Advances in digital technology are changing the processes by which our students communicate and share information. Mobile devices, digital tools, and wireless technology have created a democratization of media that allow our students an immediate online presence and voice. This seamless convergence of point, shoot, edit and share provides new avenues for creating and delivering content, but also presents unique ethical challenges for the student producer.
Traditional practices of ethical behavior in communications – accuracy, source verification, and impartiality – are rapidly morphing into a new set of digital media ethics that involve complex issues such as privacy, the power of shaping, and digital manipulation. In liberal arts curricula, students are challenged to develop a strong sense of social responsibility within their research and scholarly endeavors, but they have little or no opportunity to systematically explore important ethical questions that arise during their digital media scholarship.
Ethical issues are an inevitable part of the digital media production workflow. What responsibility should a producer assume to ensure the accuracy and transparency of program content? How does a producer balance impartiality with partisan viewpoints when selecting sound bites from a contributor? How does a producer draw the line between respect for privacy and the use of spy cam glasses, webcams, and drones to capture events in progress? How does a producer decide whether to post or pull online media that could potentially cause distress for or inflame a section of the population? When is digital enhancement of visual elements acceptable as a production practice?
Early theories of ethics may reveal universal principles that student producers can use to establish ethical boundaries in their digital media work. Greek philosopher Aristotle wrote of virtuous behavior and balance between two extremes, the Golden Mean, one of the earliest concepts of ethical decision-making. Eighteenth century German philosopher Immanuel Kant wrote of the dialectic, arriving at rational and reasoned decisions between conflicting views by placing the interests of the people foremost in the process. In the nineteenth century, John Stuart Mill, an English philosopher, introduced the principle of utility that states ethical behavior arises from decisions that provide the greatest good for the greatest number of people.
Using these principles, one method of ethical decision-making is to apply an end-based, rule-based, and care-based analysis to a dilemma.
- End-based: What decision will result in the greatest good for the greatest number of people?
- Rule-based: What is the universal right decision?
- Care-based: How would you want to be treated if you were at the center of this controversy?
An alternative approach to ethical decision-making is to apply the three-step Bok model of conflict resolution to an ethical dilemma (contemporary ethicist Sissela Bok, author of Lying: Moral Choice in Public and Private Life).
- Consult your conscience: What does your conscience tell you is right?
- Seek alternatives: Are there other avenues you can take to achieve the same goal without raising ethical issues?
- Conduct an ethical dialogue (imaginary or real) with all involved parties: Consider yourself, your audience, clients, supporters, employer or organization, colleagues, and society.
A third approach to resolving an ethical dilemma in digital media is to apply the Potter model of moral reasoning, a framework of four quadrants that utilizes facts, values, principles, and loyalties (Ralph B. Potter, professor emeritus of social ethics at Harvard Divinity School).
- Identify facts: Define the facts and ethical issues pertinent to the situation including context, affected persons, and personal, social, economic, legal, and political problems.
- Identify values: Consider professional, logical, moral, and sociocultural values and beliefs that contribute to the dilemma.
- Identify principles: Use multiple philosophical principles and ethical dimensions to guide your decision making.
- Identify loyalties: Analyze the power dynamics of the dilemma – the relationships, loyalties, and allegiances of all parties involved.
One of the first measures adopted in higher education to guide ethical practice in media was the Oregon Code of Ethics for Journalism, written in 1922 by Colin Dyment, Professor in the School of Journalism at the University of Oregon. Many of the fundamentals underlying this code are still applicable today for digital media productions, ideally to record, edit, and distribute with a focus on safety, respect, and clarity. Student ethical decision making comes from sustained practice in a classroom that supports social responsibility and a commitment to responsible production and dissemination of information. Faculty who provide a foundation of theoretical concepts and case studies that students can work with, apply, question, and transition from, will greatly increase their students’ understanding of the values that underlie media today.
Written by Kate Lee
Senior Media Producer, Smith College