Good News Social Ethics and the Press [Paperback]

Mass media ethics and the classical liberal ideal of the autonomous individual are historically linked and professionally dominant--yet the authors of this work feel this is intrinsically flawed. They show how recent research in philosophy and social science--together with a longer tradition in theological inquiry--insist that community, mutuality, and relationship are fundamental to a full concept of personhood. The authors argue that persons-in-community provides a more defensible grounding for journalists' professional moral decision-making in crucial areas such as truthtelling, privacy, organizational culture, and balanced coverage. With numerous examples drawn from life as well as from theory, this book will interest journalists, editors, and professionals in media management as well as students and scholars of media ethics, reporting, and media law.

Christians, Ferre, and Fackler offer an intellectually provocative account of journalism and ethics that will in many ways define the terms of debate for years to come.Good Newsis good news for anyone interested in an intellectually rich treatment of questions of media ethics and responsibility. --Theodore L. Glasser,Stanford University

Whether the reader agrees or disagrees with its conclusions,Good Newsis a thoughtful proposal that deserves debate. --The Banner

By far, the best work on media ethics I've encountered. It goes far beyond the cursory treatment of situational ethics and case studies to an intelligent, compassionate normative ethics set in the context of the history of Western thought. --Heidi Ziolkowski,Cal. State University, Long Beach