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University of Tennessee

Faculty Spotlight

February - March 2003: Mark Harmon

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Applied Media Ethics

"Wayne Wanta, angry at his ex-girlfriend, went to her home and shot her. He then fled to the stock trading firm where he worked as a temporary employee until he was laid off earlier this week. Wanta is holding four people there as hostages. He has not made any demands. There is a radio but no TV in the office where he holds the hostages. You are news director at an all-news radio station in this community. Moments ago Wanta's ex-girlfriend died from her wounds, despite the best efforts of the emergency room doctors at the local hospital. You are minutes away from your noon newscast when the police chief calls you. The chief asks you to report that Wanta's girlfriend is still alive and likely to recover. The chief believes it will be easier to negotiate an end to the hostage crisis if Wanta thinks he will not be facing a murder charge. What ethical principles are in conflict? How would you resolve them?"

book cover
Art from Mass Media Ethics site
This is just one case you might find on Mark's Mass Media Ethics website. Mark believes that one of his greatest challenges in teaching broadcasting is to find ways to stimulate students' development of critical thinking skills. Students have the ability to memorize and recognize correct answers on multiple choice tests, but often lack the ability to analyze and to solve problems. Students visiting the site are provided with an overview of basic tenets of ethical behavior as it relates to mass media. In addition, students are provided with real and contrived cases involving ethical judgment and the media. The cases are posted on the website and are used to generate discussion both in and out of the classroom. By examining real world problems in the context of case studies, Mark challenges students to examine the subject matter through a lens of sound ethical principles.

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