LibGuides: ACRL/EBSS Library Resources for Communication Studies (LRCS): Media Ethics

About

This subject guide presents resources for researching the range of topics related to media ethics. Ethical practice in journalism encompasses issues such as source selection and identification, coverage of minorities, privacy, and conflict of interest. Avoiding actual or perceived bias is another of these issues. With the expansion of social media communication patterns, ethical considerations are as important as ever. The emphasis for this guide is on Media Ethics within the Communication disciplines; however, some broader works are recognized as well.

Current Page Editor: Molly Strothmann

Subjects and Keywords

Recognizing that database providers do not always include LC subject terms in their thesauri, consider starting with broad base terms and then narrowing with other concepts or related terms. Some of the terms listed below are LC subject terms and are linked to a WorldCat search.

Broad terms:

Consider building a search with these base terms:

Journalism (use truncation symbols to include journalists, journalistic, etc.)
Mass Media
Press
Social Media (use specific media such as Facebook, Twitter, etc.)
Specific Media type such as television, film, radio, newspapers, online, or Internet
Specific Subject Area, e.g. science. "Communication in [subject area]" is an LC subject term template. Other subject areas include but are not limited to Architecture, Education, Medicine, Music, Politics, and The Social Sciences.

Narrow by combining additional concepts with base term:

Moral and Ethical Aspects
Objectivity
Policy
Political Aspects
Social Aspects

Example searches: [Social Media moral and ethical aspects]; [Mass Media (Policy OR political aspects)]

Related terms:

Please consult the Library of Congress subject headings for more ideas.

Codes of Ethical Conduct

Accountable Journalism: Codes of Ethics From the website: "The Accountable Journalism database compiles international codes of media ethics from around the world and is the largest resource of its kind. This database can be sorted by keywords or by using the advanced search. Codes can be selected by type of organization, topic, region, year created or updated and country."
Build Your Own Ethics Code Sponsored by the Online News Association, "This project aims to provide journalists and news organizations with the ownership and flexibility in creating an ethics code that meets their needs in our widely varied profession."
Institute for Advertising Ethics: Principles and Practices for Advertising Ethics From the Website: "The nine Principles and Practices presented here are the foundation on which the Institute for Advertising Ethics (IAE) was created. They are based on the premise that all forms of communications, including advertising, should always do what is right for consumers, which in turn is right for business as well."
Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) Member Code of Ethics From the website: "The Code is designed to be a useful guide for PRSA members as they carry out their ethical responsibilities. This document is designed to anticipate and accommodate, by precedent, ethical challenges that may arise. The scenarios outlined in the Code provision are actual examples of misconduct. More will be added as experience with the Code occurs."
Society of Professional Journalists Code of Ethics Available in multiple languagesRevisions began in 2013 following the 2013 Excellence in Journalism ConferenceIncludes case studies, hotline and resources

Articles and Commentary

Ethical Journalism Network Established in 2011 in order to work with media, journalism support groups and the public (nationally and internationally). Weekly newsletter with global content.
Journal of Information, Communication and Ethics in Society More of a communication- than media-ethics journal, this publication covers the impacts of new media and information and communication technologies on society, organizations, the environment and individuals.
Journal of Media Ethics

Handbooks and Encyclopedias

Doing Ethics in Media: Theories and Practical Applications (2011) From the WorldCat record: "Doing Ethics in Media introduces students to ethical theory and provides a grounded discussion of ethics in the context of today's media outlets. Emphasizing the understanding of ethics, the text will help readers 'do ethics' expeditiously, honestly, and efficiently when they enter the workplace and need to make critical ethical decisions on deadline."
The European Handbook of Media Accountability (2017) From the publisher's website: "A theoretically informed, cross-national comparative analysis of the state of media accountability in contemporary Europe, this handbook constitutes an invaluable basis for further research and policy-making...."
The Handbook of Global Communication and Media Ethics (2014) From the WorldCat record: "This groundbreaking handbook provides a comprehensive picture of the ethical dimensions of communication in a global setting and includes examinations of feminism, ideology, social responsibility, reporting, metanarratives, blasphemy, development, and globalism, among many others."
The Routledge Handbook of Mass Media Ethics (2020)
Journalism Ethics: A Casebook of Professional Conduct for News Media (2016) From the publisher: "Closely organized around the Society of Professional Journalists' code of ethics — the news industry's widely accepted "gold standard" of journalism principles — this updated edition uses real-life case studies to demonstrate how journalism students and professionals can identify and reason through ethical dilemmas."
Media Ethics: Key Principles for Responsible Practice (2014) From the WorldCat record: "Making ethics accessible and applicable to media practice, this book explains key ethical principles and their application in print and broadcast journalism, public relations, advertising, marketing, and digital media. It sets forth the philosophical underpinnings of key principles and explains how each should guide responsible media behavior."

Open Educational Resources (OERs)

Understanding Media and Culture: An Introduction to Mass Communication
No attribution, University of Minnesota Libraries Publishing, 2016. Contains chapter (14) on Ethics of Mass Media. Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike license.