an introduction to ethics (New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, 1983), pp. 25-33, 34-50 (also in his A matter of principle (Oxford: O.U.P. 1985), pp. 381-397).
* Gilbert, Paul, "The oxygen of publicity: terrorism and reporting restrictions" in Belsey&Chadwick (eds.), Ethical issues in journalism and the media (London: Routledge, 1992).
* Andre, Judith, "Censorship: some distinctions" in Philosophical issues in journalism, E.D. Cohen (ed.), (New York: O.U.P., 1992), pp. 77-84.
* Scanlon, Thomas, "A Theory of Freedom of Expression", in Beauchamp and Pinkard (eds.), Ethics and public policy : an introduction to ethics (Englewood Cliffs: Prentice-Hall, 1983), pp. 97-106.
* O'Neill, "Practices of Toleration" in Lichtenberg (ed.), Democracy and the mass media : a collection of essays, CUP, 90), pp155-85.
* Klaidman and Beauchamp, The virtuous journalist (New York: O.U.P., 1987), Chapter 5, pp. 126-153.
* Williams, Kevin, "Something more important than the truth" in Belsey and Chadwick (eds.), Ethical issues in journalism and the media (London: Routledge, 1992).
* Plato, The Republic Book X which is included in, amongst other places, O’Neill and Ridely (eds.), The philosophy of art : readings ancient and modern esp. pp. 480-487.
* Sorrell, ‘Art, Society & Morality’ in O. Hanfling (ed), Philosophical aesthetics : an introduction (London: Blackwell, 92)
* "Moral Enforcement" and "Paternalism" Sections (articles by Devlin, Hart, Dworkin and Beauchamp) in Beauchamp & Pinkard (eds.), Ethics and public policy : an introduction to ethics (Prentice-Hall, 1983), pp. 51-96.
Mill, J.S., On liberty (Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1982), Chapter 2.
Bok, Sissela, Secrets : on the ethics of concealment and revelation (Oxford: O.U.P., 1982), "The Public's Right to Know", 253-258.