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Media, Arts & Culture

Countless ethical challenges arise in journalism, performing arts, and the media. Facing these challenges in a fair and balanced way is critical to developing a culture and society that works for all.

Overview

From biased framing of a news report in journalism to free speech and copyright infringement in performing and fine arts to perpetuation of negative stereotypes in the media — all of these issues are fundamental to shaping our culture. A well-rounded understanding of media, communications, and the arts requires critical examination of the ethical frameworks we use to process these (and other such) dilemmas.

The resources here introduce concepts such as representation, cultural relativism, and appropriation versus attribution. Behavioral ethics concepts at the root of many ethical dilemmas in this realm, such as in-group/out-group bias, implicit bias, and confirmation bias, are also introduced. These biases (and others) undermine our ability to see ethical issues in our culture clearly, and to represent our ideas in the arts and media fairly.

In the age of social media and technologies that rapidly spread and amplify information, ethical (and unethical) choices made in journalism, media, and the arts can have an outsized influence on culture and society. Thus, it is of paramount importance to examine ethics and leadership in these disciplines. And equally important to develop the knowledge and skills in ethical decision-making that can help create a culture which fairly represents all people in society.

Start Here: Videos

Appropriation & Attribution

Appropriation & Attribution

Attribution is giving credit where credit is due. Appropriation is the complex borrowing of ideas, images, symbols, sounds, and identity from others.

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Implicit Bias

Implicit Bias

Implicit bias exists when people unconsciously hold attitudes toward others or associate stereotypes with them.

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Representation

Representation

Media representations of individuals or groups can hurt by reflecting stereotypes and mistaken beliefs or can help by being truthful and inclusive.

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Start Here: Cases

Appropriating “Hope”

Appropriating “Hope”

Fairey’s portrait of Barack Obama raised debate over the extent to which an artist can use and modify another’s artistic work, yet still call it one’s own.

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Bullfighting: Art or Not?

Bullfighting: Art or Not?

Bullfighting has been a prominent cultural and artistic event for centuries, but in recent decades it has faced increasing criticism for animal rights’ abuse.

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Covering Female Athletes

Covering Female Athletes

Sports Illustrated stirs controversy when their cover photo of an Olympic skier seems to focus more on her physical appearance than her athletic abilities.

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Teaching Notes

Begin by viewing the “Start Here” videos. They introduce key topics such as implicit bias, appropriation and attribution, and representation, which are relevant to journalism, performing and fine arts, the media in general. Read through these videos’ teaching notes for details and related ethics concepts. Watch the “Related Videos” and/or read the related Case Study. “Additional Resources” offer further reading, a bibliography, and (sometimes) assignment suggestions.

Show a video in class, assign a video to watch outside of class, or embed a video in an online learning module such as Canvas. Then, prompt conversation in class to encourage peer-to-peer learning. Ask students to answer the video’s “Discussion Questions,” and to reflect on the ideas and issues raised by the students in the video. How do their experiences align? How do they differ? The videos also make good writing prompts. Ask students to watch a video and apply the ethics concept to course content.

The “Start Here” case studies offer real-world examples of ethical challenges in artistic and cultural appropriation, cultural relativism, and journalism ethics. Cases are an effective way to introduce ethics topics, too, and for students to learn how to spot ethical issues. Select a case study from the Cases Series or ask students to read a video’s “Case Study” and answer the case study “Discussion Questions.” Then, ask students to reason through the ethical dimensions presented, and to sketch the ethical decision-making process outlined by the case. Then, challenge students to develop strategies to avoid these ethical pitfalls. Suggest students watch the case study’s “Related Videos” and “Related Terms” to further their understanding.

Ethics Unwrapped blogs are also useful prompts to engage students. Learning about ethics in the context of real-world (often current) events can enliven classroom discussion and make ethics relevant and concrete for students. Share a blog in class or post one to the class’s online learning module. To spur discussion, ask students to identify the ethical issues at hand and to name the ethics concepts related to the blog (or current event in the news). Dig more deeply into the topic using the Additional Resources listed at the end of the blog post.

Remember to review video, case study, and blogs’ relevant glossary terms. In this way, you will become familiar with all the ethics concepts contained in these material. Share this vocabulary with your students, and use it to expand and enrich ethics and leadership conversations in your classroom. To dive deeper in the glossary, watch “Related” glossary videos.

Many of the concepts covered in Ethics Unwrapped operate in tandem with each other. As you watch more videos, you will become more fluent in ethics and see the interrelatedness of ethics concepts more readily. You also will be able to spot ethical issues more easily – at least, that is the hope! As your students watch more videos, it will be easier for them to recognize and understand ethical issues, and to express their ideas and thoughts about what is and isn’t ethical and why. Hopefully, they will also come to realize the interconnectedness of ethics and leadership in media, the arts, and communication more generally, and the essential role ethics plays in developing cultural fluency, a fair society, and solid leadership skills.

Additional Videos

Additional Cases