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Baran Book Cover
Introduction to Mass Communication, 2/e
Stanley J. Baran

Media Freedom, Regulation, and Ethics

Glossary

absolutist position  regarding the First Amendment, the idea that no law means no law
actual malice  the standard for libel in coverage of public figures consisting of knowledge of its falsity or reckless disregardî for whether it is true or not
ad hoc balancing of interests  in individual First Amendment cases, several factors should be weighed in determining how much freedom the press is granted
applied ethics  the application of metaethics and normative ethics to very specific situations
ascertainment  requires broadcasters to ascertain or actively and affirmatively determine the nature of their audiencesí interest, convenience, and necessity; no longer enforced
checkbook journalism  paying sources for information or interviewees for their interviews
confidentiality  the ability of media professionals to keep secret the names of people who provide them with information
copyright  identifying and granting ownership of a given piece of expression to protect the creators' financial interest in it
democracy  government by the people
editorial policy  newspapersí and magazinesí positions on certain specific issues
ethics  rules of behavior or moral principles that guide actions in given situations
Fairness Doctrine  requires broadcasters to cover issues of public importance and to be fair in that coverage; abolished in 1987
fair use  in copyright law, instances where material may be used without permission or payment
indecency  in broadcasting, language or material that depicts sexual or excretory activities in a way offensive to contemporary community standards
libel  the false and malicious publication of material that damages a personís reputatio (typically applied to print media)
libertarianism  philosophy of the press that asserts that good and rational people can tell right from wrong if presented with full and free access to information; therefore censorship is unnecessary
media councils  panels of people from both the media and the public who investigate complaints against the media and publish their findings
metaethics  examination of a cultureís understanding of its fundamental values
moral agent  in an ethical dilemma, the person making the decision
music licensing company  organizations that collect fees based on recorded music users' gross receipts and distribute the money to songwriters and artists
normative ethics  generalized theories, rules, and principles of ethical or moral behavior
normative theory  an idea that explains how media should ideally operate in a given system of social values
obscenity  unprotected expression determined by (a) whether the average person, applying contemporary community standards, would find that the work, taken as a whole, appeals to the prurient interest, (b) whether the work depicts or describes, in a patently offensive way, sexual conduct specifically defined by the applicable state law, and (c) whether the work, taken as a whole, lacks serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value
ombudsman  internal arbiter of performance for media organizations
operating policy  spells out standards for everyday operations for newspapers and magazines
policy book  delineates standards of operation for local broadcasters
pornography  expression calculated solely to supply sexual excitement
prior restraint  power of the government to prevent the publication or broadcast of expression
public domain  in copyright law, the use of material without permission once the copyright expires
ride-alongs  the practice of allowing television reporters to accompany police in the conduct of their duty
safe harbor  times of the broadcast day (typically 10 p.m. to 6 a.m.) when children are not likely to be in the listening or viewing audience
self-righting principle  John Miltonís articulation of libertarianism
slander  oral or spoken defamation of a personís character (typically applied to broadcasting)
social responsibility theory (or model)  normative theory or model asserting that media must remain free of government control but, in exchange, must serve the public
Standards and Practices Department  the internal content review operation of a television network
traffic cop analogy  in broadcast regulation, the idea that the FCC, as a traffic cop, has the right to control not only the flow of broadcast traffic but its composition