Issues in Media Ethics

This book is primarily intended as a textbook for university students. Its main aim is to help students become better and more ethical professionals by discussing in depth the main ethical challenges that arise in the media professions. The material offered is grounded in the rich international literature on the subjects it addresses, but at the same time it builds on the experience of Nigerian and other African professionals in order to address the concrete issues which they have to face. The book covers both the ethical issues posed by the information media (both traditional and online) as well as the issues posed by other communication channels and products such as filmed fiction, animated films, documentaries, games, radio, TV and cable. Within the limits imposed by the introductory character of the book, the author does not fail to address the more difficult issues in the field of media ethics. Therefore, the interested reader will find serious (though brief and simple) discussions of more challenging issues, such as truth and objectivity in reporting, the nature and seriousness of the harm caused by violent or sexually explicit material, the foundations of the right to privacy, addiction in video games, and the nature of the choices gamers make while playing, among others.