Media Ethics ― A Philosophical Approach

From attempting to inform us about current events to entertaining us with imagined worlds, the media has a primary influence upon how we conceive the world, ourselves, and others. Consequently, the moral complexities, dilemmas, and duties that arise in relation to journalism and the media are difficult to negotiate. Critically developing a philosophical approach to conceptualizing the aim of journalism; the nature of good, impartial reporting; and moral restrictions concerning lies, deceit, violence, and censorship, this book argues for substantive positions concerning what we should, rationally, hold as the moral rights and duties of journalists and the media.

MATTHEW KIERAN is Lecturer in Philosophy at the University of Leeds, England. He also teaches media ethics and has researched for the Broadcasting Standards Commission in the United Kingdom. His articles on aesthetics, ethics, and social philosophy have appeared in such journals as the Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism and theJournal of Communication.