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The article "Revisiting Social Media Ethics: The Impact of Platform Design on Human Solidarity, Expression, and Interaction" delves into the ethical debates surrounding social media, particularly in relation to artificial intelligence development, elections, media literacy, and media ecology. It highlights the significant influence of social media on news consumption, political campaigns, and societal interactions. The article reviews two books that explore the ethical implications of social media design and power, shedding light on issues such as cyberpunishment and the need for a human-centered approach to shaping online spaces. The text provides valuable insights for media ethics scholars, educators, and individuals seeking to critically assess the role of social media in society. [Extracted from the article]

The rapid progress of artificial intelligence (AI) has resulted in its integration into various stages of the media process, including information gathering, processing, and distribution. This integration has raised the possibility of AI dominating the media industry, leading to an era of "autonomous driving" within AI-driven media systems. Similar to the ethical dilemma known as the "trolley problem" (TP) in autonomous driving, a comparable problem arises in AI automated media. This study examines the emergence of the new TP in fully automated AI-driven media (FAAIM), recognizing the complexity of this problem given the nature of media content and its societal impact. To address this complexity, we propose the adoption of the theory of "meaningful human control," originally developed to address responsibility in the governance of lethal autonomous weapons systems, as a framework for governing FAAIM. By ensuring that humans can be held responsible for the operations of FAAIM, this paper aims to proactively confront the ethical challenges arising from FAAIM, identify potential solutions, and guide future research in media ethics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article states that the communicational world consists of four types of entities: 1) those that can suffer but cannot be held responsible for their communicative behavior (e.g. babies and some animals), 2) those that can suffer and can be held responsible for their communicative actions (journalists, teachers, entertainers), 3) those entities that cannot suffer but can be held responsible for their communicative behavior (media organizations, communication technologies, journalism as an institution), and 4) those entities that need to be acted on to minimize the suffering of others (climate, journalism, and potentially all entities). This "theory of moral-communicational status" explains what underlies the needs and obligations of all entities. In particular, it implies that animals should be better taken into account in communication and media ethics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This summary provides an overview of two new books in the field of media ethics. "Teaching Media Ethics" is a resource for educators, emphasizing the importance of ethics education in media and communication. "Anthropological Realism" offers a theoretical framework for global media ethics, challenging existing frameworks and discussing the role of language and interpretation in ethics. The article recommends both books as valuable resources for educators and scholars in the field. Additionally, the summary briefly mentions ethics-related scholarship in other fields such as business, bioethics, and engineering. [Extracted from the article]

In light of a history of an unethical news media system used by the state as an instrument of oppression, media ethics in South Africa is intended to uphold the foundational tenets of journalism and play a pivotal role in addressing issues of diversity, equity, and social justice. Most recently, the 2021 Inquiry into Media Ethics and Credibility report instructed media watchdogs, such as the South African Press Council, to track data concerning ethical breaches based on the potential that such data can contribute to transparency and accountability. This study examines the trends in ethical issues raised in rulings by the South African Press Council (PCSA) over the period 2018–2022. Our analysis found that most of the South African news media publications registered with PCSA have a good track record when it comes to upholding ethical standards. However, a few publications have a disproportionate share of the complaints against them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It should come as no surprise that a music and arts festival dogged by scandal would lead to two separate documentaries that each raise ethical concerns. The 2017 demise of the Fyre Festival, a would-be luxury music event in the Bahamas targeted at millennials, inspired late-night comedians' jokes, social media schadenfreude and so far, two documentaries detailing how things went so wrong. Both films detail the maddening twists and turns during the preparations for the Fyre Festival and make it clear to viewers that it was doomed from the start. Both films also contain potential conflicts of interest that are notable, and notably absent from discussion or clarification in either film. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the rise of movies in India that depict scenes of sexual abuse and rape, often glorifying the acts and portraying them in a detailed and graphic manner. These movies often present rape as a tool for power and ownership, with the perpetrators being the sons of influential and powerful fathers. The article provides examples of such movies and highlights the negative socio-cultural impact they have, perpetuating violence against women and promoting the idea that women desire violence. The authors suggest that stricter filtering and certification by the Indian Censor Board, as well as the adoption of an accepted moral code by the media industry, could address this issue. [Extracted from the article]

This mixed-methods study examines autonomy and shifts in the evolving digital news industry. Autonomous agency of news workers is an essential indicator of how journalism work is fulfilling its role as the Fourth Estate in American democracy. This work responds to calls in media ethics, media sociology and moral ecology to better understand how organizational structure and individual moral psychology factors influence the levels at which digital news workers exhibit autonomy within their digital news organizations. Using participant observation, a unique survey and respondent interviewing, I worked for one year with a digitally native hyper-local news organization to examine how organizational structure, leadership, socialization, and individual factors influenced autonomy levels in the staff. Results found overall high levels of autonomy in the editorial staff, but with many constraints such as financial pressures, perceived lack of time, a high pressure to perform multiple jobs and duties outside of the scope of typical legacy journalism job descriptions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The task of media ethicists is not only to shine a light on the dilemmas facing our field, but also to point out what the moral issues of the day are. Why is it that some cases and issues appear on our radar, in our textbooks, web sites and journals? Using the example of how the problematic nature of the Apu character in The Simpsons escaped the attention of this author and other media ethicists, this essay explores how media ethicists can be better aware of their own blind spots. Given our limited cognitive abilities and unconscious biases, I will argue that media ethicists could potentially benefit from the help of a theoretical media ethics moral machine (MeMorMach), especially in instances where they are unaware of the potential violation of an established norm. But when normative change occurs, such a device would be less useful in tracking this change and alerting them, especially to those adhering to a constructivist meta-ethical framework. The essay concludes with a call for media ethicists to pay attention to and assist so-called moral enquirers, advocates who, through personal engagement, enact normative change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores the opportunities and challenges of using journalistic exemplars in the digital network to explicate intellectual virtues necessary for flourishing in that network. It seeks to advance media ethics theorizing by drawing together exemplar-based virtue theory, specifically Zagzebski's Exemplarist Moral Theory, and work on intellectual virtues, in particular Baehr's delineation of nine intellectual virtues. After a description of theoretical foundations, this article articulates an approach to identifying and explicating intellectual virtues through journalistic exemplars in the digital network. It then applies this approach to the work of two journalists who have frequently and thoughtfully used social media. This exploratory analysis suggests the proposed approach holds promise for explication of individual virtues and identification of patterns among them. The approach also carries challenges and limitations, partly related to the nature and scope of virtual evidence for enactment of virtues by journalists. The authors suggest future research to minimize these limitations and continue advancing theorizing within this framework. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This document is an introduction to a special issue of the Journal of Media Ethics that focuses on the application of moral psychology in media ethics. The issue includes three empirical studies that examine the moral judgment and reasoning of different groups of media professionals. The first study explores the perceptions of ethics and moral reasoning among student journalists, finding that while editors showed higher levels of moral development, reporters did not. The second study examines the moral identity development of emerging adults in media fields, showing significant shifts in moral reasoning and positive assessments of workplace ethical climates. The third study conducts life story interviews with seasoned professionals in public relations, highlighting their moral courage and resilience. The issue concludes with an essay that addresses criticisms of virtue ethics approaches in journalism and suggests ways to improve them. [Extracted from the article]

The Journal of Media Ethics publishes case studies in which scholars and media professionals outline how they would address a particular ethical problem. Cases are drawn from actual experience in newsrooms, corporations, entertainment arenas and other agencies. We invite readers to call our attention to current cases and issues. We also invite suggestions of names of people, both professionals and academicians, who might write commentaries.By Ginny WhitehouseReported by Author [Extracted from the article]

The author discusses resources for teaching and discussing media and journalistic ethics, specifically the books "The Routledge Companion to Journalism Ethics" and "The Handbook of Global Media Ethics," both published during the fall of 2021. Contributions on the topics of moral psychology in media and fake news and public trust in journalism are discussed.

Based on the emerging argument that understandings of digital content comprising both editorial and advertising components require alternative cultures for critical inquiry sufficiently sensitive to the online news environment, this study assesses the professional practice of balancing news and sponsored (commercial) information while focusing on preserving traditional journalism values within the realm of reasoned discussions of media ethics. In this qualitative content analysis study, different forms of sponsored content published in global media digital platforms are examined and inductive content analysis is employed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

What are the ethics of using voices generated by artificial intelligence or "deepfake" technology in documentary film? This case study explores the controversy surrounding the use of AI to reconstruct Anthony Bourdain's voice in the biographical film, Roadrunner. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article from the Journal of Media Ethics explores various media ethics issues from a global perspective. The first article examines the concept of journalistic independence in the United States by studying NFL "in-house" team writers and their balance between journalistic standards and public-relations obligations. The second article discusses the challenge of developing a global media ethical framework that is neither relativistic nor imperialistic, drawing on cultural history to propose flexible norms. The third article focuses on South Africa's system for ethics complaints about news coverage, finding that most news organizations have a good track record. The final article explores the relationship between media technology and education, specifically looking at the ethical concerns surrounding generative AI and its impact on media students. [Extracted from the article]

This essay contributes to the growing project of global media ethics by addressing the pervasiveness of Edward Said's notion of Orientalism and the continued subordination of non-Western countries, movements, and cultures in media and academic discourse. Drawing together the practices of international journalism and cross-cultural academic scholarship, and building from specific examples of the otherization of Arab and Muslim countries and populations, it universally argues the need for journalists and scholars to focus on developing antithetical knowledge about the Other, tied to broader counterhegemonic projects against enduring Orientalism and imperial relationships. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The global turn in media ethics has presented a tough challenge for traditional models of moral theory: How do we assert common moral standards while also showing respect for the values of those from outside the Western tradition? The danger lies in advocating for either extreme: reason-dependent absolutism or cultural relativism. In this paper, I reject Cliff Christian’s attempts to solve the problem and propose instead a moral theory of universal standards that are discovered via a mix of rationally grounded methods. Such universality refutes relativism but, because it is grounded in evolutionary naturalism and life-world philosophy—as opposed to a Kantian or theological transcendentalism—it also avoids absolutism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An introduction to articles published within the issue is presented on media ethics-related topics including gender inequity in news, child-targeted marketing and the use of fake names by journalists to protect themselves.

Media organizations engaging in journalistic production face ethical challenges that concern business ethics as much as journalism ethics. This article studies expectations of responsibility for media organizations that engage in journalistic production and assesses them from the viewpoint of sector-specific corporate responsibility. The data are obtained from interviews with Finnish nongovernmental organization experts who work closely with media issues. Of the three positive and three negative expectation themes identified, audience enabling was associated with most confidence. Audience enabling deals with the impacts of media products and social connectivity that links media organizations (as businesses) into larger societal processes and issues. It is concluded that without the synchronization of journalism ethics and business ethics, it can be difficult to address complex corporate responsibility issues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study used a controlled experiment to see if moving images can improve moral judgment the same way that still images have in previous research. It found that watching a video only once caused participants' reasoning about ethical issues to decline significantly compared with those who saw a still photograph. This adds to the mounting evidence that still images elevate the quality of reasons used to make ethical decisions. The media have the power to not only set the public's agenda but also to shape ethical decision making regarding how citizens solve problems in society. In order to help audiences think more ethically about issues in the news, using still photographs is better than showing video, especially when stories are ethically charged, and improved ethical thinking can help achieve a more just society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ubuntu has been described as an African moral philosophy that finds actions grounded on good will to be right if they promote shared identity. I contend that freedom of expression is consistent with ubuntu. Freedom of expression enables people to be the most they can be, enabling the establishment of communities in which people can live together harmoniously. With reference to the violent South African society, the study examines broadcast media violence that may harm children to draw new insights concerning the moral philosophy of ubuntu, media practice, and media literacy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, I address some central issues in journalism ethics from a fresh perspective, namely, one that is theoretical and informed by values salient in sub-Saharan Africa. Drawing on a foundational moral theory with an African pedigree, which is intended to rival Western theories such as Kantianism and utilitarianism, I provide a unified account of an array of duties of various agents with respect to the news/opinion media. I maintain that the ability of the African moral theory to plausibly account for issues such as proper content, investigative ethics, and freedom of speech means that it should be taken seriously by media ethicists and merits being paired up against competing approaches in future work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers information on the journal edition's Case and Commentaries which was developed in collaboration with the Center for Media Engagement at the University of Texas at Austin.

An introduction is presented in which the author discusses topics within the issue on the topics of media ethics.