Ethics in the media

            

   Ethics is something that is still very vague today. They aren’t exactly laws to restrict you from any action but yet most people in a culture or nation generally understand what is ethical or unethical. The question now is why is it needed in the media or business decision-making?

 I personally think a great example for this would be the most recent incident involving Justin Bieber and his DUI. If you are in public relations or journalism you probably know some of the laws regarding libel, slander and invasion of privacy. One type of invasion is exposing embarrassing facts of an individual that isn’t necessary to be made public. Now, why is it necessary that everyone in the nation know about Justin Bieber and his DUI? Here’s a link to CNN regarding his arrest, a video where Bieber is being picked apart by news anchors while waiving his police report around as if it were a golden ticket. CNN Bieber Arrest

               Is it something we all really need to be thinking about? Not only do I think that arrests and any incidents involving the law are a private matter for the individual, but I also think that when the media spreads this ‘news’ it is embarrassing. Everyone knows the media’s job is to tell the news and the truth but I also think they don’t see how unethical it is when they expose a public figure in such a way. Now all of the fans and ‘Beliebers’ might be pulling away from their support for the young pop star. Does he really deserve the embarrassment? Young girls now see their favorite idol/crush as a bad person because he broke the law.

               Since the news has come out regarding Bieber, more and more people have used his mugshot in a mocking way. The most popular memes on Twitter right now are using his mugshot and a Valentine’s quote as a Valentine card.

photo courtesy of carhoots.com