Character, or virtue ethics has been around the longest out
of the four ethical systems. The
Greeks believed strongly in the notion of virtues such as courage, modesty, stoicism,
honesty, etc. According to virtue
ethics, you are virtuous because of your character and your character
influences your decisions. In
other words, if you act on the virtues mentioned above but it is not sincere, then
you are not acting virtuous. Although
there is a list of virtues that people are advised to follow, we are not told exactly how to act. For
example, virtue ethics suggests that we should show honesty, but it does not
tell us how to go about doing this.
It gives us a framework on how to live our lives, but it is ultimately
up to us how to do so. Although
virtue ethics may seem old fashioned, it is extremely important in today’s
society, seeing as journalism has only grown with our increases in technology
and social media. There are two
ethics that are based on virtue ethics, which are the Golden Rule and the
Golden Mean.
The Golden Rule: “Do
Unto Others As You Would Have Them Do To You”
The Golden Rule is a basic principle in Judeo-Christian
belief, which is also a common believe in Western cultures. It deals with treating others how you
would like to be treated – with respect and dignity. For example, the book says that if a journalist is
interviewing a grieving relative, he/she should treat that person fairly. That being said, the journalist may not
want to ask any questions that are too painful for the parents to answer because that would not be respectful. In addition,
the journalist should express empathy towards the parents.
This is important so that the journalist is not charged on invasion of
privacy or tastelessness.
Journalist Covering a
Rape Trial Omits Names
I found an article on foxnews.com which covers the story of an Ohio rape trial. Two high school football players are
currently being charged with raping a 16-year-old-girl after attending a party
with alcohol last summer. The girl
was intoxicated and says she has no recollection of the night, so the judge
will be basing his decision off of text messages, photographic and video
images, and witnesses. If you look
at the article, you will notice that no names were given for the defendants or the
victim. I believe this is a good
example of The Golden Rule because the journalist sees that the people involved
in this case are young, and that releasing this information could be detrimental to them. For the boys being accused, nothing has
been proven thus far, so releasing their names would be disrespectful. For the girl victim, she stated in an
interview how embarrassed she was about the situation, so giving out her name
would just make the situation worse.
I think that the journalist made a wise decision by leaving out the
names of these individuals, at least until the trial is over.
The Golden Mean
The Golden Mean was adopted in different forms by both
Aristotle and Confucius, who explained the importance of finding a balance
between two extremes. In other
words, there is a “middle way” that journalists should follow which means
finding a balance and fairness among both sides to an issue or topic. The book states that this does not
necessarily mean giving the same coverage to a certain topic, but that the
importance should be evaluated.
The book also says that this principle has to be taken into
moderation. For example, it
wouldn’t be ethical to steal half of the money in a cash register just because
it is the “middle way”, because stealing is wrong in the first place. Artistotle says that we need to decide
a mean because the mean decides how ethical acts will be judged.
Journalist Shows No
Political Side With Rob Portman’s Reversal On Gay Marriage
It is important that journalists keep a middle ground when
reporting controversial political topics.
In a recent CNN article, it is explained that Ohio Senator Rob Portman has changed his views
on gay marriage to support the issue. Portman did tireless
campaigning for Mitt Romney, so it is obvious that his new stance on gay
marriage is shocking to many. This
article was featured on CNN, MSNBC, FoxNews, etc and I noticed that none of the
writers expressed their opinions on gay marriage. They simply explained that Portman had a change of heart
because of his gay son. I think it's good that the journalists omitted their opinions on gay marriage
because it could sway the reader’s opinion. By finding a balance between the two conservative and
liberal extremes, the reader is able to form his/her own opinions on the
issue.
The Importance of Character or Virtue Ethics
I selected the character or virtue ethics because I think that many people have forgotten how important it is. For example, in terms of The Golden Rule, some journalists will do whatever it takes to get the best story. This may mean asking inappropriate questions or releasing too much information to the public which can hurt individuals. Likewise, in terms of The Golden Mean, there are so many times when certain political websites clearly choose a side, when really they should keep neutral. I believe that out of all of the ethics outlined in the book, character or virtue ethics needs the most attention in today's world where anyone can post whatever they want on the internet.
