University of Botswana
Department of Media Studies
BMS 226 ETHICS FOR MEDIA PROFESSIONALS
HANDOUT 1: COURSE OUTLINE
Credits: 3. Core
Lecturer: Prof R Rooney, office block: 225 / room 013, telephone extension 4045.
Timetable:
Tuesday 8.00 – 10.00. Room 252/ C202
Wednesday 10.00 – 11.00. Room 252/ C202
Course Description:
An analysis of theoretical issues concerning media ethics and their practical application within Botswana and beyond.
Course Objectives:
By the end of the course students will be able to:
1. Identify ethical principles
2. Identify existing practices of journalists to identify good and bad ethical practice.
3. Identify existing practices of advertisers to identify good and bad ethical practice.
4. Identify existing practices of public relations professionals to identify good and bad ethical practice.
5. Examine existing codes of professional practice to develop a model useful to students in their own professional careers.
6. Examine the debates around self regulation and state intervention.
Course content:
1. Introduction to the concepts of ethical behaviour
2. Mass media in society
3. Defining media ethical issues + legal frameworks
4. Professional codes of ethical practice
5. Self regulation of media institutions
6. Ethical issues in journalism
7. Ethical issues in advertising
8. Ethical issues in public relations
Assessment:
Assessment is 100 percent coursework. There is no final exam.
Assessment 1: Project
This assessment is worth 40 percent of the total marks for this course.
Write a report with the following title.
Why is it important for professionals working in the media to behave in an ethical way? Should media professionals be more ethical than other people? (100 marks).
To complete this project you should:
· Define ethics and morality
· Define mass media
· Explain why media are thought to have an important role to play in societies
· Do you think media should have special responsibilities to members of a society? If, so what are they?
· If you think it is important for people in the media to behave in an ethical way explain why.
· If you think it is not important for people in the media to behave in an ethical way explain why.
· Compare media professionals and their ethics with other people in society.
· Throughout give examples to support your argument.
Deadline Weds 8 February 2012
Assessment 2: Essay
This assessment is worth 60 percent of the total marks for this course.
Write an essay on ONE of the following.
1. Why are people worried about bad behaviour in journalists? What can journalists do to show they can behave ethically?
2. Advertising is a service to the public and should be legal, decent, honest and truthful. What does ‘legal, decent, honest and truthful’ mean? Give examples of what advertisers should do to be ethical.
3. What can public relations professionals do to convince the public that they work in an ethical way and are not just telling lies on behalf of the people who employ them?
The essay should:
1. demonstrate understanding and application of key concepts/theory;
2. show evidence of a reading/research around the set topic, and demonstrate critical understanding;
3. demonstrate independence of thought and argument;
4. be a well-structured answer focused on the question set, and identifying wider issues;
5. be comprehensible with correct writing style and English usage, with appropriate references.
Deadline Thurs 19 April 2012
Reading:
There is no set textbook for this course. Some of the readings referred to in class include
An Introduction to Ethical Theory by Nicholas Jones. |
Denis McQuail (1994) Mass Communication Theory, 3rd ed, Sage, London, Chapter 1. A version of this book is on the Internet at |
EthicNet for a collection of codes of journalism ethics from most European countries http://ethicnet.uta.fi/ International Principles of Professional Ethics in Journalism |
Advertising Standards Authority of South Africa |
Colleen Lowe Morna and Sikhonzile, Gender and Advertising in Southern Africa. |
Shannon A. Bowen, Ethics and Public Relations http://www.instituteforpr.org/essential_knowledge/detail/ethics_and_public_relations |
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