History of Character or Virtue Ethics and It’s Applications in Today’s Journalism

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. 

Edwin Armstrong's FM Radio Invention

Radio has been used for decades so people can listen to music, get updates on current events, hear about sports news, get informed on current traffic, receive weather updates, etc.  Although it may feel like radio has been around forever, there have been numerous milestones that got the radio world to where it is today.  Perhaps one of the most significant achievements in radio has to deal with the invention of frequency modulation (FM) radio.   

Before the 1930s, AM radio was the only form of radio available to listeners, but with AM radio came static.  Edwin Howard Armstrong, Columbia University engineering professor was the first person to make strides in the issue of static.  Before Armstrong, people had been varying the amplitude or strength of the radio wave.  For years, people thought that the static was unavoidable. But, Armstrong decided to try something different.  Instead of changing the amplitude, he modulated the frequency, hence “frequency modulation”.

In 1934, Edwin Howard Armstrong used AM and FM radio to send an organ recital from the Empire State Building to a friend in Long Island, New York.  He wanted to see the effects of changing the frequency as opposed to the amplitude.  The results were that the FM radio came through loud and clear whereas the AM version was much more static.  The Radio Corporation of America, which was responsible for the sales of AM radio sets, was now threatened by the possibilities that FM radio had because their business models were previously based on AM radio.

  
Armstrong has problems with his former business partner, David Sarnoff.

David Sarnoff, a friend of Armstrong’s, was head of Radio Corporation of America.  Although Sarnoff had wanted Armstrong to eliminate the static of AM radio, when he realized how successful FM radio could be, he cut ties with Armstrong.  Sarnoff asked for more tests of FM radio so he would receive the rewards for Armstrong’s inventions.  This is what ended up happening, so Armstrong never received the compensation that he deserved for FM radio and eventually committed suicide.  Despite Armstrong not receiving the payment that he should have, he is still the person recognized for the invention of FM radio, which has many advantages over AM radio.

FM radio has several advantages over AM radio.

One of the advantages of FM radio over AM radio is that FM radio operates on a wider frequency band, meaning that FM radio can produce much of the sounds that humans can hear, called fidelity.  Also, because of multiplexing, a method where signals are combined into one signal, the FM operator can send more than one signal simultaneously.  Another major advantage is that an FM station can serve a greater area than an AM station with the same power.  In other words, a single radio station is available to a wider range of people with FM radio than with AM radio.  Perhaps one of the largest advantages is that with FM radio, we only hear the stronger station.  AM radio stations, on the other hand, often interfere with each other.  

Armstrong’s invention of FM radio changed the radio world drastically.  Prior to the first half of the twentieth century, more people tuned in to AM radio than FM radio.  But starting in the late 1970s, this reversed.  This invention is what is responsible for the majority of what most people listen to while driving and in their homes.

Introduction

Hi, my name is Rachel Cutler.  I am a junior majoring in Psychology and minoring in Human Development.  I plan to go to graduate school for school counseling so I can be an elementary school counselor in the future.  I think that media today is both good and bad.  It is good because it gives people access to endless information, much of which can be helpful.  On the other hand, I think media is bad because much of the information out there is false, yet people still believe it.