Media Ethics

I think the industry that should hold a higher code of ethics is advertising. I think there are some advertisements on television that are more distasteful than some television shows. They try to sell sex or bad behaviors along with the product. Hardees’s always adds some sort of sex appeal in their commercials. What does sex have to do with fast food? Sadly enough, some people do get convinced to buy the product because of it. And there are other people who do get offended by it. Advertisers need to keep in mind that not everyone with appreciate how they advertise products. If they are not careful, they could get a lawsuit. An example of groups that could get offended is religious groups. If something very immoral is shown, then advertisers would hear about it. If advertisers changed their code of ethics, then no one will complain about how offensive they can be.

Personal Rights

In Media Law, I am concerned about personal rights. I am concerned about it because people sometimes lose their right to privacy because of it. I believe privacy is very important to everyone. We have the right to disclose things in our lives from everyone else. The USA PATRIOT Act is a good example of people going through other people’s private lives. This Act went into effect after the attack on 9/11 to help the government find the culprits. It allows the government to listen in on your phone conversations and monitor what books you check out at the library and so forth. They want to make sure you are not a terrorist. So the question is: National Security or privacy? It is sad when a government reaches a low where they have to question their own citizens. If a country cannot depend on their government, who can they depend on?

Social Learning Theory

The Social Learning Theory is a theory on how people learn to behave by observing others. This theory stereotypes minorities and women. Also, it teaches a group to behave in a certain way. I do agree with this theory. People learn from other people how to act and treat other people in this world. For example, a child can watch Sesame Street and learn their alphabet. Also, a person might watch a program about war and might be convinced to join the military or try to stop war. Some people can watch a show about murder and crimes and try to do it themselves because they watch the program and are eventually convinced it is their reality. It does not happen to a people, but it does happen. Women and minorities sometimes get bad reputations on television and people are convinced that is how they really are. On some shows, women are seen as the housewife and soccer mom. Some minorities, the Mexican-Americans for example, are sometimes seen as poor and dirty. Those minority groups are not always as they seem.