A Personal Code of Ethics
“The Medium is the Message”
Marshall McLuhan, professor, philosopher, and the grandfather of media theory, once uttered the now famous phrase, “The medium is the message.” This of course is in reference to how the medium in which a creator disperses content is considered just as important as the created content itself. During the first televised debates between John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon, the public’s reaction alternated wildly depending on whether they watched on television, the Yellow journalism wouldn’t have thrived as it did without printed journalism, and Orson Welles production of the War of the Worlds would not have been as spectacular as it was if her hadn’t used the medium of the radio.
But these days, …show more content…
While there are plenty of individuals out there with upstanding morals and the ability to present pressing information ethically and honestly, there are as many people out there intending to do the exact opposite: to lie, create stories, and exaggerate information beyond repair. That is why it is so important for a dedicated code of ethics to be created and distributed for content producers to use. And while it’s difficult to meet with the heads of main stream news sources such as CNN, ABC, The New York Times, it is possible to create a code of ethics for yourself. But what makes a decision an ethical one? Each person has their own interpretation. In class, we discussed a seven-point code of ethics which I feel is a solid basis for content creators, and in this paper, I will analyses each one and discuss its importance in writing media content, whether or not I personally include it into my own personal code of ethics, and why.
“The Seven Point Code” In the beginning of the semester, the class worked together to create a seven-point code of ethics for content creators; something that that should be used when creating content and can be used to judge others. These are the basis in which my own personal code of ethics is built around. While it’s not perfect, it come close. The seven points of being an ethical member of the media society, as set down in class are: …show more content…
Of all points in this code of ethics, examples for the need of honestly probably stretch back the farthest. For instance, in the late 1800’s, publications were inundated with yellow journalism when publishers Joseph Pulitzer and William Randolph Hearst became embroiled in a battle for readership. The pair became known for their showy headlines that enticed the reader into opening the publications, and then presented exaggerated stories made to inflate passions rather than publish factual information. Although the flashy titles garnered more readership, the stories weren’t honest. They weren’t created for the purpose of informing the public, but merely for the income that came with them. Today, Yellow journalism has had a resurgence in recent years in the form of “alternative-right” news sources and pop-cultural magazines, which are primarily focused on getting readership than presenting any actual
“The Medium is the Message”
Marshall McLuhan, professor, philosopher, and the grandfather of media theory, once uttered the now famous phrase, “The medium is the message.” This of course is in reference to how the medium in which a creator disperses content is considered just as important as the created content itself. During the first televised debates between John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon, the public’s reaction alternated wildly depending on whether they watched on television, the Yellow journalism wouldn’t have thrived as it did without printed journalism, and Orson Welles production of the War of the Worlds would not have been as spectacular as it was if her hadn’t used the medium of the radio.
But these days, …show more content…
While there are plenty of individuals out there with upstanding morals and the ability to present pressing information ethically and honestly, there are as many people out there intending to do the exact opposite: to lie, create stories, and exaggerate information beyond repair. That is why it is so important for a dedicated code of ethics to be created and distributed for content producers to use. And while it’s difficult to meet with the heads of main stream news sources such as CNN, ABC, The New York Times, it is possible to create a code of ethics for yourself. But what makes a decision an ethical one? Each person has their own interpretation. In class, we discussed a seven-point code of ethics which I feel is a solid basis for content creators, and in this paper, I will analyses each one and discuss its importance in writing media content, whether or not I personally include it into my own personal code of ethics, and why.
“The Seven Point Code” In the beginning of the semester, the class worked together to create a seven-point code of ethics for content creators; something that that should be used when creating content and can be used to judge others. These are the basis in which my own personal code of ethics is built around. While it’s not perfect, it come close. The seven points of being an ethical member of the media society, as set down in class are: …show more content…
Of all points in this code of ethics, examples for the need of honestly probably stretch back the farthest. For instance, in the late 1800’s, publications were inundated with yellow journalism when publishers Joseph Pulitzer and William Randolph Hearst became embroiled in a battle for readership. The pair became known for their showy headlines that enticed the reader into opening the publications, and then presented exaggerated stories made to inflate passions rather than publish factual information. Although the flashy titles garnered more readership, the stories weren’t honest. They weren’t created for the purpose of informing the public, but merely for the income that came with them. Today, Yellow journalism has had a resurgence in recent years in the form of “alternative-right” news sources and pop-cultural magazines, which are primarily focused on getting readership than presenting any actual