Media Ethics

Ethics

Ethics is a major branch of philosophy, encompassing right conduct and good life. It is significantly broader than the common conception of analyzing right and wrong. A central aspect of ethics is "the good life", the life worth living or life that is satisfying, which is held by many philosophers to be more important than moral conduct.

Definition of Media Ethics

Media ethics means Code of conduct prescribed by the press to guard and protect professionals and of course the profession entirely. Media practitioners had to establish their own code of conduct in order to safeguard themselves from committing any offence against the society and in situations where such offence is committed what are the defenses available to them under the law? Media ethics helps the media professionals to set standards of moral context, what is unacceptable in the performance of their duties of gathering, processing, and dissemination of a wide varieties of message designed for enlightenment and entertainments.

Distinction between law and ethics.
Law can be regarded as a social control unlike ethics which deals with ideas which are considered to be good by a particular society and ought to be followed. Breach of law results to sanction, sentence and conviction, imprisonment, fine, etc, while ethics is a moral contact which results to warning, suspension, etc.

Law is imposed by the outer society while ethics is self imposed and self-enforced (e.g. by a professional body for its members). Law can expire or be repealed, but ethics is continuous. Law has more foray institutions, such as the legislature, police, judiciary (the courts tribunals, Court –martial, prison, reformatory, etc), but ethics has less formal institutions for its formulation and enforcement. Indeed the chief enforcer of ethics is the conscience

Ethics for journalism

Ethics plays the important role for the good practice in journalism. When someone applies the ethics in his/her carrier, then we can say that there is professionalism. In the journalism there is a need of freedom, i.e. freedom of expression, freedom of writing something, to publish something or to broadcast something without prior restriction by somebody or some authorities. Media sectors and media personnel also need freedom for the professionalism.

But if the freedom is limitless then it begins to cross the limitations of law and constitutional provision. When journalism or media personal are not obeying the national law, they could forget the social responsibilities. So, to make the journalism more responsible towards society, there is need of ethical boundaries. For this purpose many state and journalism institution make certain standards and ethics.

Many institutions e.g. UNESCO, American society of newspapers editors made ethics. In our country press council made the code of conduct in 2060. The difference between ethics and code of conduct is, world accepts the ethics and standards, but code of conduct has certain values in each state. In third world, state makes and implemented the ethics. But in developed countries, journalists' institution made the ethics themselves.

Before 1923, US and European journalism almost forget the responsibilities towards the society; they were totally going towards the wrong way. There was practice of sensational journalism, almost yellow journalism. There was a development in print and publication sector, many popular newspaper and  magazine began to published. Photo journalism became more popular at that era. Publishers and journalists' concerned was towards the circulation growth and popularity. So, nobody concerned over the negative impact of the journalism on the society, or there was no rule and policy which can ruled over the journalist and media.

So, at first ASNE's attention attracted towards these aspect. Conference held in 1923 in america, made the seven points principle for the journalist, which later popular as a cannons of journalism. These seven principle guide the world journalist even today. After that many countries made the code of ethics or conduct based on the canons or principles of the journalism mady by ASNE. These principle are those things which a journalist should follow for the responsible and credible journalism. ASNE said its preamble that it purpose to make canons is to place on newspaper people a particular responsibility.ASNE made these Principles as a standard encouraging the highest ethical and professional performance.