Ethics and Effects |  |
Chapter Summary| Ethics and effects are intertwined. Someone who programs a TV network and knows that violence appears to affect children negatively must consider that fact when making programming decisions. The people who develop self-regulation codes make provisions for avoiding news bias and negative stereotypes mainly because their sense of ethics leads them in that direction. Broadcast standards people watch for deceptive advertising and gratuitous sex and violence in part because it is their job and in part because they want to further ethical standards.
Unfortunately, ethical decisions are not always easy. They are hampered by temptations, lack of clear delineation, technological changes, and variances over time and space. Citizen groups often have one opinion of right and wrong while interindustry groups have another.
Academic research, both quantitative and qualitative, helps delineate negative and positive effects and can help with ethical decisions. Research covers the values and problems associated with the act of watching TV in terms of brain patterns and health. Despite measurement shortfalls, a great deal of research is conducted on the issue of violence, with the catharsis, observational, mean world, and desensitizing theories receiving study. Research on children and TV also encompasses the effects of violence, while other studies and comments focus on the responsibility of parents. News research centers on sensationalism, bias, and presentation techniques, but it, too, has violence elements. Research on minorities and women brought about changes in TV and movies that favor these groups. Advertising research, like the other topics, often interweaves subject areas such as women and children.
Models, most of them formed by academicians, also aid in pinpointing effects. They can, for example, show the role of gatekeepers. Although many resources are available to help people understand effects and make appropriate ethical decisions, in the end it is the innate character of each individual that really counts.
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2003 McGraw-Hill Higher Education