The Media and Morality

Being first with a major news story drives the media to inform the public. But what limits, if any, can or should be placed on the media's vital role when their need to attract readers, listeners, or viewers compels them to jeopardize people's freedom (Richard Jewell), privacy (President Clinton and other public figures), and even personal safety (Princess Diana) in their rush to get the scoop, sell newspapers and magazines, and increase viewer numbers? To whom are the media responsible - the public, the stockholders, the advertisers? Who decides what may "harm" an audience or what is unsuitable for children? How do political agendas affect censorship and media profits? Are radical new media standards needed in light of increasing numbers of big stories based on bad reporting and lax research? These and other questions are probed in this wide-ranging selection of essays that explores the relationships between the media and their diverse audiences, sponsors, corporate owners, governments, and others.