Media Law & Ehics

MEDIA LAWS & ETHICS

1. Ethical Issues in News/Media Coverage:

http://ethicaljournalisminitiative.org/pdfs/EJI_book_en.pdf

a.       Business Pressures

http://people-press.org/report/67/striking-the-balance-audience-interests-business-pressures-and-journalists-values

http://www.rtnda.org/pages/media_items/guidelines-for-balancing-business-pressures-and-journalism-values145.php?id=145

http://www.poynter.org/content/content_view.asp?id=3806

b.      Bias and Objectivity

http://www.onlineopinion.com.au/view.asp?article=2312

http://homepage.mac.com/herinst/envcrisis/media/objectivity.html

http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/thscrip/print.pl?file=2003102703720400.htm&date=2003/10/27/&prd=th&

http://www.cpb.org/aboutcpb/goals/objectivity/whitepapers/cpb_ReadersReachConclusions_StroudReese.pdf

http://flowtv.org/?p=154

c.       Sources and Reporters

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/reporters-forced-to-fight-for-their-sources-550840.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Journalism_sourcing

http://www.silha.umn.edu/Spring%202005%20Bulletin/Silha%20Forum%20Addresses%20Ethics%20of%20Shielding%20Sources.pdf

http://www.ajr.org/Article.asp?id=1596

d.      Trial by Media

http://www.thehoot.org/web/home/searchdetail.php?sid=1496&bg=1

http://www.thehoot.org/web/home/searchdetail.php?sid=1442&bg=1

http://www.thehoot.org/web/home/searchdetail.php?sid=2654&bg=1

http://59.92.116.99/website/DOCPOST/critical_concerns/nov06/6c-media-up3/12nov06h1-3.pdf

e.       Invasion of Privacy

http://www.thehoot.org/web/home/story.php?storyid=2055&pg=1&mod=1&sectionId=5&sectionname=MEDIA%20ETHICS&valid=true#

http://www.newstrackindia.com/newsdetails/771

f.        Sting Operations

http://www.hinduonnet.com/fline/fl2419/stories/20071005503004000.htm

http://www.thehoot.org/web/home/story.php?storyid=2097&pg=1&mod=1&sectionId=5&sectionname=MEDIA%20ETHICS&valid=true#

g.      Chequebook Journalism

http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/thscrip/print.pl?file=2007041802611300.htm&date=2007/04/18/&prd=th&

http://www.cjr.org/essay/checkbook_journalism_revisited.php?page=all

http://www.thehoot.org/web/home/story.php?storyid=2717&pg=1&mod=1&sectionId=5&valid=true#

http://www.mediawise.org.uk/display_page.php?id=491

2. Ethical Issues in Entertainment

a.       Violence

http://www.nytimes.com/books/98/04/26/reviews/980426.26sherryt.html

http://www.hno.harvard.edu/gazette/1998/03.05/FightingViolenc.html

http://www.wowessays.com/dbase/af5/dtb241.shtml

http://www.unesco.org/bpi/eng/unescopress/98-32e.htm

http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/ncfv-cnivf/familyviolence/html/nfntseffemedia_e.html

http://www.media-awareness.ca/english/issues/violence/violence_entertainment.cfm

b.      Censorship

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Censorship_in_India

http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/fr/2004/11/19/stories/2004111901890100.htm

http://www.businessweek.com/globalbiz/blog/eyeonasia/archives/2007/06/censorship_show.html

http://indiauncut.blogspot.com/2006/10/fighting-against-censorship.html

http://www.journalismethics.ca/feature_articles/international_perspectives.html

c.       Offensive Material

http://www.ocrpl.org/?p=15

http://www.mediawatchwatch.org.uk/?p=136

http://archive.gulfnews.com/articles/07/07/04/10136779.html

d.      Profits and Public Trust

http://www.aspeninstitute.org/sites/default/files/content/docs/communications%20and%20society%20program/JOURTRANSPTEXT.PDF

http://www.coopercenter.org/publications/sitefiles/vanl/vanl0600.pdf

http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/mag/2002/04/28/stories/2002042800380500.htm

http://www.mediawise.org.uk/display_page.php?id=72

http://www.merinews.com/catFull.jsp?articleID=131248

e.       Infotainment

http://www.adelaide.edu.au/apsa/docs_papers/Others/Stockwell.pdf

http://www.csicop.org/genx/infotainment/

http://www.abc.net.au/rn/mediareport/stories/2000/148983.htm

http://mcs.sagepub.com/cgi/reprint/29/4/593.pdf

f.        Piracy

http://www.ficci.com/media-room/speeches-presentations/2004/apr/apr21-piracy-welcome.htm

http://www.nd.edu/~reasley/Easley_JBE_Jan31_2005.pdf

http://law.richmond.edu/ipi/pdf/Chronicle_article.pdf

http://web.mit.edu/condry/www/pubs/Condry-CultMusPiracy5-04.pdf

http://www.wipo.int/edocs/mdocs/enforcement/en/wipo_ace_4/wipo_ace_4_9.pdf 

http://www.indianmi.org/whatispiracy.htm

g.      Photojournalism: An Ethical Approach

http://commfaculty.fullerton.edu/lester/writings/pjethics.html

http://commfaculty.fullerton.edu/lester/writings/chapter6.html

http://oldcontent.newswatch.in/newspaedia/n/123.html

3. Ethical Issues in Advertising

http://businessschoolonline.org/Lesson34EthicsInAdvertising.pdf

http://www.aef.com/on_campus/classroom/speaker_pres/data/3001

http://www.westga.edu/~mrickard/Web%20Stuff/Advertising/PDF/Advts03CH02.pdf

http://www.icmrindia.org/business%20Updates/micro%20casestudies/Marketing/MCMK0012.htm

http://www.rocw.raifoundation.org/management/bba/advertisingandpromotion/lecture-notes/lecture-19.pdf

1. Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI)

http://www.ascionline.org/index.html

http://dspace.iimk.ac.in/bitstream/2259/312/1/743-752.pdf

2. Truth telling (Puffery)

http://www.kelleydrye.com/resource_center/client_advisories/0186

http://newhumanist.org.uk/1804

http://faculty.stonehill.edu/glantos/Lantos1/PDF_Folder/BA344_PDF/GreatWheatCase.pdf

http://pubcit.typepad.com/clpblog/files/PowerOfPuffery.pdf

http://businessschoolonline.org/Lesson31RegulationInAdvertising.pdf

http://www.hindu.com/2008/09/29/stories/2008092957320300.htm

3. Stereotyping

http://www.media-awareness.ca/english/issues/stereotyping/index.cfm

http://www.thehindu.com/2006/12/15/stories/2006121514250500.htm

http://www.123helpme.com/view.asp?id=121708

http://portal.unesco.org/ci/en/ev.php-URL_ID=14373&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html

http://cwx.prenhall.com/bookbind/pubbooks/morris2/chapter15/medialib/demo/4.html

http://www.jessicara.com/portfoliofiles/The%20Power%20of%20the%20Gaze.pdf

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6AKyKd0CupU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WgGiB-o84sk&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CBMW2FtpXzQ&NR=1

http://www.authorstream.com/Presentation/nonstop16-161111-images-women-print-media-advertisements3-others-misc-ppt-powerpoint/

4. Special Audiences

http://www.sagepub.com/upm-data/18529_Chapter5.pdf

http://www.pepsico.com/PEP_Citizenship/HealthWellness/philosophy/CARUPEPPLedge.pdf

http://businessschoolonline.org/Lesson35Children&WomenInAdvertising.pdf

5. Public Relations

http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2003/01/28/stories/2003012800890600.htm

http://www.prsichennai.org/html/codeof.htm

http://indianpr.wordpress.com/2007/03/07/hello-world/

http://www.prsi.in/code_of_ethics.htm

http://www.aboutpublicrelations.net/aa052701a.htm

http://www.instituteforpr.org/essential_knowledge/detail/ethics_and_public_relations/

6. for more details: (not required for your course, but those who are interested can have a look).

http://www.globalpr.org/knowledge/features/delhi05_mm.ppt

http://purethinking.typepad.com/pure_thinking_a_streamofc/2007/10/ethics-in-pr.html

http://www.geocities.com/wallstreet/8925/ethics.htm

http://www.aboutpublicrelations.net/aa052701a.htm

http://www.instituteforpr.org/essential_knowledge/detail/ethics_and_public_relations/

http://www.aboutpublicrelations.net/ethics.htm

http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/projects/Spring02/Holt/

http://praxis.massey.ac.nz/fileadmin/Praxis/Files/Journal_Files/Issue3/Harrison_Galloway.pdf

http://www.koganpage.com/products/ethics-in-public-relations/MarketingandSales/M/Public_Relations/M004/1002627/9780749453329/ 

BROADCAST BILL

http://thehoot.org/web/home/story.php?storyid=2655&pg=1&mod=1&sectionId=7&sectionname=MEDIA%20LAW%20AND%20POLICY&valid=true

http://thehoot.org/web/home/story.php?storyid=2620&pg=1&mod=1&sectionId=7&sectionname=MEDIA%20LAW%20AND%20POLICY&valid=true

Department of Communication

S. N. School

University of Hyderabad

M.A. Communication - Semester II (January-April 2009)

CC 507: MEDIA LAWS & ETHICS

Question Bank

1)      Establish a link between the issues of freedom of expression and those of media responsibility and accountability towards the society (700 words).

2)      What are the constitutional and philosophical bases of the freedom of press in India?

3)      Examine critically and with suitable examples, the relevance of the following media-related laws/acts in the present times:

i)        Law of Defamation

ii)      Contempt of Court

iii)    Official Secrets Act

iv)    Copyright Act, 1957

4)      What are the exceptions under which a person can escape his/her liability from an action of Defamation?

5)      “While the dignity of the court is to be maintained at all costs, the contempt jurisdiction, which is of a special nature, should be sparingly used.” Comment

6)      How can the media use the Right to Information Act for reporting on issues of public interest? Illustrate with suitable examples.

7)      How to match the justified need for secrecy with equally justified need for transparency and accountability?

8)      Does the Right to Information Act bring in total transparency in Indian administration or do the co-existing legislations, like the Official Secrets Act defeat the very purpose of openness and transparency?

9)      Short Notes (300 words):

i)        Overview of the legal system in India

ii)      Parliamentary Privileges in India

iii)    Draft Broadcast Bill and Content Code

10)  Do the media ethically function in a watchdog capacity to address citizens’ rights or do they use their positions for personal advantages? Substantiate with specific instances.

11)  Consider which media outlets you tend to use and trust. What might this suggest about your own tendencies, beliefs and opinions?

12)  Do public figures have the same right to privacy as we do? Explore the ethical dilemmas regarding the rights to privacy and public right to know.

13)  Can censorship of the media be justified if it is done in the public interest with respect to certain kinds of offensive material? E.g. should television networks be allowed to broadcast executions of prisoners?

14)  Through examination of actual/hypothetical cases, make informed judgment about the following ethical issues related to media coverage of news:

i)        Gifts, perks and special relationships between reporters and subjects

ii)      Trial by Media

iii)    Sting Operations

iv)    Chequebook Journalism

15)  Does entertainment violence have a damaging influence on Children? Elaborate

16)  If you are asked to draft a “blogger code of ethics,” what standards would you suggest?

17)  Think about your use of the Web – to learn about news events, to tell other people about yourself, to find out about other people. Do you have a different expectation of privacy regarding information on the Web compared with other media? How so? Should the medium determine the level of privacy that we enjoy, or should the same degree of privacy be expected across the board, regardless of the format?

18)  Has the increased commercialisation of media, the changing business pressures reduced space in the mainstream media for social and developmental issues or are they still committed to social justice before profit?

19)  What social issues are you passionate about or have strong positions? Has the media coverage of that issue disappointed you in some way? Are you more critical of news accounts on that topic?

20)  Give commentary on the general difficulties inherent in the newspaper’s nature as a context for setting professional standards and forming professional codes equivalent to those of medicine and law.

21)  Examine with some case studies the ethical conflicts and challenges confronting media professionals in the discipline of public relations. Why are PR practitioners seen as lacking in ethics?

22)  Are tobacco/alcohol advertisements in contravention of the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) Code for Self-Regulation as they advertise controversial products known to lead to illness and even death? Discuss citing any recent decisions by the Consumer Complaints Council (CCC) on complaints.

23)  “Our ‘mediated’ democracy is rooted in the concept of an informed citizenry, but if tales of celebrities, psychics, entertainment, and crime dominate news coverage, then the likelihood of a knowledgeable public stretches towards impossibility” – Matt Nisbet; Cornell University. How do media balance the hunger for entertainment with a commitment to hard journalism and high art?

24)  Comment on the following ethical issues related to media: (300 words each):

i)        Business Pressures

ii)      Plagiarism

iii)    Invasion of Privacy

iv)    Piracy

v)      Media Bias

25)  Viewing mass media as a social institution, evaluate the following:

OR

As a media professional, what do you think would be the impact on audiences of?

i)        Puffery in advertising

ii)      Blocking of pornographic websites

iii)    Protecting Children from Unfair Advertising Practices

iv)    An Ethical Approach to Photojournalism

v)      Stereotyping in advertisements

Student presentations