Ethics Resource Repository
Media Ethics:
"[Media Ethics plays] a distinctive facilitaing role in the democratic process. Hence journalist must serve the public interest in a virtuous manner. Unethical journalistic activity, such as habitual muckraking or deceit, will undermine the public's trust in the media and without that relationship of trust journalism's democratic function cannot be fulfilled."
Written by Matthew Kieran
Media Ethics
Professor Recommendations:
Recommended Webpages:
Absolute Astronomy
A full encyclopedia definition explaining media ethics and its most pressing issues.
Accuracy in Media
Accuracy In Media is a non-profit, grassroots citizens watchdog of the news media that critiques botched and bungled news stories and sets the record straight on important issues that have received slanted coverage.
Advertising Ethics: Emerging Methods and Trends
An Article explaining advertisers and their agencies are required to make difficult moral choices and what are the Emerging Methods and Trends on making these decisions.
AEJMC- Media Ethics Division
The Media Ethics Division of AEJMC includes more than 300 scholars researching and teaching in the fields of mass communication ethics. Since its inception in 1999, the division has been committed to favorably impacting the media professions by promoting academic/ professional partnerships, ethical analysis, and ethics education.
American Advertising Federation
The American Advertising Federation protects and promotes the well-being of advertising. We accomplish this through a unique, nationally coordinated grassroots network of advertisers, agencies, media companies, local advertising clubs and college chapters.
-The AAF’s Principles and Practices for Advertising Ethics PDF Booklet
Association for Consumer Research
The ACR disseminates research findings and other contributions to the understanding of consumer behavior through seminars, conferences, publications, websites, the press, and other means
Center for International Media Ethics CIME
The Center for International Media Ethics CIME is a non-profit organization bringing together a network of journalists throughout the world to provide training, discussion and expertise in the ethics of their profession. Our driving emphasis is that journalists together have the power to formulate and enforce a tacit code of ethics as a status quo of their profession.
Detroit Free Press Policy
An example of how a professional News Paper sets their own policies on media ethics.
First Amendment Center
The center serves as a forum for the study and exploration of free-expression issues, including freedom of speech, of the press and of religion, and the rights to assemble and to petition the government.
Freedom Forum
Devoted to the protection of First Amendment rights, particularly freedom of speech as it relates to journalism. Maintains a detailed list of threats and benefits to these freedoms in the news (through the First Amendment Center).
Media Ethics Magazine
Media Ethics is independent. It is editorially eclectic, and the sponsors are not responsible for its content. It strives to provide a forum for opinion and research articles on media ethics, as well as a venue for announcements and reviews of meetings, opportunities, and publications.
Morality in Media
The leading national organization opposing pornography and indecency through public education and the application of the law.
Pontifical Council for Social Communications
The Catholic Church’s stance on advertising ethics through the Vatican’s website.
Poynter Institute
From the famed Poynter Institute, a school for journalists, this site addresses the ethics of covering the news. The homepage features a major story with commentary on the coverage.
Public Affairs Council
Information aimed at public affairs professionals on lobbying, campaigns and PACS, with a special section of the site on ethics.
Public Relations Society of America
The PRSA is an award-winning periodicals, daily news updates and blogs help you stay on top of emerging trends and industry news. Plus, their vast, easily searchable database gives you instant access to research, articles, white papers and Silver Anvil Award-winning program case studies organized by subject, industry and business outcome.
Society of Professional Journalism
This collection of position papers, produced by the Society of Professional Journalists’ Ethics Committee, is intended to clarify SPJ’s position on specific ethical themes that frequently arise in journalism, and also to provide better guidance for journalists, academics, students and the public when consulting the SPJ Code of Ethics.
Recommended Videos:
Bob Scheiffer delivers the Rosine Smith Sammons Lecture in Media Ethics