Issues Related to Communication and Media Ethics PDF

AS2207 ISSUES RELATED TO COMMUNICATION AND MEDIA ETHICS For ages, sensationalism in journalism has been a hotly debated issue. Nonetheless, it seems that this issue is more often argued than thoroughly explored. Indeed, the term "sensationalism" has become a convenient label for...

AS2207 ISSUES RELATED TO COMMUNICATION AND MEDIA ETHICS For ages, sensationalism in journalism has been a hotly debated issue. Nonetheless, it seems that this issue is more often argued than thoroughly explored. Indeed, the term "sensationalism" has become a convenient label for those who want to criticize the news media. Sensationalism Sensationalism is a technique used to capture the attention of an audience. Media sources resort to startling language, exaggeration, and, at times, outright lying. Other researchers, on the other hand, see sensationalism as a popularizing and democratizing force that promotes social and cultural inclusion. They contend that sensationalist journalism may contribute to the production of news that is more in tune with popular culture than the old elite press. Sensationalism may involve reporting on typically inconsequential or trivial problems and occurrences that have little impact on society as a whole, as well as biased portrayals of newsworthy subjects in a sensationalist, trivial, or tabloid fashion. This term has also evolved to encompass sensationalizing even important topics and occurrences in order to attract a larger audience. The problem of media sensationalism is both ethical and theoretical. How does one explain the practice of the media sensationalizing news reports on'serious' subjects such as politics, economics, and society in the same way that it frames reports on diversions such as sports, scandal, and popular entertainment, as well as the personal and private lives of people, both celebrities and ordinary people? It all comes down to communication media framing theory. The media is surreptitiously advancing the framing theory and "a state of decline in the standard of news media" by selecting specific genres of news and giving them the best "treatment" there is, with the obvious or not-so- obvious intention of advancing [any] "preferred meaning" and "frames of references," for whatever reason (Sparre, 2001). Perhaps news is seen as a commodity. Although many people see news as "the truth," it is a skillfully crafted media product that goes through a variety of production procedures before being aired or published. Yellow Journalism Journalism that prioritized sensationalism above accuracy was known as yellow journalism. One of the many factors that led the United States and Spain to war in Cuba and the Philippines in the late nineteenth century, leading to the American conquest of foreign territory. The word was coined during the New York City newspaper market battle between prominent newspaper proprietors Joseph Pulitzer and William Randolph Hearst. Initially, yellow journalism had little to do with reporting and was inspired by Richard F. Outcault's famous comic strip Hogan's Alley about life in New York's slums. The comic's most well-known character became known as the Yellow Kid after being published in color by Pulitzer's New York World, and his popularity accounted for a significant boost in World sales. In order to promote sales of his New York Journal, Hearst recruited Outcault away from Pulitzer in 1896, sparking a bidding war between the two publishers for the cartoonist. Hearst eventually won this case, but Pulitzer refused to accept defeat and recruited a replacement cartoonist to continue creating the caricature for his newspaper. The phrase "yellow journalism" arose from the competition for the Yellow Kid and a larger market share. 06 Handout 2 *Property of STI  [email protected] Page 1 of 2  AS2207 References: Bache, T. (2019, April 4). What is impunity? - Archives - IFEX. IFEX. https://ifex.org/campaigns/no-impunity/what-is-impunity/ Black, J., & Roberts, C. (2022). Doing ethics in media: Theories and practical applications (2nd ed.). Taylor & Francis. Bobbitt, R. (2017). Exploring communication law: A socratic approach. Burrett, T., & Kingston, J. (2019). Press freedom in contemporary Asia. Caristi, D., Davie, W. R., & Lee, L. T. (2021). Communication law: Practical applications in the digital age. Routledge. The elements of journalism. (2021, July 15). American Press Institute. https://www.americanpressinstitute.org/journalism-essentials/what-is- journalism/elements-journalism/ From repression to oppression: news journalism in Turkey 2013–2018. (n.d.). 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Commission on Human Rights – Dignity of All. https://chr.gov.ph/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/HRA-CHR-A2005-007-The-Spate-of-Killings-of-Filipino-Journalists-and-the-Gravamen-of- Impunity-with-the-Law.pdf 06 Handout 2 *Property of STI  [email protected] Page 2 of 2