Ethics in Media - Annotated Bibliography Example

Ethics in Media Name Institution Date Table of Contents Ethics in Media 1 Table of Contents 2 ETHICS IN MEDIA 22 2 Executive Summary 4 Good ethics 4 19-year-old polytechnic student had 20 girlfriends in 5 years 4 China executes Filipino on drug charges. 5 Former table tennis chief charged with corruption 6 Singapore Health Ministry wants central registry for sleeping pills 7 SPH donates $3 million, raises over $6 million for charity 8 URL: http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory 9 Jailed, caned for robbing 7 taxi drivers in Bukit Merah 9 Man charged with making bomb hoax call 10 'Shirtless greeters' cause stir in front of Abercrombie & Fitch store 11 Bad Ethics 12 Man charged with 2007 discotheque murder 12 What doesn’t kill them makes them stronger 13 Killer of Australian mob boss gets 32 years in jail 14 Former fishmonger assistant fined $3,000 for selling poison 15 Jail for motorist who causes two deaths and injures another 16 Firm, director fined $154k for acid spill that killed 4 17 Cleaner stole watches, neckties from Supreme Court office 17 Firm director fined $154,000 for the deaths of four workers 18 Conclusion 20 According to the paper, the codes of conduct are important when covering an event. Some of the stories in the paper highlight unethical issues while others highlight major ethical issues. Some aspects of the stories did not portray ethics issues by the way the reporters covered the stories. According to the paper some of the writers exposed too much information which was not relevant. This is against the media ethics as it may contravene the privacy and confidentiality of the whole story. The paper has also highlighted whether the behaviors of those being involved in the story is ethical or not. This is majorly because the stories revolve around morality. According to the paper the eight general standard codes are important and each of the stories has been analyzed for the use of the codes. 20 Lessons Learnt 20 Suggestions to improve ethics education in the UAE 20 Reference 21 Soh, E. (2011). Firm, director fined $154k for acid spill that killed 4, http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory 22 Chin D. (2011), Shirtless greeter' cause stir in front of Abercrombie & Fitch store _743071.html 22 Khushwant, S. (2011), Cleaner stole watches, neckties from Supreme Court office http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory 22 AP, SPH donates $3 million, raises over $6 million for charity. http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory 23 Executive Summary Ethics in the media, just like in other professions, is very important. However the media industry is very sensitive since the reporters may end up giving wrong information to the public. This might lead to numerous court cases and legal penalties prescribed by the law. The paper therefore highlights several codes of conducts that have been used when writing stories. Several stories from newspapers in Singapore have been analyzed. The main newspapers being analyzed are the Straits Times and Today Online. The stories that have been analyzed are Major events that also include ethical aspects of the people involved in the story. The eight principles of the Global business standards have been keenly highlighted in each of the story in details and how they have affected the whole story. In each of the story the author and the name of the newspaper is included. Good ethics 19-year-old polytechnic student had 20 girlfriends in 5 years Date: Dec 7, 2011. Name of the newspaper: Straight Times Author: Goh Shi Ting. URL: http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_742210.html Summary This story was in the Straight times written by Go Shi Ting, a multi media journalist. It involves a nineteen year college student in the local polytechnic. He admitted to having been involved with twenty girlfriends since his secondary school days. The article further reported that the student could not differentiate between lust and love. Evaluation of the principles of GBS Codex Some of the GBX principles were applied in the writing of the story. According to the article the dignity of the student was upheld since it was fairly reported. There was no biasness and the writer wrote the exact story according to the student. The principle of transparency was also upheld in the writing of the story. The writer did not ad details that were not real according to the confession of the student and truthfulness was involved. The public opinions were also sought fairly according to the writer and some contributions were made by the public. According to the principles of ethics this behavior by the student is not ethical although he confessed that he was not aware of what he was doing and needed help. China executes Filipino on drug charges. Date: Dec 08, 2011. Name of the newspaper: Straight Times Author: Reuters URL:http://www.todayonline.com/World/EDC111208-0000114/China-executes-Filipino-on-drug-charges Summary The story was reported in the Daily Online by the associated press (AP). It involves a Filipino man who was executed after being found guilty of drug trafficking. The thirty five year old man was found in possession of one and a half kilograms of heroin. This drug is prohibited in China and trafficking more than fifty grams of the drug is punishable by death. The Filipino president tried to intervene by arguing the man should be freed on humanitarian ground but the plea was rejected. The real crime took place in 2008 but the case had been ongoing. The man was allowed to see his children and cousins before being injected with poison two hours after the verdict was passed. The issue attracted comments from several people some who were against the act while others were for the act. Evaluation of the principles of GBS Codex Some GBX principles are highlighted in the story. The dignity principle was upheld. To protect the privacy of the accused his name was not mentioned in the story. The concerns were however raised regarding the practice by several individuals; this was in accordance with the responsiveness principle. According to the story ethics was maintained. Hanging the man was also justified since drugs leads to addiction and deaths of millions of people mostly youths yearly. Former table tennis chief charged with corruption Date: Dec. 8, 2011 Name of the newspaper: Author: Elena Chong URL: http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_742595.html Summary A former president of Singapore table tennis association (STTA) was charge with taking bribes from members of the public. This is according to Strait Times newspaper as reported by Elena Chong. The former president called Choo Wee Khiang was also a former member of parliament and is aged fifty seven years old. The former president is accused of taking bribes from the tennis players so as to give those more chances of representing the association in international tournaments. The president committed the crimes with the help of a close friend and associate who is a local coach. There were more than five counts of the crimes in total. Evaluation of the principles of GBS Codex The GBX principles applied in the story includes Fairness and transparency. This is because the story was written in a truthful manner and it was also fare to the accused since he was not subjected to harsh terms or descriptions although he had committed a serious offence. This is considering the position the accused held before. This is an ethical story and has highlighted an aspect of corruption among the leaders who hold high offices Singapore Health Ministry wants central registry for sleeping pills Date: Dec 7, 2011. Name of the newspaper: Straight Times Author: Salma Khalik URL: http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_742193.html Summary The story was in the Straight times and was written by Salma khalik. The doctors were proposing through the ministry of health that the amount of sleeping pills called Benzodiazepine is determined in the patient before any prescription. This was because of the effects of the drugs to the patients. Some doctors had been fined for giving prescriptions which resulted to deadly effects. This was because the doctors did not have patient’s previous records and did not know the concentration of the drugs in the patient’s body. The doctors through the ministry of health were proposing central registry policy so as to caution them from fines and other legal penalties. Evaluation of the principles of GBS Codex The GBS principles were applied in the story. There was responsiveness in the story since the concerns by the doctors were expressed in details. The laws and regulations were followed with non involvement which is a citizenship principle. There was also transparency since the story was reported with truthfulness that it deserved and there were no false details in the story. According to ethics, the behavior of the doctors was ethical since they were out to protect the patients and themselves from legal penalties. SPH donates $3 million, raises over $6 million for charity Date: Dec 7, 2011. Name of the newspaper: Straight Times Author: AP URL: http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory Summary A media company in Singapore donated more than $3 million to the communities in the area for development purposes. This is according to the Straits Times authored by the associated press. The company called Singapore press services limited aims at developing and empowering the local communities. The company has been conducting the charity events in the community for sometimes. Evaluation of the principles of GBS Codex The GBX principles in the story include dignity and responsiveness this is mainly portrayed by three facts that the company aims at developing the local communities and empowering the local people. The story is ethical and it highlights the good deeds the company is doing to empower the local people. Jailed, caned for robbing 7 taxi drivers in Bukit Merah Date: Dec 9, 2011. Name of the newspaper: Straight Times Author: Khushwant Singh URL: http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory Summary A jobless man was found guilty of robbing seven taxi drivers in less than three weeks.. This is according to the Straits Times report newspaper by Khushwant Singh. The man pleaded guilty to three charges and the judge found him guilty of being in possession of a knife belonging to the Swiss army. He was sentenced to six and a half years in jail and twenty four strokes of cane. Evaluation of the principles of GBS Codex The GBX principle portrayed in the story includes transparency and dignity. The writer maintained the privacy of the accused by with holding his name. The writer was also not biased in reporting the story and maintained transparency. The ethics in the story was upheld. This is because the punishment to the offender served as an example to other people who rob others. Man charged with making bomb hoax call Date: Dec 9, 2011 Name of the newspaper: Straight Times Author: Elena Chong URL: http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_743067.html Summary The story is according to the Straits Times and was written by Elena Chong. According to the paper, the fifty six years old man claimed that terrorists were planning to attack with grenades tied to kites. He made this report to the police by calling the hotline. The information however turned to be false and he was taken to court to answer charges. However the judge ordered a psychiatric test to be done on the man. Evaluation of the principles of GBS Codex Dignity was maintained in the story since the name of the man was with held to protect his privacy to the public. However according to ethics the story is not ethical since the false alarm would have caused unnecessary panic to the people. 'Shirtless greeters' cause stir in front of Abercrombie & Fitch store Date: Dec 10, 2011. Name of the newspaper: Straight Times Author: Daryl Chin URL: http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_743071.html Summary A retail brand called Abercrombie and Fitch surprised the city residents by lining up more than forty male models who were wearing just bright red sweat pants. The male were lined up uniformly along the yet to be opened flagship store. This attracted many on lookers who took photos of the men for a long time. However after some hours the people were already used to them and did not take more pictures. This was a marketing strategy for the company for it’s yet to be opened store. Evaluation of the principles of GBS Codex The story mainly highlighted dignity principles by the way it described the men and their advertising strategy. The story was purely ethical and it did not offend anyone. The story was published in the Straits Times by Daryl Chin. Bad Ethics Man charged with 2007 discotheque murder Date: Dec 9, 2011 Name of the newspaper: Straight Times Author: Elena Chong URL: http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_743066.html Summary According to Elena Chong from the Straits Times, a man has been on the run for four years after committing the offence with others not before the court. This occurred after the man identified as Lum kem mun was from a disco with friends. They killed a thirty seven year old man after a fight broke out. The slain man however died in hospital from multiple injuries. Evaluation of the principles of GBS Codex Although the crime was committed by a group, Lum was to answer for murder charges individually as a suspect. The principle of dignity and transparency was used in the story in highlighting the story and the suspect was treated with respect. The story was reported ethically and the arrest and prosecution of the man was ethical displaying the fact that he could not run away from justice forever What doesn’t kill them makes them stronger Date: Dec 06, 2011 Name of the newspaper: Today Online Author: Eveline Gan URL: http://www.todayonline.com/Health/EDC111206-0000012/What-doesnt-kill-them-makes-them-stronger Summary The story was reported on today on line by an author called Eveline Gan. It involves the use of antibiotics prescription. The writer is exposing the fact that most of the patients do not complete their dosage. An example of a college student is highlighted. The real name of the student is with held for the purpose of identification. The student admits that she does not usually complete her dosage when she gets better or when busy. Although she admits that it is not on purpose. An expert view on the issue is also highlighted and the views of a doctor by the name Leong suggests that the practice is dangerous since it makes the bacteria become antibiotic resistance and hence difficulties in cure of diseases. Some of the Evaluation of the principles of GBS Codex GBX principles in the story include the dignity principle whereby the name of the college student was with held for the sake of privacy. The doctor addressed his concerns regarding the practice which was a responsive principle. By disclosing the behavior with truthfulness regarding the college student and the doctor’s opinions, the principle of transparency was used. According to ethics the story of the college student is not ethical as the practice endangers the life of the patient and increases the cost of treatment Killer of Australian mob boss gets 32 years in jail Date: Dec 08, 2011. Name of the newspaper: Today Online Author: Reuters URL: http://www.todayonline.com/World/EDC111208-0000112/Killer-of-Australian-mob-boss-gets-32-years-in-jail Summary The story was reported by Reuters on Today Online paper. It involves a prisoner by the name Johnson Mathew. The prisoner killed another prisoner called Williams. Johnson was serving a life sentence and had committed several other murders before. According to Reuters, William was a police informer. He was killed by being beaten with a pole on the head according to camera footage found in prisons. He denied the accusation claiming that he had a right to kill for self defense. However the judge found him guilty and he was sentenced to thirty two years in jail. Evaluation of the principles of GBS Codex The story followed some of the GBX principles. The prince of fairness was used in reporting the story despite the fact that the story was dealing with a serious criminal offence. Truthfulness was also upheld in the story since there were no speculation regarding what transpired or opinions that would have compromised the story. The behavior is however not ethical according to the conduct of the prisoner. Former fishmonger assistant fined $3,000 for selling poison Date: Name of the newspaper: Straight Times Author: Elena Chon URL: http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_742643.html Summary The story was reported in the Strait Times by Elena Chon and it involved a fishmonger assistant who used to sell some black pills to the elderly people claiming that it cures back and joint pains. The forty five year old man identified as Poh Cher Chai admitted selling a drug called dexamethasone without an operating license in his fish stall. The incidence was investigated by the National Health Sciences Authority. This was after one of the patients was found with cushin syndrome and elevated liver syndrome after taking some black pills. An investigation was launched by an officer of the authority. The unsuspecting fishmonger sold the drug to the officer which lead to his arrest. Evaluation of the principles of GBS Codex The GBX principles used in the story included the principle of dignity and responsiveness. This is mainly due to the fact that the story was reported with respect for the individual and also the response by the doctors we covered. According to ethics the story is, unethical especially the part where the fishmonger takes advantage of the elderly that ends up causing serious health implications. Jail for motorist who causes two deaths and injures another Date: Dec 8, 2011 Name of the newspaper: Straight Times Author: Elena Chong URL: http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_742649.html Summary The story from the Strait Times reported by Elena Chong involves a fifty year old man called Sulaiman Ousman who killed two motorists and injured another one through dangerous driving. He was driving at a sped of one hundred and forty six kilometers per hour instead of the allowed seventy. He ended up killing Mohamed syafik and Mohamed Ghazali. Both are in their twenties. He pleaded guilty to the charges and was sentenced to nine months in jail and was banned from driving for seven years. Evaluation of the principles of GBS Codex The GBX principles used in the story was mainly about fairness and dignity. This is because the accused story was covered without any condemnation despite his actions. His dignity was also maintained by the use of kind words to describe him. According to the ethics the story of the accused was not ethical according to the actions committed which were disrespect for the law and committing a felony. Firm, director fined $154k for acid spill that killed 4 Date: Dec 9, 2011 Name of the newspaper: Straight Times Author: Elizabeth Soh URL: http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory Summary The Straits Times reported in a story by Elizabeth Soh. It involves the story in which four factory were killed through injuries that was sustained after they were burnt by acids. Their supervisor was also seriously injured during the incident and was hospitalized for a long time. This was as a result of insufficient care taken when handling the chemicals. The court fined the Company together with one of its directors a total of $ 154,000. Evaluation of the principles of GBS Codex The story had some GBX principles that were applied which include dignity and fairness. This is mainly because the names of the directors were not mentioned which ensured that the privacy of the accused was held. There was fairness in covering the story since the writer only reported the facts without taking any sides. According to the ethics the practice by the company was not ethical. This is because the workers died as a result of negligence by the company. Cleaner stole watches, neckties from Supreme Court office Date: Dec 9, 2011. Name of the newspaper: Straight Times Author: Khushwant Sighn URL: http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_743062.html Summary A cleaner was charged with stealing four watches and a neck tie all valued at $ 2230 from the office of the assistant registrar. This is according to Khushwant sighn from the Straits times’ newspaper. The cleaner who was a Chinese national committed the offence during lunch hour when conducting his duties. He pleaded guilty and was fined $ 3000 by the courts. Evaluation of the principles of GBS Codex The codes of conduct used in the story included transparency and dignity since confidentiality was upheld and not much details of the accused were given. The writer was ethical in the covering of the story. In which the cleaner performed unethical behavior of stealing from his superiors. Firm director fined $154,000 for the deaths of four workers Date: Dec 10, 2011 Name of the newspaper: Today Online Author: Elena Chong URL: http://www.todayonline.com/World Summary A company director was fined a total of $154000 for negligence. This is according to the Straits Times newspaper reported by Elena Chong. This was a result of negligence by the part of the company. The four workers were burnt and killed by acids that are used for cleaning. Their supervisor was also seriously injured in the process. One of the directors of the company was accused of negligence. Evaluation of the principles of GBS Codex The confidentiality of the director was maintained in the story which is a principle of dignity. The writer reported the story tried to maintain ethical code and did not take any sides. The act of the director was however not ethical Conclusion According to the paper, the codes of conduct are important when covering an event. Some of the stories in the paper highlight unethical issues while others highlight major ethical issues. Some aspects of the stories did not portray ethics issues by the way the reporters covered the stories. According to the paper some of the writers exposed too much information which was not relevant. This is against the media ethics as it may contravene the privacy and confidentiality of the whole story. The paper has also highlighted whether the behaviors of those being involved in the story is ethical or not. This is majorly because the stories revolve around morality. According to the paper the eight general standard codes are important and each of the stories has been analyzed for the use of the codes. Lessons Learnt Some lessons have been learned from the paper. The importance of ethics and the frame work that governs it has clearly been understood. This includes all the eight codes that govern the media ethics. All the ideas that involve the writing of stories without compromising the ethics have also been clearly understood. The analysis of events in order to write a credible story that covers all the facts briefly and clearly has also been learned in details. Suggestions to improve ethics education in the UAE Encouraging transparency and dignity principles when covering stories. Topics and subjects that involve ethics should be compulsory for learners. The learners should be encouraged to learn ethical issues from professionals of other countries. More emphasis should be put on the eight principles of standard ethics. Reference Goh Shi Ting (2011). 19-year-old polytechnic student had 20 girlfriends in 5 years breakingNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_742210.html Khalik, S. (2011). Singapore Health Ministry wants central registry for sleeping pills http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_742193.html Gan, E. (2011). What doesn't kill them makes them stronger. http://www.todayonline.com/Health/EDC111206-0000012/What-doesnt-kill-them- makes-them-stronger Reuters, Killer of Australian Mob Boss Gets 32 Years in Jail, http://www.todayonline.com/World/EDC111208-0000112/Killer-of-Australian-mob- boss-gets-32-years-in-jail AP, China Executes Filipino on Drug Charges, http://www.todayonline.com/World/EDC111208-0000114/China-executes-Filipino-on- drug-charges Chong, E. (2011). Former table tennis chief charged with corruption, http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_742595.html Chong, E. (2011). Former fishmonger assistant fined $3,000 for selling poison, http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_742643.html Soh, E. (2011). Firm, director fined $154k for acid spill that killed 4, http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory Chong, E. (2011). Jail for motorist who causes two deaths and injures another, http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_742649.html Chin D. (2011), Shirtless greeter' cause stir in front of Abercrombie & Fitch store _743071.html Khushwant, S. (2011), Cleaner stole watches, neckties from Supreme Court office http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory AP,Firm director fined $154,000 for the deaths of four workers http://www.todayonline.com/World Khushwant sighn, Firm, director fined $154k for acid spill that killed 4 www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory Chong E. (2011). Man charged with making bomb hoax call. www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory Chong, E. (2011). Jailed, caned for robbing 7 taxi drivers in Bukit Merah, http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory AP, SPH donates $3 million, raises over $6 million for charity. http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory Read More