ABSTRACT
Communication is basic to being human, and is essential for social interaction. It is clear that the act of communication is inextricably bound up with the potential for ethically questionable practices. The media are not called "mass media" for nothing. Our individual daily actions don't amount to much when compared with actions that affect the lives of millions. When shiny new journalists, advertising executives, or public relations practitioners take their first jobs, they often do so with great expectations that they will be able to honor their personal ethical codes above all else. The media are alike in a number of ways. The most common connection is that they are all mass media—that is, they deliver their information to mass audiences and/or seek to inform or influence large audiences through mass distribution of messages. The mass media also share a need for credibility, for without credibility their messages are less effective, even unbelievable.
