Writing in Media Shift, Stephen J. A. Ward outlines the need for a radical rethink of media ethics that can practically respond to new and difficult circumstances.
"To deal with today’s turmoil, we need a radical media ethics, not a conservative retreat to “basics.” We should be radical in philosophy and bold in our ideas. We need to reinvent media ethics from the ground up. Piecemeal improvements are not sufficient.
We need to be radical in three areas: 1) Meta-ethics: one’s view of the nature of ethics; 2) applied ethics: what principles should guide practice; 3) global media: what norms should define a media that is global in reach and impact."
Ward identifies five areas in which ethics are currently underdeveloped: new media ecologies, how to use new media, interpretation and opinion, activism, and global democratic journalism. Read the full article.
