Freedom of the press is established by the First Amendment of the Constitution. This protection extends to all forms of media but can be suspended in cases of clear and present danger and to balance competing interests, as in the conflict between a free press and a fair trial. Libel, slander, and obscenity are not protected. Other specific issues of media responsibility include definitions of indecency, the impact of deregulation, and copyright.
Social responsibility theory is the idea that to remain free of government control, the media must serve the public by acting responsibly. This does not free audiences from their responsibility to be media literate.
Self-regulation by the media often results in ethical dilemmas involving such issues as truth and honesty, privacy, confidentiality, and conflict of interest. Applied ethics is the practice of applying general ethical guidelines and values to a specific situation. Media practitioners also have informal controls, such as pressure groups, consumers, and advertisers, or external controls, such as laws and regulations and formal industry codes of conduct, to help them make ethical decisions.
Copyright ©2001 The McGraw-Hill Companies. Any use is subject to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. McGraw-Hill Higher Education is one of the many fine businesses of
The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc..
