MEJO (JOMC) 141 -002
Professional Problems and Ethics in Mass Communication
Summer 2016
Instructor:
Milad Minooie
E-mail:
Office Location/hours:
Carroll Hall 388
MW 12:00-1:30 p.m. or by appointment
Course Objectives
Welcome to JOMC 141!
We’re here to learn about ethics in the mass media. Media professionals talk a lot about doing the right thing, but they’re constantly criticized for ethical and moral shortcomings. In this class, we will discuss the ethical dilemmas that confront professionals in print and broadcast news, advertising, public relations, and photojournalism/graphic design. We will examine codes of ethics for each of these professions and evaluate how these guidelines have and have not been applied in specific settings. In the end, this course is designed to familiarize you with the tools needed to make ethical decisions regarding the use of the mass media and to help you develop a personal yardstick by which to measure your own ethical decisions.
Here are the specific course objectives:
- Integrate ethical foundations and apply those ideas to professional situations;
- Critically analyze current mass communication professional practices through reading and discussing communication topics found in trade journals and other media;
- Compare ethical standards of mass communication professions and examine how similarities and differences help or hinder their professional relationships;
- Develop, defend and apply your own set of guidelines to tackle ethical situations.
- You’ll get out of this course what you put into it. Your success will depend upon your willingness to keep up with the readings, participate on the discussion board, and keep an open mind when dealing with issues and others’ opinions. Here’s to a good course!
Required text
The required text for this course is: Media Ethics: Issues & Cases (8th edition) by Philip Patterson and Lee Wilkins. The text will be supplemented by online readings.
Grades and grading standards
Course grades will be calculated using the following percentages:
- Final Exam 30%
- Personal Code of Ethics Paper/Project (Final Paper) 30%
- Class Discussion 25%
- Ethics in the News Presentation 15%
The final course grade will be calculated using the following scale:
A = 93-100
A- = 90-92
B+ = 87-89
B = 83-86
B- = 80-82
C+ = 77-79
C = 73-76
C- = 70-72
D+ = 67-69
D = 60-66
F = 59 or below
NA = 0
Please Note: Although grades are not negotiable, I will give every consideration to any concerns you have about an assignment grade, as long as the concern is identifiedpromptly. If you have questions about or dispute a particular grade, this needs to be taken care ofwithin a week of receiving that particular grade. The only grades that will be discussed at the end of the term are those assignments you complete at the end of the term. Also, in order to earn a letter grade, you must fully earn that percentage. Grades are not rounded up or down. So, to receive a final course grade of A-, you must earn at least a 90 percent. A final average of 89.7 is a B+.
I will follow the University’s grading standards, as adopted by the Faculty Council, with my additions in parentheses:
“A” Mastery of course content at the highest level that can be reasonably be expected of students at a given state of development.The “A” grade states clearly that the student has shown such outstanding promise in the aspect of the discipline under study that he/she may be strongly encouraged to continue. (Clear and original thinking, thorough analysis, logical assertions supported by significant amounts of evidence, clear writing that is concise and grammatically correct, strong organization. Your work will be considered in relation to that of your classmates. Work that is significantly better than other work will receive a higher grade.)
“B” Strong performance demonstrating a high level of attainment for a student at! a given stage of development.The “B” grade states that the student has shown solid promise in the aspect of the discipline under study. (Clear and original thinking, relatively thorough analysis, logical assertions supported by some amount of evidence, clear writing with very few grammatical errors, good organization.)
“C” A totally acceptable performance demonstrating an adequate level of attainment for a student at a given stage of development.The “C” grade states that, while not yet showing any unusual promise, the student may continue to study in the discipline with reasonable hope of intellectual development. (One or two elements of the assignment may be weak or missing, some writing errors, some weakness in organization, relatively little evidence for assertions.)
“D” A marginal performance in the required exercises demonstrating a minimal passing level of attainment for a student at a given stage of development.The “D” grade states that the student has given no evidence of prospective growth in the discipline; an accumulation of D grades should be taken to mean that the student would be well advised not to continue in the academic field. (Several elements of the assignment are weak or missing, poor writing, poor organization, lack of evidence for assertions.)
“F” For whatever reasons, an unacceptable performance.The “F” grade indicates that the student’s performance in the required exercises has revealed almost no understanding of the course content. (Most or all of the required elements are missing. The assignment is turned in late. Writing is so bad that it’s difficult to understand.)
Final Paper
For this assignment, you will write a personal code of ethics for an ideal media- or communication-related job you would like to hold in 10 years. Then you will apply that ethics code to a hypothetical media or communication-related ethical dilemma you encounter in your job.
The assignment includes the following elements and is due July 17 by 10 p.m. EST:
1. A two-three paragraph summary of your ideal media or communication-related job.
2. A detailed code of ethics addressing all (or at least most) of the major ethical issues likely to be faced by someone in this position. For guidance in this section, look to the codes of ethics we’ve discussed in class, specifically the one most related to your chosen job. You may also want to look for other ethics codes that may be more appropriate for your specific position. Be sure to include a statement at the end of your paper about which ethics codes you used. (approximately 2-3 pages)
3. A detailed hypothetical case study involving an ethical situation likely to arise in this position. Be sure to include yourself in the dilemma -- this project involves YOU coming up with a solution to an ethical dilemma you might face in a future job. (approximately 1-2 pages)
4. An explanation of how someone in this job (in this case, you!) would use your code of ethics and the various ethical philosophies we've discussed in class to determine the correct course of action for this hypothetical situation. The appropriateness of alternative actions should be addressed in this section. (approximately 3-4 pages)
Your papers may not exceed 10 double-spaced pages (12 point type).
Final Exam
The final exam will count for 30 percent of your grade and will be on Monday, July 25. It will have two parts: (1) an objective part with true/false, multiple choice, and matching questions, and (2) an essay part. Questions will be taken from the assigned daily readings (textbook, daily instructor comments and other assigned readings). More details about the exam will follow.
Ethics in the News (EITN) Assignment
Each student will be assigned one class day, during which he/she is responsible for informing the rest of the class about a mass media ethics-related event that has been in the news sometime during the previous seven days.
You should provide an online link for class members to read about the event, view video if appropriate, etc. You may provide more than one link if necessary, but don't go overboard -- remember that this is just one component of class each day. Clearly explain the media-related ethical issues involved (and which professional ethics codes apply) and offer one or two questions to get the discussion going. You will be responsible for leading/managing discussion of the topic on the discussion board throughout the day.
Please post your information to the discussion board (or send it via email) by 8p.m. the night before. This assignment counts for 15 percent of your grade. You will lose points if your materials are not provided on time (because you aren't allowing your classmates time to read your materials!)
Here are the criteria I will use to evaluate your EITN presentations:
1. Is the topic timely (within the one-week time frame), and does it involve an issue of ethical concern to mass media professionals?
2. Is the issue clearly explained? Are the ethical concerns clearly articulated? Are the appropriate ethics codes applied to the situation?
3. Does the presenter do a good job "managing" class discussion throughout the class, responding to classmates' comments and keeping the discussion on track?
Class Discussion
It is important for each of you to actively participate in the Discussion. This is where you can try out ideas and get feedback from me and your peers. Feel free to share your thoughts and opinions, even when they disagree with mine and with those of your classmates. Please be respectful in all of your comments.
Here’s how I will grade Discussion participation:
You’ll get a grade for each day's participation. The average of those grades will be your final Discussion grade, which counts for 25 percent of your final course grade.I will drop your lowest Discussion grade, so if you miss one day, it will not affect your grade.
Honor Code: You areexpected to conduct yourself within the guidelines of the University honor system ( All academic work should be done with the high levels of honesty and integrity that this University demands. You are expected to produce your own work in this class.
Diversity: The University’s policy statements on Equal Employment Opportunity and Nondiscrimination are outlined at In summary, UNC does not discriminate in offering access to its educational programs and activities on the basis of age, gender, race, color, national origin, religion, creed, disability, veteran’s status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression or disabilities.
Harassment: UNC does not tolerate harassment based on gender, race, religion, sexual orientation, culture, disability, or for any other reason. It is also a violation of the Honor Code and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act (1964) and Title IX of the Educational Amendments. If you need assistance with a harassment issue or problem, bring it to my attention or The Office of the Dean of Students, or 919.966.4042.
Special Accommodations: If you require special accommodations to attend or participate in this course, please let me know as soon as possible. If you need information about disabilities visit the Learning Center website at or call 919-962-3782.
Week by week assignments:
Day 1, Monday June 20, 2016
No Readings - Introduction
Day 2, Tuesday June 21, 2016
Media Ethics: Issues and Cases Chapter I: An Introduction to Ethical Decision Making (pps. 1-18)
Day 3, Wednesday June 22, 2016
- Media Ethics: Issues and Cases Chapter II:Information Ethics:A Profession Seeks the Truth (pp. 21-36)
- Society of Professional Journalists Code of Ethics:
Day 4, Thursday June 23, 2016
Media Ethics: Issues and Cases "When Is Objective Reporting Irresponsible Reporting?" (pp. 42-44)
Day 5, Friday June 24, 2016
Minnesota’s Basketball Cheating Scandal:
Day 6, Monday June 27, 2016
- Case Study: "Who's the Predator?"
- Poynter.org recommendations for when it's appropriate to use deception in reporting:
- A reporter defends his undercover work:
Day 7, Tuesday June 28, 2016
1. Digital News Association Code of Ethics)
2. Editor & Publisher story about Castillo video:
3. Excerpt from Alvaro Castillo video:
4. Cho Seung-Hui Video-
5. on ethics of using Cho’s video)
Day 8, Wednesday June 29, 2016
Case study "Friend of the victim: The case of the murdered student"
Day 9, Thursday June 30, 2016
Media Ethics: Issues and Cases, Chapter 5 (Privacy: Looking for Solitude in the Global Village)
Day 10, Friday July 1, 2016
1. Richard Jewell case study from Columbia University:
2. Richard Jewell information in Wikipedia:
2. Video featuring Richard Jewell reflecting on his situation:
3. CNN story about use of the term "person of interest":
Day 11, Monday July 4, 2016
Independence Day – No Class
Day 12, Tuesday July 5, 2016
1. Wikipedia entry about Cleveland kidnapping victims:
2. Column about news coverage of the kidnap and sexual assault victims discovered in Cleveland in May:
3. ABC Nightline explanation of the Duke lacrosse case:
4. Poynter column on the Duke lacrosse situation:
5. National Alliance to End Sexual Violence guidelines for media coverage of rape:
Day 13, Wednesday July 6, 2016
1. Media Ethics: Issues and Cases, Chapter 4 “Loyalty: Choosing Between Competing Allegiances"
2. Case Study “Where Everybody Knows Your Name: Reporting and Relationships in a Small Market,” p. 97-99.
3. RTDNA Guidelines for Avoiding Conflict of Interest:
Day 14, Thursday July 7, 2016
- Media Ethics: Issues and Cases "Whose Facebook Page Is It Anyway" (pp. 91-93)
- RTDNA Social Media & Blogging Guidelines:
Day 15, Friday July 8, 2016
1. Chapter 8, Picture This: The Ethics of Photo and Video Journalism, pps. 187-198
2. Code of Ethics)
3.PowerPoint presentation
4. Case study of Iraq War photo (p. 205-207) (photos are at the end of the PP presentation)
5. A history of digital manipulation (this is just FYI; none of it will appear on an exam!):
Day 16, Monday July 11, 2016
1. Media Ethics: Issues and Cases, Chapter III: Strategic Communication, pp. 51-64.
2. American Advertising Federation Code of Ethics:
Day 17, Tuesday July 12, 2016
1. Textbook Case Study: In the Eye of the Beholder: Dove's Campaign for Real Beauty, p. 76-78.
Real Beauty Ad:
2. Huffington Post article about the campaign's 10th anniversary :
3. Dove Real Beauty Sketches video:
4.Adweek critique of the campaign:
Day 18, Wednesday July 13, 2016
1. PRSA Code of Ethics:
2. Institute for Public Relations statement on ethics and PR:
3. Case Study: Quit, Blow the Whistle, or Go with the Flow? pp. 104-107.
Day 19, Thursday July 14, 2016
1. The Wikipedia entry explaining what the Shared Values Initiative was:
2. A discussion of the "Shared Values" campaign with a link to one of the videos:
3. Another of the videos:
Day 20, Friday July 15, 2016
No new material today! Please bring a draft of your final paper to class for peer-reviewand email me a copy.You will discuss your drafts in pairs and receive feedback from your peers. Remember that the papers are due at 10 p.m. on Sunday July 17.
Day 21, Monday July 18, 2016
1. Case study "Sending the Wrong Message about Doing the Right Thing" pp. 249-251.
2. Watch the video (WARNING: LOTS of profanity):
3. CNN piece with Tony Harris criticizing the video:
Day 22, Tuesday July 19, 2016
1. Poynter column on dealing with plagiarism:
2.MediaShift column about plagiarism in journalism education:
3. Information about Stephen Glass from Wikipedia:
4. CNN interview with Stephen Glass:
Day 23, Wednesday July 20, 2016
Guest Speaker
Day 24, Thursday July 21, 2016
Last Day of Class – Review