Media Ethics ? Key Principles For Responsible Practice

Media Ethics, now in its fourth edition, serves as an authoritative resource for understanding the theoretical frameworks underlying media practices and the ethical dilemmas media professionals face in a digital environment. This textbook presents both classical and contemporary ethics theories, making them accessible for practical application to media scenarios, and stresses the importance of integrating media ethics within our technologically driven society. The text addresses media literacy and the role of the consumer (not just the producer) as an important part of the media ethics equation.

Author Patrick Lee Plaisance takes a "mixed formalist" approach, presenting philosophical principles in accessible terms, facilitated by case studies that exemplify their relevance in real-world media practice. The fourth edition covers timely topics such as the range of ethical issues raised by the design and use of generative AI, algorithms, and the journalism movement of racial reckoning and apology by news organizations for their history of racist coverage and discrimination. Media examples and statistics have been updated throughout, and many chapters feature new and updated "Case in Point" case studies.

Ideal for media ethics coursework at all levels, Media Ethics equips students with the necessary philosophical foundation to go beyond superficial judgments, enabling robust ethical argumentation and analysis within the realm of media conduct. It serves as a comprehensive guide for those focused on navigating the complex ethical landscape of current and future media practices.

Patrick Lee Plaisance is the Don W. Davis Professor in Ethics at the Bellisario College of Communications at Pennsylvania State University. He was the editor of the Journal of Media Ethics from 2014 to 2024 and is an affiliate faculty member of the Rock Ethics Institute. He is the author of Virtue in the Media: The Moral Psychology of Excellence in News & Public Relations and editor of the Handbook of Communication & Media Ethics.