Communication Ethics
• The field of communication ethics is more than a 2500 thousand years old
• In the 18th century scholars start to teach this again at universities
o John Stuart Mill (1806 – 1873):
o The goal of universities is not to produce skilled lawyers, doctors or
engineers, but capable and civilised people
o Also teach ethics to professionals
• In this course, you will learn how to analyse an ethical issue with the use of
theories, discuss it properly and come up with a substantiated advice
Three ethical perspectives
1. Virtues (‘I wasn’t myself for a moment) à character of a person is central
2. Principles/Deontology (‘That’s not what I meant’) à the act itself is central
3. Consequences (‘I did not foresee this’) à consequences of an action are central
1. What is ethics?
Morals = individual’s own perception of what right or wrong, they are not govern by
legal guidelines, but by own personal norms
• Moral compass
• Morally refers to moral action itself
Ethics = rules provided by external sources, they are govern by professionals and legal
guidelines within a particular time and place.
• How do we deal with grey areas?
• Refer to the value judgment we make for bigger and smaller matters
• Example: professionals need to follow an ethical code, regardless of their own
feelings or own preferences
o Society of professional journalist code ethics includes several principles
with instructions how to behave as a transparent, reliable journalist
• Ethics comes from the word ethos: character as manifest in attitude
o Greek philosophers came up with this science of ethics, it has everything
to do about a character of a person (good versus evil) and this character is
manifested in their attitude towards the world
o Ethics or moral philosophy is not only the study of right and wrong, but
about tragic choices where you can defend both paths ethically
§ Ethics begins when element of a moral system conflict (Deni Elliot)
o ‘Ethics is the process of finding rational justifications for our actions when
simultaneously held values come into conflict’
o First person that came up with the fact that ethics is always about a
dilemma was Plato:
,Plato 427-347 BC (& Socrates)
• The ethical dilemma
• Wrote philosophical dialogues about the two sides of a discussion
o Socrates was often featured in this dialogues
• Be true to yourself: ethics starts with the character of the sender
• Form’ theory
o It is difficult to understand the nature of good versus evil, but this is
reflected in nature (how animals interact for instance)
o There exists an absolute truth that is reflected by nature
o Nobody is truly evil, but if people can not see the consequences of their
actions or if they are not true to their selves, than they are evil
• Epistemology is the search for that absolute truth
• Ethics is not only about the evil and good side to the story…
• It is also about different (conflicting) social norms
• It is also about ethical consideration in which moral values come into conflict
with each other and a tragic choice has to be made
2. Who is ethically responsible?
According to Socrates & Plato =
• There exists a relationship between the power actors have with the ethical
responsibility they have
• Moral actors
o Everyone that has some power and thus are ethically responsible
o Actors are a group of stakeholders that have some power
• Criterion of power: everyone who is in a position to exert influence on an
individual, group or an organisation is an actor
• There is no such thing as a collective responsibility, but only personal
responsibility
o Everyone makes ethical decisions regarding their own actions à
collective decisions exists out of individual decisions
• Organisations do not exist in nature, there are all group of individuals
o Democracy is a myth
à Hobbes agree with this point of view
• It is not really helpful to live in a group of people, as individual freedom will then
become less.
• However, we need laws, regulations and norms, but these are all myths
• It is a myth, because it is created and it is not the case that we can nót
à In essence they are correct, but in practice this does not really function
• The bearing witness principle: even if we do not have the power to change a
situation, has the moral duty to witness immoral actions
, 3. Prescriptive versus descriptive ethics
Normative approach
• Morally normative: what is good and what isn’t?
o An approach with a value judgement
• Formulating basic principles and criteria: the different current within ethics
• Prescriptive approach: stating how it should be / guiding and prescribing
behaviour
o Normative ethics: the study of principles, rules or theories that guide our
actions and judgment in order to state what is actually right or wrong
o How should people act?
• Question: is this a task of scientist?
Non-normative approach
• Describing and understanding the actual moral behaviour
o Not to judge, but to consider
• Descriptive: describing and explaining the behaviour
o Comparative ethics: scientific study of moral beliefs and practices of
different people and cultures in various places and times in order to
describe how people behave and think when dealing with moral issues
o What do people think is right in a certain place, time or situation?
• The scientist as an observer
• According to many, scientists should use this approach
Prescriptive vs Descriptive
• Prescriptive role: the politician, the judge, the tax inspector, film critic
o Also the Media Authority!
• Descriptive role: the cultural anthropologist
4. Virtue ethics
• Virtues are visible in the considerations one has when taking action
Aristotele (384 BC – 322 BC)
• Ethica Nicomachea: first systematic account of virtue theory
• Reason is required for living an ethical (virtuous) life
• Focused on two types of virtues: intellectual and moral
o The aim in to search for the balance between those two types of virtues
§ The doctrine of the average (the middle path)
o Agrees with Plato that every ethical question is a dilemma, but to solve
this problem you need to go for the golden mean
o Does not agree with Plato that you need to choose either A or B
o Does not agree with Plato, because he believed in peaceful communities
(in Politics)
• Eudaimonia: describes as living well, ‘the highest end of life’
o Virtuous will not only serve ourselves, but also society as a whole
o External goods (goods of effectiveness): not obtained by a specific
practice, but can be obtained in several ways à money
