World Media Ethics: Cases and Commentary

Emphasizing the intertwined concepts of freedom of the press and social responsibility, World Media Ethics is the first book to cover media ethics from a truly global perspective. Written by two experts in global media ethics with extensive teaching experience, this work is a comprehensive introduction to ethical theory and practice, and covers the whole spectrum of media, from news, film, and television, to advertising, public relations, and digital media.

Case studies on hot topics and issues of enduring importance in media studies are introduced and thoroughly analyzed. The case studies are drawn from recent events worldwide, including the abduction of three Israeli settlers from the West Bank in 2014 (the idea of humanizing terrorists ); the kidnapping of several hundred Nigerian girls by Boko Haram in 2014 (the influence of Western perspective on reporting international events); and licensing, secrecy agreements, and independence of the press in Asia (the relationship between journalists and governments).

End–of–chapter exercises, discussion questions, and commentary boxes from a global group of scholars reinforce student learning, engage readers, and offer diverse perspectives. 

This work is a foundational resource for journalism students and professional journalists alike.

Robert S. Fortner is Professor of Communication and Media at Palm Beach Atlantic University. He has published widely on international communication, global public diplomacy, the history of international media, media ethics, and media theory. Most recently, he is the co–editor of The Handbook of Media and Mass Communication Theory (2 volume set, Wiley–Blackwell, 2014) and The Handbook of Global Communication and Media Ethics (2 volume set, Wiley–Blackwell, 2011). He has extensive experience teaching, lecturing, and interacting with media practitioners in various countries around the world, from Moscow to Nairobi, and Abidjan to Ulan Bator.

P. Mark Fackler is Professor of Communication at Calvin College in the, USA, and has written extensively on communication and journalism ethics. He is the co–author of Media Ethics: Cases and Moral Reasoning (10 th edition, 2016), Ethics for Public Communication (2011), and Ethics and Evil in the Public Sphere (2010). He is the co–editor of The Handbook of Media and Mass Communication Theory (2 volume set, Wiley–Blackwell, 2014) and The Handbook of Global Communication and Media Ethics (2 volume set, Wiley–Blackwell, 2011). He teaches communications ethics regularly in Kenya, Uganda, and Ethiopia, and publishes with African scholars on media ethics in that region.