Eguillon, Frecilo A. BC5A CM 216 MASS MEDIA ETHICS Prof.

. Maaliw 7/19/2011 Media Ethics as defined is the study of what is good and evil, what is just and unjust and what is right and wrong in the field of mass media. This serves as a framework that helps initiate the apt in practicing the profession. In some instances and in different situations, enough is not enough. Ethics doesnt strongly confer decorous acts in exercising what is ought to do. Legality and Morality is another part of constructing a well-built standard in mass media. Legality refers to what is decriminalized or what is not against the law. As for morality, it refers to what is upright and principled. If these three amalgamated as one, assurance for first-rate performance of the practitioners can be expected. As they have ethics that refers to what is right, morality that refers to what is good and legality that refers to what is lawful. In the television, most of the news being presented abides these three aspects most of the time. Media seems to be careful and cautious enough in their way of presenting news stories. But, in some occurrence, legal, ethics and morals seem to clash and causing agonizing decisions for the practitioners. You know who murdered someone, but you can't tell anybody. You vow to tell the truth in a courtroom, but your client is about to lie. This happens a lot especially when the reporter was electrocuted by an unknown source that subjects one persons credibility. During the Maguindanao Massacre, many journalist pestering a source in order to get a story and coming back to the same source to buy a space ad in their newspaper. That moment was a sad view of what the practitioners are. As explained by a Manila-based news reporter, Countryside journalists continue to be vulnerable to bribery due to factors of their outfits survival. But some other reporters, they may be unethical in reporting the issue, they still holds the legality of their report. There will always be a way to still abide the 3 aspects, as these three are sometimes selfjudgement.
www.scribd.com/doc/8689437/legal-ethics-reviewe1 apps.americanbar.org/rol/publications/philippines_legal_ethics_manual.pdf http://pcij.org/stories/poor-pay-scant-logistics-safety-risks-vex-reporters/