Media Ethics And Law Definitions: Chapter 2

Front 1

Categorical Imperative

Back 1

Theory created by philosopher Immanuel Kant
that states people must act on universalized moral duties, outside of our wishes and
desires and irrespective of the consequences of those actions. Such principles are unconditional, allowing for no exceptions, no fudging, no arguments about close enough will do. They are known and obeyed by all rational humans with an in-born conscience.

Front 2

Ethics of Care

Back 2

Feminist theory based on interdependence of all
individuals for achieving their interests, belief that those vulnerable to choices and their
outcomes deserve extra consideration, and the necessity of attending to the details of the
situation in order to promote the actual specific interests of those involved. The theory
challenges norms of justice, balance and neutrality, claiming that these are perspectives
promulgated by males or the privileged.

Front 3

Justification Models

Back 3

Ethics formulas or decision trees that are to be followed to their logical conclusions. Some examples are Rotary International’s four questions,
Bok’s test of lying, TARES, SPJ’s 10 questions, the Potter Box, and the 5 W’s & H

Front 4

Persons-As-Ends

Back 4

Christian ideology that states we should do unto others as we would have done unto us. Persons are ends in and of themselves, and not merely means to
someone else’s ends.

Front 5

Prima Facie Duties

Back 5

Rules or obligations that make intuitive
sense at first glance or on their face. They play a role in determining what a person ought to do in any ethical situation. Being prima facie, they are subject to being overridden by other duties, i.e., it is a duty to do a certain act if no conflicting act carries a greater duty. These rules are general, deeply rooted and intuitively apparent, according to philosopher W. D. Ross.These rules are general, deeply rooted and intuitively apparent, according
to philosopher W. D. Ross.A list of seven prima facie obligations proposed by Ross: fidelity; reparation; gratitude; non-maleficence; justice, beneficence, and self-improvement.

Front 6

The Potter Box

Back 6

A justification model designed by Dr. Ralph Potter that lays out moral reasoning. It is a series of logical steps to be taken by conscientious people: define
the ethical situation, identify values, inject moral philosophy, and choose whom one is
ultimately loyal to.

Front 7

The TARES Test

Back 7

Model used in public relations and advertising ethics that makes
people ask and answer five questions about the appropriateness of: truthfulness of the
claims made by the persuader, authenticity of the persuader, respect for the persuadee’s
rights, equity of the persuasive appeal, and social responsibility for the wider public
interest rather than self-interest

Front 8

Theory of Justice

Back 8

Theory created by John Rawls; he calls it ―justice as
fairness.‖ It is a method of determining the morality of an issue based upon fairness for
everyone in the situation. The fairness of the original agreement transfers to the principles
agreed to, so that whatever laws or institutions are required by the principles of justice are
also fair. The principles of justice chosen in the original position are in this way the result
of a choice procedure designed to ―incorporate pure procedural justice at the highest
level.