ABSTRACT

Winner of the Clifford G. Christians Award for Research in Media Ethics, Michael Bugeja’s Living Media Ethics posits that moral convergence is essential to address the complex issues of our high-tech media environment. As such the book departs from and yet complements traditional pedagogy in media ethics. Bugeja covers advertising, public relations and major branches of journalism, as well as major schools of philosophical thought and historical events that have shaped current media practices.

Examining topics including responsibility, truth, falsehood, temptation, bias, fairness, and power, chapters encourage readers to develop a personal code of ethics that they can turn to throughout their careers. Each chapter includes exercises, as well as journal writing and creative assignments, designed to build, test, and enhance individual value systems. Unlike other texts, this media ethics book ends with an assignment to create a digital portfolio with personal ethics code aligned with a desired media position or company.

chapter Chapter 1|22 pages

Overview: Ethics Across Platforms

part I|110 pages

Building Your Ethical Base

chapter Chapter 2|50 pages

Influence: Who Shaped Your Values?

chapter Chapter 3|28 pages

Responsibility: Take or Forsake It

chapter Chapter 4|30 pages

Truth: Levels, Shades and Hues

part II|115 pages

Testing Your Ethical Base

chapter Chapter 5|26 pages

Falsehood: Lie at Your Own Risk

chapter Chapter 6|24 pages

Manipulation: Feel It, Spot It, Bust It

chapter Chapter 7|38 pages

Temptation: Brace for It to Strike

chapter Chapter 8|25 pages

Bias: Recognize and Resist It

part III|78 pages

Enhancing Your Ethical Base

chapter Chapter 9|19 pages

Fairness: Level the Playing Fields

chapter Chapter 10|40 pages

Power: Apply As Needed

chapter Chapter 11|16 pages

Value Systems: Create Your Own