Media Ethics at Work: True Stories from Young Professionals, 4th Edition
Product Details
Author(s): Lee Anne Peck
ISBN: 9781684785933
Edition:
Copyright: 2025
Available Formats
Format: GRLContent (online access)
$80.49
Overview of
Media Ethics at Work: True Stories from Young Professionals, 4th Edition
This book presents stories of young people who had to wrestle with an ethical dilemma at the beginning of their careers in the news or persuasion media. By following along as these young media professionals make their choices, you’ll begin to understand how to ask yourself questions, envision alternatives and justify the decisions you make.
All the stories in the book are true. The authors of the chapters know the individuals involved and have interviewed them to get details on what they thought and did as they tried to resolve their ethical dilemma. We had hoped to use real names throughout the book, and about half the chapters do use them. However, ethical issues involve debate and controversy, and sometimes it’s not possible to tell a complex story from one person’s point of view without making others look bad in ways that may not be fair.
Because the problems encountered by the young professionals in the book — including dishonesty, bias, sensationalism and conflict of interest — could happen in any media workplace, you’ll find the chapters organized not by profession but by types of issues. Even if you don’t plan to be a public relations practitioner, you can learn from the situations a PR professional encounters and how he or she handles them. Plus, it always helps to get acquainted with the tasks done in other professions as you enter the working world.
The pace of change in today’s media means that when ethical issues arise, even your boss may not be sure what to do. Each professional is the architect of his or her own credibility, and each individual’s credibility is key to establishing the credibility of the media as a whole. If you can build your ethical framework on sound theory and moral reasoning, you won’t instantly know what to do about every situation that develops, but you’ll be agile enough and confident enough to reason through it.
About the Author
Lee Anne Peck
Lee Anne Peck, Ph.D. is professor emerita of journalism and media studies at University of Northern Colorado, Greeley. She currently teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in media ethics by special appointment for COlorado State University, Fort Collins. Lee Anne Peck's professional experience began in the 1970's; she continues to freelance and has worked for both online and print news organizations.
Her doctoral degree from Ohio University is in Journamism Ethics; her dissertation examined the effects of one media ethics course on students' ethical decision-making abilities. Peck's masters degree in philosoghy is also from Ohio University. Her thesis, "Foolproof or Foolhardy? Ehical Theory in Beginning Reporting Texts," examined the worthiness of minimal explanations of theory in the textbooks. Peck also has a Master's degree in English (Colorado State University) and in Mass Communication (University of South Florida). Her B.A. is in technical journalism (CSU).
Table of Contents
Section I: FOUNDATIONS
- Chapter 1: Tools for Ethical Decision-Making
- Chapter 2: The Morally Developed Media Professional
Section II: HONESTY/TRANSPARENCY
- Chapter 3: Real Estate Boasting: The Case of the False Figures
- TOPICS: Job Research, Public Relations, Cross Cultural Ethics, Corporate Honesty
- Chapter 4: The Importance of Fact Checking: The Case of the Self-Plagiarist
- TOPICS: Plagiarism, Ethics of Duty, Freelance Work, Reuse of Works
- Chapter 5: Sins of Omission: The Case of the Not-So-Free Pet Party
- TOPICS: Advertising False Information, Conflicting with Management, Leaving a Company
- Chapter 6: Focus Group Dilemma: The Case of the Threatening VP
- TOPICS: Accountability in Market Research, Dealing with Others' Unethical Behavior: Working with consultants, Seeing the Bigger Picture
- Chapter 7: OMG! This Band Is SOOOO G8! The Case of the Phony Teenager
- TOPICS: Online Deception, Social Media, Protecting the Vulnerable, Standing Up for One's Beliefs
- Chapter 8: Fair Use or Not? The Case of the "Stolen" Media Video
- TOPICS: Video Work, Sports, Digital Images, Digital Plagiarism, Fair Use, Immanuel Kant, Copyright
- Chapter 9: Behind Closed Doors: The Case of the Not-So-Principled Board
- TOPICS: Public Meetings, The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), Social Construction, University Politics, Society of Professional Journalist’s Mandate to Seek the Truth and Report it, Student Publications
- Chapter 10: Along Came a Better Offer: Two Cases of Job-Hunting Ethics
- TOPICS: Patience, Transparency About What You’re Doing, Job Search Honestly
- Chapter 11: Solo Judgment Calls: The Case of the One-Person “TV Crew”
- TOPICS: Re-creating Moments, Manipulating Shots, Using Video Handout Material, Developing/Maintaining Standards While Working Alone
Section III: EMPATHY/SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY
- Chapter 12: Sensitivity and Social Media: The Case of the Student Death
- TOPICS: Seeking Information from Social Media, Damage Control After a Mistake, Ethics of Care, Students Publications
- Chapter 13: The White Noise: Blogging and Ethics in Immersion Journalism
- TOPICS: The Balance Between Ethics and Protecting Sources, Working with Vulnerable Populations, Friendship with Sources
- Chapter 14: When Privacy Outweighs the Public’s Right to Know: The Case of the Rape Victim
- TOPICS: Deciding Whether to Identify a Victim, Shaping Stories to Avoid Identifying Rape Victims, Weighing a Journalist’s Duties to the Public and to the Victim
- Chapter 15: When PR Calls the Shots: The Case of Reporting During the Pandemic
- TOPICS: Journalism and Public Relations Priorities and Relationships, Sourcing, Fake News, Accuracy
- Chapter 16: Please Don’t Use the Video: The Case of the Fatal Accident
- TOPICS: Minimizing Harm, Victims and Families, Trials, Using Provocative Video, Sensitivity to Stakeholders, Responding to Competition
- Chapter 17: Identifying Suspects: The Case of the Waco Gunfight
- TOPICS: Releasing Names, Violent Crime, Competition, Sensitivity to Family
- Chapter 18: Interviewing Vulnerable Sources: The Case of Human Trafficking
- TOPICS: Investigative Reporting, Human Trafficking, LGBTQ Considerations, Re-traumatization, Compassion
Section IV: COURAGE/INDEPENDENCE
- Chapter 19: Confronting Others' Violations: The Case of the Manipulated Photo
- TOPICS: Photojournalism, Photo Manipulation, Freelance Work, Sports, Potter Box, National Press Photographers Association
- Chapter 20: Friend of the Victim: The Case of the Murdered Student
- TOPICS: University Crime, Conflict of Interest, Public Figures, Handling Trauma on the Job
- Chapter 21: You Sent Me What?! The Case of Sexual Harassment at an Internship
- TOPICS: Socratic Method, Harassment, Title IX, Provocative Behavior, Sports, Photography, Marketing
- Chapter 22: Advertiser Pressure: The Case of the School Lunches
- TOPICS: Advertising / Business pressure, Appointment Viewing, Killing Stories
- Chapter 23: Prior Restraint: The Case of "See Below the Fold"
- TOPICS: Administrative Meddling, Loopholes, Private Schools, Student Publications
- Chapter 24: Face to Face with the Facts: The Case of the Disagreeing Sources
- TOPICS: Comprehensive Reporting, Safety, Outside Expertise, Public Programs, Bok’s Test of Publicity
- Chapter 25: On the Record or Off? The Case of the Cranky Professor
- TOPICS: Academic Professionalism, Sources Backtracking, Difficult Sources Public Figures, News Judgement, Bok’s Test of Publicity, Society of Professional Journalists Code of Ethics, Speaking on the Record
- Chapter 26: Giving Voice to the Voiceless: The Case of Telling the Story of the "Other"
- TOPICS: Public or Private information, Social and Economic inequalities, Seeking Diverse Sources, Being the "Other"
Section V: OPEN-MINDEDNESS/VIRTUOUS AI
- Chapter 27: Progress at a Price? The Case of Potential Job Loss
- TOPICS: Artificial Intelligence, New Technologies, Advertising, Creatives
- Chapter 28: An Artificial Interview: The Case of You Used What as A News Source?!
- TOPICS: Artificial Intelligence, Fake News, Journalism Ethics