GLOBALIZATION AND MEDIA: CREATING THE GLOBAL VILLAGE

THE COMMUNICATIONS MEDIA

THE DECADE of the 1990s began with a stirring lesson on the importance of communications media in the modern
world. Throughout the world, people were riveted to their television sets as they learned about the overthrow of a tyrant
in Romania. For several weeks they had watched as one after another of the communist states of Eastern Europe faltered
and toppled—first Poland, then Hungary, then Czechoslovakia, then East Germany. But the situation in Romania was far
more violent and much more public. In that nation, in fact, television played a dominant role in the revolution that put an
end to communist rule.

Communications media are institutions that specialize in communicating information, images, and values about ourselves
our communities, and our society. Typical media institutions in modern societies are the print media (newspapers and
magazines), movies, radio, and television. The messages communicated by the media in some countries can be political or
nonpolitical, religious or secular, educational or purely entertaining, but in every case they use symbols to tell us something
about ourselves and our environment.

Many social scientists have been deeply impressed by the media's ability to incorporate people into a society's national life
and bring about changes in their traditional values. The media are run by professional communicators, people who are
skilled in producing and transmitting news and other communications. These skills can be used to enhance the ability of
national leaders to influence and persuade the masses. Because of this, the media are always under pressure to communicate
the information and values that people in power want to have communicated.

The influence of media is a source of continual controversy as different groups strive for greater control over media
communications. In many societies, the media are subject to strict censorship. The very idea of news and entertainment
institutions that are free from censorship by political or religious institutions is a relatively recent development. But even
societies like the United States, which pride themselves on laws that protect the freedom of the press and other media; we
can find numerous examples of conflict between norms that are designed to control the media.

Television and Violence

Does watching a lot of television lead people to commit violent acts? Few questions about the media have generated as
much research and debate as this one (Reiss and Roth, 1993). Indeed, this question is a good test of the media's power to
influence behavior, as opposed to attitudes and opinion. Each hour of primetime television programming presents an
average of live acts of violence. Various studies have examined the connection between television violence and violent
behavior, especially in children and teenagers. Many of these studies have found a causal relationship between the viewing
of violence on television and later aggressive behavior, but some have concluded that such a relationship cannot be
demonstrated (e.g., Kaplan and Singer, 1976; Milavsky, 1977). In 1982, however, the National Institute of Mental Health
in the United States reported that "there is now 'overwhelming' scientific evidence that 'excessive' violence on television
leads directly to aggression and violent behavior among teenagers" (Reinhold, 1982).

More recent analyses of all the studies of television watching and aggression have indicated that very frequent exposure to
aggression on television leads to aggression in children and adults. The explanations for these findings are still debated.
The most common explanation is that television violence produces a form of "social learning"—that is, televised violence
provides models showing the viewer how to act violently and also provides an approved social context for this learning:
television watching in the home (Paik, 1990).

Eli Rubinstein (1991) studied the effects of televised violence on emotionally disturbed children. He found that the
children's behaviors were related to what they saw on television: They imitated aggressive behavior and pretended to be
characters in their favorite programs.

It is obvious that not every viewer of televised violence is tempted to act out that violence. It is equally clear that there is
some not-yet determined relationship between televised violence and aggressive behavior in some individuals. The
relationship appears to depend at least in part on the viewer's emotional condition. Contending that the research are
inconclusive, the major television networks have resisted efforts to regulate the content of their programming although
the first hour of prime time, from 8:00 to 9:00 P.M., has been labeled "family hour" and is limited to programs deemed
appropriate for family viewing.

MEDIA POWER AND ITS LIMITS

A familiar expression in modern societies is "Information is power." Because media control such a large and diverse flow
of information, they have immense power. Questions about the power of the media become especially urgent when one
imagines what could happen if control of the media fell into the hands of groups that oppose democratic institutions. In
such a case, could the persuasive power of the media be used to destroy individual and political freedom?

George Orwell addressed this use in his famous book 1984, which portrays a society in which everyone is consistently
watched on the two-way television. Not only the actions but also the thoughts of each member of the society are monitored
in this way by a powerful central government. This book presents a terrifying vision of the potential power of the media
when used by a dictator to control the thoughts and behavior of the population. But it is not merely an imaginatively
fantasy. It is based on the efforts of totalitarian regimes, especially those of Hitler and Stalin, to control the media and use
them to control the masses.

In many countries in which freedom of the press is guaranteed, there are still many problems related to access to the media
and their power to attract large audiences. On the other hand, in a democratic society, television and other media can be
a two‑edged sword, conferring power on those in the spotlight but also subjecting them to sometimes embarrassing public
scrutiny. Richard Nixon, Jimmy Swaggart, Gary Hart, and Jim and Tammy Bakker are only few public figures in the United
States who are all known worldwide who have risen, and fallen, in front of a national television audience. The public has
a stake, therefore in determining whether the media are adequately and evenhandedly investigating the actions of the
powerful and the famous (Kornblum, 1994).

Technological Limits

When media institutions are well differentiated from political and other institutions, it is actually quite difficult for powerful
individuals or groups to manipulate mass audiences. This becomes even more true as changing technologies give people
more opportunities to choose the type of messages they receive via the media. Cable television offers the potential for
much greater diversity in program content: Viewers can watch everything from public affairs to pornography. Social media
such as Facebook, Twitter, Messenger, YouTube, and the Internet also make possible a wider range of choices. So,
although it is entirely likely that the size of the television audiences for special events like the Super Bowl will continue to
increase, the audience of media consumers is becoming ever more diverse and fickle and, hence, ever more difficult to
reach as a mass audience. Even in societies like China, in which the media are agencies of the state and may broadcast only
material that has been approved by political leaders, new technologies promise to make it more difficult to control the
flow of information.

Social Limits

Another limit on the power of the media is the nature of communication itself. Researchers have not found a direct link
between persuasive messages and actual behavior. People do not change their cultural values and norms just because the
media tell them to do so. Instead, investigators have identified a two-step flow of communication: The messages communicated
by the media are evaluated by certain respected individuals, who in turn influence the attitudes and behavior of others.
Such individual function as opinion leaders in matters ranging from voting to the purchase of shampoo, which is one
reason advertisements so often portray a knowledgeable person praising a product to eager, or ignorant, listeners. The role
of influential individuals in the process is a reminder that communication via the media has not replaced oral, interpersonal
communication, nor is it likely to.

Another example of social limits on television's power to shape individual behavior comes from recent research on people's
actual behavior while the television set is on. Comparative research in societies through the world suggests that television
is an extremely powerful medium for reaching the masses of people and involving them in shows that raise important
issues of morality— serials and story shows are popular wherever they appear. However, the fact that the television set is
turned on for several hours each day does not necessarily mean that people are actually absorbed in watching the shows
This means, people have become used to television as an accompaniment to their daily activities, but they do not necessarily
always watch it or allow themselves to be influenced by it (Lull, 1998). On the other hand, the media convey a great deal
of information about our cultural environment and cannot help but affect how we perceive that environment. The extent
to which they shape our perceptions is a subject of ongoing research and debate (Kornblum, 1994).

THE MASS MEDIA

The mass media also referred to as mass communication may be defined as a special kind of social communication characterized
by a unique audience, communication experience, and communicator. The audience is usually large, heterogeneous and
anonymous. The term "media" comes from Latin, meaning "middle," suggesting that media serve to connect people. Mass
media occur as communications technology (first 'newspapers, then radio, and television) "spreads information on a mass
scale.

The communication experience is usually public, rapid, and transient. Media content is for public rather than private (one
on one) consumption. Media coverage of important events occurs either "live" or shortly thereafter. Media content is also
transient-the focus on one news event doesn't last very long.

The communicator is often just one person talking to others through electronic media, that a person works within a
complex organization with policies that govern what is broadcast. A cross-cultural view of broadcasting reveals that the
members of society dictate what is news, how it is presented, and what interpretations are given.

The mass media have an enormous effect on our attitudes and behavior. Television, introduced in 1939, soon became the
dominant medium. The global snapshot on television ownership in global perspective done in 2002 reveals that 98 percent
of the U.S. households have at least one set, followed by Canada (85%), Japan (80%), Finland (72%), Germany (64%),
(Austria (62%) and Italy (60%) (The World Bank, 2002).

Researchers revealed that the average household has at least one set turned on for seven hours each day, and people spend
almost half of their free time watching television (Neilsen, 1997; Seplow & Storm, 1998).

Years before children learn to read, television watching is a regular routine. As they grow, children spend as many hours
in front of a television as they do in school or interacting with their parents. This is so despite research that suggests
television makes children more passive and less likely to use their imagination (Singer & Singer, 1983; APA, 1993; Feliman,
2005).

For a variety of reasons, television (like other media) provokes plenty of criticism. Some liberal critics argue that television
shows mirror our society's patterns of social inequality and rarely challenge the status quo. Most programs involve men in
positions of power over women. Moreover, although racial and, ethnic minorities watch about 40% more television than
white people, they are largely absent from programming (Gans, 1990; Cantor & Pingree, 1993; Brown, 2000).

On the other side of the fence, conservative critics charge that the television and film industries are dominated by a liberal
"cultural elite." In recent years, they claim, “politically correct” media have advanced liberal causes including feminism and
gay rights (Lichtey, Rothman, & Rothman, 1986; Woodward, 1992; Prindle & Endersby, 1993; Rothman, & Rothman,
2003).

A final issue concerns violence and the mass media. In 1996, the American Medical Association (AMA) declared violence
in the mass media a hazard to the country's health. An AMA survey (1996) found that three-fourths of U.S. adults have
either walked out of a movie or turned off television because of too much violence. A more recent national study found
that almost two-thirds of television shows contain violence and that, in most senses, violent characters show no remorse
and are not punished (Wilson, 1998).

Most countries implement a rating system for programs. But larger questions remain: Does viewing violent programming
hurt people as much as critics say it does? More important, why do the mass media contain so much violence (and sex) in
the first place?

In sum, television and other mass media have enriched our lives with entertaining and educational programming. The
media also increase our exposure to diverse cultures and provoke discussion of current issues. At the same time, the power
of the media—especially television—to shape how we think remains highly controversial.
Finally, our spheres of life beyond family, school, peer group, and the media also play a part in social learning. For most
people in urban areas and global cities, these include religious organizations, the workplace, the military, and social clubs.
As a result, socialization is an uneven process as we absorb different information from different sources. In the end,
socialization is not a simple learning process but a complete balancing act. In the process of sorting and weighing all the
information we encounter; we form our own distinctive personalities and world views.

Importance of Mass Media

Mass media are important because they reflect and create cultural values and interests. Media attention to the Senate
impeachment trial of Chief Justice Corona and ouster of Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno, and China's intrusion to Philippine
sea suggests a deep cultural interest in, and value for, human dignity and territorial area of responsibility. Coverage of the
impeachment trial and ouster and the diplomatic protest (if there will be) has been tremendous and such interest is also
economic. The money, energy and resources we spend on these events are relevant to our political and economic life. If
the verdict is guilty, then who wins? If China will continue to ignore our diplomatic protest, what's the next move?

In addition to reflecting selected cultural values and interests, media somewhat suggest one version of parents who were
more teasing and less authoritarian with their children and spouses who engaged in more physical affection with each
other than in previous decades (Tan, 1995).

Media are important from yet another vantage point. McLuhan (1963 cited by Knox, 2006) emphasized that "The medium
is the message." By this he meant that the way in which content is delivered is, in itself, a message about the culture we
live in. For example, the development of motion picture "carried us from the world of sequence and connections into the
world of creative configuration and structure." We are no longer bound by the natural sequencing of life events; we could
make them up the way we demand about them.

Functions of Mass Media

Knox (1990; 2006), as cited by Abelos (2014), summarized several functions of mass media as follows:

Warning. A primary function of mass media is the ability to warn of impending danger. Television meteorologist broadcast
sightings of hurricanes, tornadoes, storms and alert listeners and viewers to take the necessary precautions and provide
up-to‑the minute tracking of the location of bad weather systems. Without such warning, there is the possibility for
tremendous loss of life and property.

The media are also instrumental in warning citizens of other hazards. Media personalities are always alert to warn the
general public of potential dangers of cancer-causing beauty soap (those without FDA permit), the potential danger of
China made children toys, the health risk in taking supplementary drugs, etc.

Companionship. Television has produced a new category of friend: the media friend. These are people known to viewers
who feel a sense of friendship with the performer, newscaster, and field reporters. People who seem to be helpless with
illness of their children, relatives and themselves go to seek help from the charity programs of giant television networks.
The hosts will then endorse them to several kind hearted individuals who are willing to offer their services in the name of
the foundation. There are many media personalities who are doing such favor to the needy from sickness to legal advice,
love counseling, job placements and even problems of OFWs.

Status Conferral. A latent function of mass media is to confer status on those individuals who are given high visibility.
Unknown individuals can become household names within a few weeks and some will figure permanently once media
attention is given to them. The phenomenal rise of Nora Aunor as singing sensation and her dramatic entry to the big
screen is a classic example. Willie Revillame is now a millionaire in his own right due to media exposure while battling out
with a giant television network on several cases that even made him popular and marketable to the advertisers. Ordinary
people such as taxi drivers, janitors, waiters, and even scavengers who return money are give such accolades of recognition
due to their good deeds by media.

Agenda Setting. Media also set a cultural agenda for what is important. In the international scene, several media agenda
setting occurred for civil disturbances in Libya, Yemen, Egypt, Syria and Bahrain in 2010 and 2011. The New York twin
tower disaster will always be remembered by most Filipinos as several fellow citizens were part of that tragedy. The tsunami
that struck Indonesia and Thailand are important events that awaken some audience of how nature takes its wrath over
humanity in this modern civilization. Likewise, the Yolanda victims will always be part of Philippine history because of the
number of lives lost in that strongest typhoon that hit the country. The shocking death of Heath Ledger (Broke Back
Mountain), Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston, and other famous names, in Hollywood are considered very important so
people will understand and view life as precious gift from the Creator. Their multitude of fans seems to ask a mind boggling
question why of all people, with their fame and money, yet they took their life using drugs. This is somewhat a spiritual
awakening for some while others fell blessed, even if they don't have such money and fame they're still happy and
contented with what God has given them.

Reality Construction. While agenda setting is concerned with emphasizing what is important, reality construction focuses
on the interpretation and meaning of a media event. Some broadcasters invite people who are experts in their field when
media events are aired. For example, political analysts, sociologists, psychologists, legal experts, diplomats, and college
professors are parts of the debate and arguments and most of them are sharing their knowledge on a specific topic raised
by the newscasters especially after a winning or losing candidate won and failed in the presidential or senatorial elections.
This is usually done during the exit polls.

The way an event is televised influences how the event is experienced. The use of numerous cameras makes it possible for
a parade to be presented on television in such a way to be different from the experience of someone actually attending the
parade.

Surveillance. Surveillance, another function of the mass media, refers to the collection and distribution of information
both within and outside a society. The evening television news is an overview of the happenings of the day. News reporters
scan the environment for new events and report them in print or over the airwaves.

Surveillance may also focus on particular events, such as presidential election, impeachment trial, graduation ceremony of
the PMA cadets, or disaster such as earthquake or sea mishaps.

Socialization and Education. Media also involve socialization or the transmission of social heritage to the audience. The
commentator of the automobile accident at the railroad crossing is providing a socialization experience in how to view
death, governmental agencies, and public responsibility: death is tragic; preventable death is more tragic; government
agencies respond to public pressure; it is appropriate to put pressure on government agencies; we are our brother's keepers.

Closely related to socialization function of mass media is education. The major networks and the government station have
made noteworthy contributions to what we know about the world. Aside from news coverage, television networks air
educational programs.

Propaganda. Merton (19006N) defined propaganda as "any and all set of symbols which influences opinion, belief or
action on issues regarded by the community as controversial (1). 167). He emphasized that the term propaganda, in the
mind of the public, tends to imply a deceit or fraud.

Merton observed that the most effective propaganda is not to tell people how to feel, but to provide them with selective
facts and allow them to draw their own conclusions.

Facts are easy to understand, have an attention-getting value, and are easy to spread by word of mouth. However, the
availability of the video Camera and digital cameras provide people on each side of an issue the tolls to present the "facts,"

Mainstreaming. Mainstreaming refers to a common outlook and set of values that exposure to television tends to
cultivate (Gerbner, 1976). When heavy viewers of television are compared to light viewers, there trends to be a
commonality of outlook among the heavy viewers. Regardless of political orientation, heavy viewers are more likely to be
against homosexuality (especially when they see Rustom Padilla now BB Gandanghari talking about his sex change and
appearing on television screen with a new outlook as ladylike in contrast to his boy next door image during his heydays as
macho actor), abortion and express concerns and doubts on the sudden change of Manny Pacquiao as being over religious
and preachy.

These views are promoted by network executives to dictate cultural values. The network executives are required by
advertisers to promote these values or lose revenues.
Entertainment. The entertainment function of television is the purposeful development of programming for the sole
function of providing entertainment for viewers. Any artistic, cultural, or educational value is secondary. Emphasizing the
entertainment aspect of television, Home Box office (HBO) which is available thru cable TV has begun a 24‑hour all
comedy channel.

Televising sporting events such as NBA, Olympics, World Soccer is also major entertainment feature of television. PBA,
NCAA, and UAAP and several sports events are being broadcast all year round including boxing and regional games such
as SEA and Asian games.

Advertising. The fundamental economic purpose of mass media is to sell an audience to advertisers who can induce the
audience to buy products. The primary target audience is the affluent, fairly well educated, and relatively young. In effect,
mass media exist for corporations, which market their product through the media.

Because advertisers must induce buying behavior on the part of the media consumer, they sometimes use doublespeak—
ways of expressing ideas that mislead, confuse, deceive and manipulate.

Adults are not the only focus of television advertising. Children represent a mass market to which advertisers parade their
products in a high rating television program. Ice cream brands, juice drinks, powdered milk are examples trying to lure the
children.

MEDIA ETHICS

Professional communicators recognize the value of fundamental standards of ethical behavior. In addition, media
audiences have come to expect certain fundamental ethical standards. Among these are accuracy, objectivity, balance,
accurate representations and truth.

Accuracy. The bedrock of ethics is accuracy, the reporting of information in context that allows people to understand
and comprehend the truth. For public relations professionals, reporters, and editors, being accused of inaccuracy is one of
the worst charges that can be leveled. However, accuracy is not simple truth but the reporting of information in a context
that allows people to discern the truth.

Objectivity. Objectivity is reporting facts without bias or prejudice, including a deliberate attempt to avoid interpretation.
To be fully unbiased is an admirable but unattainable goal. From births on, society and familial upbringing subtly influence
a person' s view of the world. However, journalists who accept objectivity as a goal need to be aware of their biases and
then report and produces an objective a story as possible.

Fairness and Balance. Fairness and balance means providing equal or nearly equal coverage of various points of view in
a controversy. Fairness and balance often go hand in hand with accuracy and objectivity. Reporters attempt to investigate
the many sides of a story. For example, the RH bill is a much debated issue since the Catholic Church does not agree with
the government stand. If the mass media quote and run video on active demonstrators on the pro‑choice and pro-life
sides, the complete story remains untold. Stories need to take into account the range of differing opinions. Often,
complexity must be preserved for journalistic balance to be achieved.

Truth. Although journalists cannot always ensure that their stories are true, they can make an extra effort to be truthful
and to avoid lying.

Integrity of Sources. A journalist's story is only as good as his or her sources. In 1981, Janet Cooke, a 26 year old
Washington Post reporter, won a Pulitzer Prize for a front page article called "Jimmy's World," Jimmy was an eight-year
old heroin addict. Soon after receiving the award, Cooke confessed that she has concocted the story: Jimmy did not exist.
She returned the prize and left the Post (Folkerts & Lacy, 2001).

Reporters who become too loyal to sources risk the possibility of being blinded and missing important cues to stories.

Avoiding Conflict of Interest. Outside business, social and personal activities and contacts can subtly influence the ability
of mass media professionals to conduct objective reporting. This is called conflict of interest. It might cause, for example,
an animal rights activist not to cover comprehensively and fairly a story on animals and scientific experiments; a city council
member might not effectively relate all sides of a housing bill; or the spouse of a political contender might not write
objectively a candidate's platform. The lack of objectivity these reporters experience originates in a conflict of interest—
the conflict between trying to do one's job effectively, and a belief system that adheres to the moral rightness of a cause
or a desire to promote one’s own interest.

Ethical Principles

 A doctor who practices illegal abortion would be violating a code of ethics. The doctor could lose the right to
practice.
 A lawyer who deliberately misleads a client would be guilty of violating a code of ethics. The lawyer could be
disbarred and kept from practicing law.
 A certified public accountant (CPA) who knowingly signs a statement misrepresenting a company's financial
position would be violating a code of ethics. The CPA could lose the right to practice.
 A journalist who accepts a stolen document and poses as a police investigator to get private telephone records
might be violating a code of ethics. The journalist could win a journalism award.

The doctor, the lawyer, and the accountant all have mandatory codes of ethics, prescribed and enforced by their
professions. Journalism as a profession has been slow to establish a mandatory and enforced code because of a fear that
it might in some way infringe upon freedom of the press guaranteed by the Constitution.

In other professions, enforcing a code means the profession must have the power to keep people from practicing unless
they have membership or a license to practice. That also means that the profession must have the power to suspend a
license and to keep members from practicing if they violate the code of the profession. This is mandated by our very own
Professional Regulations Commission (PRC).

For some professions the state or country requires a license to practice. If as a condition of keeping that license, people
may not express certain ideas; that is a form of censorship. Because journalists are not licensed by states, it is difficult to
determine who is a journalist. In fact, the Supreme Court (in the United States) has said it does not want to define a
journalist.

Therefore, government does not keep anyone from practicing journalism, although individual news organization have
established and enforced codes of ethics that have restricted journalists from practicing journalism in their organizations.
For example, some journalists who have plagiarized have been suspended or fired from their news organizations.

In the United States, the Society of Professional Journalists do have codes of conduct. Of course, journalists do not have
to belong to such organizations to practice journalism. Half or more newspapers and television stations now have written
code of ethics. Larger news organizations are more likely to have them.

Critics of journalism code of ethics condemn them either for being hopelessly general and therefore ineffective or for
being too restrictive. Some argue that strict codes might help improve journalist's credibility, but others say they merely
make journalists an easier target for libel suits.

Your organization may or may not have code of ethics. Either way, you should devise your own ethical values and
principles. Your upbringing, perhaps your religious training and your education, have already helped you prepare to do
that.

Three Ethical Philosophies

Your personal ethics may derive from the way you answer one fundamental question: Does the end justify the means?
Another way of asking that is, should you ever do something that is not good in itself in order to achieve a goal that is
good?

If you answer No to that question, you are in some sense at least an absolutist or a legalist. You would then most likely
subscribe to deontological ethics. If your answer yes to that question, you are more of a relativist and would subscribe to
teleological ethics. If you answer maybe or sometimes, you would subscribe to a form of situation ethics.

Conrad C. Fink, professor of media ethics has this to say: "Ethics is a system of principles, a morality or code of conduct.
It is the values and rules of life recognized by an individual, group or culture seeking guidelines to human conduct and
what is good or bad, right or wrong (p. 217)."

The following are the philosophical jargons relative to the understanding of the principles cited.

Deontological Ethics

Deontology is the ethics of duty. According to this philosophy, it is the person's duty to do what is right. Some actions are
always right; some are always wrong. There exists in nature (or for those with religious faith, in divine revelation) a fixed
set of principles or laws, from Which there should be no deviation The end never justifies the means. That is why Some
refer to this kind of ethical philosophy as absolutism or legalism (Brooks et al.,1999).

If it is wrong to lie, it is always Wrong to lie. If a murderer comes to your door and asks where your roommates are so
that he or she could murder them, if you were an absolutist, you would not lie to save their lives. It doesn't matter that
your friends might be killed. The consequences are irrelevant.

An absolutist or legalist has one clear duty—to discover the rules and to follow them. An absolutist or legalist ethical
philosophy could spawn a conscientious objector who not only would refuse to take arms but who would also refuse even
to go to war as a medic. If wear is absolutely wrong, it is absolutely wrong to participate in war in any way (Brooks, et al.,
1999).

One such absolutist was Immanuel Kant (1724-1804). Kant proposed the categorical imperative that states that you should
do only those things that you would be willing to have everyone follow as a universal law. Once you make that decision,
you regard it as "categorical" and without exception, and it is imperative that you do it (Brooks, 1999).

Many people draw support for their absolutism or legalism from their religious beliefs. They will cite the Bible or the
Koran or some other book they believe to be divinely inspired. If they themselves cannot find the answer, they will turn
to their minister, priest, rabbi or guru for the answer to their ethical dilemma. The absolutist is concerned not only with
doing the right thing, and one need only to discover what that is.

The absolutist journalist is concerned only with whether an event is newsworthy. If it is interesting, timely, significant or
important it is to be reported, regardless of the consequences. The duty of the journalist is to report the news, period.
American broadcast journalist Walter Cronkite (1916‑2009) once said that if journalists worried about what all the possible
consequences could be for reporting something, they would never report anything (Brooks, et al., 1999).

The deontological philosophy is attractive to many journalists because it assumes the need for full disclosure. Nothing
newsworthy is withheld from the public. In the end, these journalists believe that publishing without fear for the
consequences or without favor for one group's interest over another's is the highest ethical principle. Journalists are
unethical only when they withhold the news.

Teleological Ethics. Teleological ethics holds that what makes an act ethical is not the act itself but the consequences of
the act. The end can and often does justify the means. This philosophy makes ethics more relativistic than absolutist or
legalistic.

For example, stealing may not always be Wrong. In some cases, it may be virtuous. A mother who steals food for her
starving child would be performing a good act. A person who lies to save someone's life would be acting ethically. A
person who kills to protect his or her own life is acting morally.

What is involved in teleological ethics is the intention of the person performing the act. What some people would proclaim
as unethical, some would do for a good purpose or a good reason. Police often work undercover. They conceal their
identity as police officers in order to apprehend criminals. If in that process they must lie or even get involved in some
criminal activity, so be it. Their purpose is to protect the public; their intention is to work for the good of society.

Some journalists would not hesitate to do the same. Some would require some conditions be in place before they will steal
or to use deceit, but they would do it nonetheless. Their purpose is to be the watchdog of government, to protect the
common good, to keep the public fully informed. What they must do to accomplish these goals, they argue, is clearly
ethical. The extreme form of the end justifying the means was best expressed by the 15tFcentury Italian philosopher
Niccolo Machiavelli (1469-1527). In the century, American philosopher John Dewey (1859-1952), reflected this philosophy
with his pragmatism—whatever works is ethical.

This pragmatism often applies to business in general and to the business of journalism. If a story about a local grocery
brings threats of withdrawing advertising, some editors will refrain from publishing the story. If a favorable story brings
more advertising money, they will publish the story. They'll generally do whatever works.

Situation Ethics. When asked whether the end justifies the means, persons subscribing to situation ethics would reply
that it all depends.

Complete relativists, or antinomians, hold that there are no laws and only one operative principle. That principle is that
every person and every ethical situation is unique, and to solve an ethical dilemma by applying principles held by others or
principles that apply in other cases is unethical. The only way to be ethical is to view each situation as unique and to solve
the ethical problem entirely on its own merits.

This position does not mean that antinomians have no ethics. It does not mean that they would always lie or cheat or steal.
An antinomian journalist would not hesitate in some instances to pose as someone other than a journalist in an attempt
to gather information. In other cases, the antinomian would not. It depends entirely on the situation because no two
situations are alike (Brooks et al., 1999).

John Merrill's Deontelics. Other relativists are not as extreme. Some ethicists shy away from absolutism and say that
one must consider both the act and the consequences of the act. Journalist scholar and ethicist John Merrill calls such
ethics as deontelics—a word he coined combining deontological and teleological ethics. To act responsibly, journalist must
consider more than just the ethics of the act and be aware that some acts are of their very nature unethical.

For example, telling the truth is paramount for a journalist. Lying Is by nature is unethical in most cases According to
deontolic theory, there may be a rare time when lying is justifiable for a good purpose. For example an investigation
reporter might justify lying about his or her identity as a journalist as the only Way to get information for an important
story.

Love of Neighbor. Joseph Fletcher author of Situation Ethics based philosophy on love of neighbor as articulated in the
Golden Rule and the maxim, "You shall love your neighbors as yourself." He presents his ethics from a Christian
perspective with roots in Judaic teaching, but one need not to profess Christianity to share the conviction that all principles
are relative to one absolute—love of neighbor. Indeed, many religions, as well as secular humanisms, hold human values
as the highest good.

In the broad sense, then, followers of Fletcher's form of situation ethics place people first. In every ethical dilemma, they
always do what is best for people. Sometimes they must choose between love for one person and love for a larger
community of people.

SOLVING ETHICAL DILEMMAS

To help journalists and others make ethical decisions, ethicists Clifford Christians, Kim Rotzoll, and Mark Fackler have
adapted a model of moral reasoning devised by Dr. Ralph Potter of the Harvard Divinity School called the Potter Box.
The box has four elements:

Appraising the Situation. Making a good ethical decision begins with good report. You need all the facts from a variety
of sources. Reaching a decision without trying to know all the facts makes any ethical decision impossible.

Identifying Values. What are your personal values, your news organization's values, your community's values, the nation’s
values? For example, you may place high value on your personal credibility and that of your news organization. Certainly,
freedom of the press is a value prized by this nation.

You value your audience's right to know, but you may value a person's right to a fair trial more. You also value your
independence and not being used by the police department or by the prosecution or by the defense.

Appealing to Ethical Principles. You need to look at the various ethical principles discussed previously. The principles
are not meant to be a shopping list from which you may choose the one that serves your personal interest. To be ethical,
you may have to choose the principle or principles that are far from expedient. Even if you choose a utilitarian, Aristotle's
mean (recall your lesson on Philosophy & Logic) may keep you from doing the extreme, and Kant's categorical imperative
may keep you from doing it at all.

Choosing Loyalties. You owe a certain loyalty to your news organizations yes, but you must also be loyal to your readers,
listeners, or viewers. And what about loyalty to your sources and to the people about whom you are reporting?

Journalists should not just reflect society. They should present a reasoned reflection. Journalism should be done by people
Who make informed, intelligent, and prudent choices.

The main objection to the Potter Box is that it takes too much time and is impractical in the deadline business of journalism.
However, as you become more acquainted with ethical principles and more practiced at principled reasoning, you can
make ethical decisions much more quickly and reasonably.

Although each case is different and you must always know the situation, you need not always start from the beginning.
After a while you know what your values are, where your loyalties lie and which principles will most likely apply.

ETHICAL PROBLEMS OF GLOBAL JOURNALISTS

According to Everette E. Dennis, Executive Director of the Freedom Forum Media Studies Center, "Journalists demean
themselves and damage their credibility when they misrepresent themselves and their works to news sources and, in turn,
to the public at large (71)." The following are the ethical problems faced by media people:

Deceit. Deceit covers a wide range of practices. When you may lie, misrepresent yourself, use a hidden tape recorder or
camera? When may you steal documents? Media people use deceit most often in consumer reporting.

Conflicts of Interest. Reporting generally assumes that the reporter starts out with no point of view; that the reporter is
neither out to get someone nor to get something out of the story. This basic tenet is the foundation for any and all
credibility. Most news-media ethics codes de-vote the bulk of their substance to determining what constitutes conflict of
interest and they should.

Friendship. Perhaps the most obvious, the most frequent, and the most overlooked conflict of interest confronting media
people is friendship. Friendship, according to Professor Paul Fisher of the Missouri Freedom of Information Center called
friendship the greatest obstacle to the flow of information. Because it is impossible to ascertain, no one knows whether
friendship causes more stories to be reported or more stories to be killed. Either way, it sets up a powerful conflict of
interest.

Payola. No one would condone accepting payment for writing a story other than from one's employer. News
organizations frown upon reporters doing promotional work for people they cover.

Freebies. Can media people remain objective? Do media people write stories they would otherwise not write? Does the
public perceive the newscaster who has accepted or is suspected of accepting freebies as objective? It is this perception
that bothers most news organizations the most. Some argue that the least reporters must do is disclose prominently in
their stories any freebies they have accepted. Media people must learn the code of ethics in their organization, and
sometimes, they should know also their personal code. They must remember, they may not think a freebie will influence
their reporting but what about the audience?

Checkbook Journalism. Does the audience believe your story if you have paid your source for it? Should you always
report that you haves a paid source? Is it ethical to pay a source for an exclusive story? Should media people be in the
business of keeping other media people from getting a story? The terrible consequence of checkbook journalism is that
even legitimate news professionals may be cut off from sources who want and expect pay. Some sources have begun
asking for a fee even for good news. The increase in tabloid journalism, both in print and in broadcast have brought the
opportunists out in droves. For Richard Zoglin of Time Magazine, the networks say that they do not pay for interviews,
but the tabloids say payments are disguised as consultant fees.

Participation in the News. According to Kowet, Richard Harwood, Washington Post Ombudsman at the time, told a
conference of journalists in Washington, U.S.A in 2006: "You have every right in the world to run for office, or participate
in a political activity or lobbying activity. You don't have the 'right' to work for the Washington Post." Nevertheless, some
worry that uninvolved journalists will be uninformed journalists, an unconnected group of elitists. The problem is
compounded when editors and even news organizations are involved in community projects. May the editor join the
religious rally? May the station support the political rally?

Advertising Pressure. Newspapers often have special sections to sell advertising. The stories are light and fluffy and
quote local business people as sources. Nothing investigative or hard-hitting appears. You may be asked to supply a copy
for these sections. On a day-to-day basis, advertising has more to do what stories will not be run. You may learn quickly
that you are not to do a story critical of the chain of department stores and malls. Research in the United States has shown
that magazines that continue to receive millions in cigarette advertising have carried a few or no articles about the health
hazards of tobacco. Car buff magazines carry more articles about cars that advertise the most in their magazines.

Invasion of Privacy. The most obvious and talked-about issue dealing with the right to privacy is naming crime victims,
especially rape and abuse victims. In Florida, USA, they have legislated laws against publishing rape victim's names, only
to have the law struck down by a Florida District Court (Brooks, et al., 1999). The Supreme Court has held that news
agencies cannot be punished for publishing lawfully obtained information or information from a public record. It boils
down to a matter of ethics, as usual, there is no complete agreement. But nearly all news outlets would not publish a rape
victim's name without the victim's approval. The same is true of juvenile victims of sex crimes. The obvious reasons are
that the victim has suffered enough and need suffer no further shame.

Withholding Information. If you work in a media organization, are you ever off duty? A doctor isn't. Doctors take an
oath to treat the sick. If you witness something at a friend's house or at a party, do you tell your news director about it?
Sometimes the press withholds information. In El Paso, Texas, the media held a story of the kidnapping of two boys for
two days because of threats, relayed by the FBI, that the kidnappers would kill the boys if the kidnapping were publicized.
The boys were eventually free unharmed. Sometimes the press doesn't. Sometimes it comes down to what American
professor‑journalist, Edmund Lambeth (1932-) calls humanness. You never do needless harm to an individual or inflict
needless pain or suffering. It is better that you do the least harm possible. You certainly don't do harmful stories deliberately
to harass someone or without a good reason, No one likes a mean bully (Brooks et al., 1999).

Plagiarism. No one condones plagiarism. The problem is defining just what constitutes plagiarism. Probably you know
when you do it even if no one else does. In the daily practice of journalism, reporters, consciously or unconsciously, deal
with many situations that could involve plagiarism. Nevertheless, every media people must fight every impulse, question
and check any doubts, avoid any hint of plagiarism any hint of plagiarism. American author William A. Henry III
(19504990) wrote in Time Magazine that plagiarism "imperils that bind, not because it involves theft of a wry phrase or
piquant quote, but because it devalues meticulous, independent verification of fact—that bedrock of a press worth
reading." (Brooks, et al., 1999, p. 210).

The bond is not just with the public. It's with your fellow writers and the news organization for which you work. Your
personal ethics will safeguard and nurture that bond. Once it is broken, so are you.

THE RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN GLOBALIZATION AND POPULAR MUSIC

The impact of urbanization on the development of new genres and philosophies of music continues to be felt today. The
sensational formation of One Direction (unfortunately disbanded in 2017) whose sales in concerts reached billions of
dollars erased and surpassed all previous records even during the era of Beatles, Bee Gees, the Eagles, and ABBA. The
worldwide hit of Rapper PSY of South Korea in his Gangnam Style is an evidence of music innovation in form and
substance that caters to worldwide audience. The rising popularity of the Korean Pop also of South Korea is a
phenomenon.

As new bands continue to flourish such as The Vamps (UK), Before You Exit (Orlando, Florida) and Five Seconds of
Summer (Australia) the world of music is revitalized with new genres and is boosted by technologies such as digital
synthesizers and other mtISiC1l instruments. The internet is also globalizing their performance through You Tube Of
which you can directly upload their music video from bluegrass, country or slow rock, this way, the world is updated on
who's who in the list of billboard charts (See Table 7.1)
Globalization per se increaser relationships among culture, economy, and people. According to Greek diplomat and
politician Nikos Kotzias (1950- ) (2000), a foreign affair expert, there are features of globalization which include seven
parts: new technologies, new model, new communication and transportation, new time-space relationships, new
community functions, new culture, and new affection of personal life.

The above can be analyzed as follows: First, the development of new high technology produce manufactured musical
products. The technological music tools such as digital audiotape, compact disc, and MP3 player provide a convenient
environment for people to listen to music. Second, the production model changes the traditional music into a mature pop
music industry. The new music economic mode contains manufacture instruments, train pop star, sale music products,
and organized the Concert. Third, the communication and transportation's change also connect with the new technological
development. For example, the Internet played an important role and fascinates people's interest into popular music.
Fourth, new culture is born by the mixture of world music.

Table 7.1. Germany Award Winners, 1958-2014.

Year Title Singer/songwriter

1958 Nel Blu Dipinto Di Blu (Volare) Domenico_Modugno
1959 The Battle of New Orleans Jimmy Driftwood (composer)
1960 Theme of Exodus Ernest Gold, songwriter
1961 Moon River Henry Mancini & Johnny Mercer, songwriters
1962 What Kind of Fool Am I? Anthony Newley iind Leslie Bricusse, songwriters
1963 Days of Wine and Roses Henry Mancini and Johnny Mercer, songwriters
1964 Hello Dolly Jerry Herman, songwriter
1965 The Shadow of Your Smile Johnny Mandel and Paul F. Webster, songwriters
1966 Michelle John Lennon and Paul McCartney
1967 Up, Up, and Away Jimmy L. Webb, songwriter
1968 Little Green Apples Bobby Russell, songwriter
1969 Games People Play Joe South
1970 Bridge Over Troubled Water Paul Simon
1971 You've Got a Friend Carole King
1972 The First Time Ever I Saw your Face Ewan MacCoil
1973 Killing Me Softly with his Song Charles Fox and Norman Gimbel
1974 The Way we Were Alan Bergman, Marilyn Bergman, and Marvin Hamlisch
1975 Send in the Clowns Stephen Sondheim
1976 I Write the Songs Bruce Johnston
1977 Evergreen Barbra Streisand and Paul Williams
1977 You Light up My Life Debby Boone/Joe Brooks
1978 Just the Way You Are Billy Joel
1979 What a Fool Believes Kenny Loggins and Michael McDonald
1980 Sailing Christopher Cross
1981 Bette Davis Eyes Donna Weiss and Jackie De Shannon
1982 Always on My Mind Johnny Christopher, Mark James, and Wayne Carson
1983 Every Breath You Take Sting
1984 What's Love Got to Do with It Tina Turner/Graham Lyle and Terry Britten
1985 We are the World Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie
1986 That's What Friends are For Dionne Warwick/Burt Bacharach and Carole Bayer Sager
1987 Somewhere Out There Linda Ronstadt and James Ingram- James Homer, Barry
Mann
1988 Don't Worry, Be Happy Bobby McFerrin
1989 Wind Beneath My Wings Bette Midler/Larry Henley and Jeff Silbar
1990 From a Distance Julie Gold
1991 Unforgettable Irving Gordon
1992 Tears in Heaven Eric Clapton and Will Jennings
1993 A Whole New World Alan Menken and Tim Rice
1994 Streets of Philadelphia Bruce Springsteen
 1995 Kiss from a Rose Seal
1996 Change the World Eric Clapton/Gordon Kennedy
1997 Sunny came Home Shawn Colvin and John Leventhal
1998 My Hearth will go on Celine Dion/James Horner and Will Jennings
1999 Smooth Santana and Rob Thomas/Itaal Shur
2000 Beautiful Day Adam Clayton, David Evans
2001 Fallin Alicia Keys
2002 Don’t Know Why Norah Jones/Jesse Harris
2003 Dance with my Father Richard Max and Luther Vandross
2004 Daughters John Mayer
2005 Sometimes you Can’t make it on your Adam Clayton, David Evans
Own
2006 Not Ready to Make Nice Emily Robison, Martin Maguirre, Dan Wilson
2007 Rehab Amy Winehouse
2008 Viva La Vida Guy Berryman, Johnny Buckland, Will Champion,and
Chris Martin
2009 Single Ladies Thaddis Harrell, Beyonce Knowles
2010 Need You Now Dave Haywood, Josh Kear
2011 Rolling in the Deep Adele Adkins and Paul Epworth
2012 We are Young Nate Ruess, Jack Antonoff, Jeff Bhasker, Andrew Dost
2013 Royals Joel Little and Ella O’Connor
2014 Stay with Me Sam Smith, James Napier, and William Philips

The new music style is created with the global communication. In order to cater to the worldwide audience, today's popular
music is divided into different genres. Finally, the globalization of pop music industry changed people's life.

Changes in musical culture constitute one of the aspects of globalization, and they are themselves complicated and
multileveled since they affect institutions, system of value, and social groups involved in musical life. The change in popular
music is not the outcome of globalization; that is, pop music industry is part of the globalization phenomenon (Baltzis,
2005).

People today consume diverse music offered to the global market by multinational media and entertainment industry. On
social and economic level, globalization has various impacts on the popular music industry. Globalization promote the
world music industry and enhance the cultural communication however, mainstream pop culture replaces the traditional
music and commercialized the pop music which leads to a result that the quality of the music is decreasing.

Popular Music Expansion and Transculture

Audiences today are seeking for amusement and leisure: the pop music industry produces and packages pop music carefully
to fulfill the consumers' requirements. The interaction of global pop music breaks down the cultural and economic
boundaries. In other words, globalization provides new opportunities for the pop music industry to expand the world
market and gain huge profits. Baltziz (2005) cited the word transculture which refers to the phenomenon that transformed
diverse popular music in different cultures and nations resulting into a new music style. For example, Chinese musician
combines pop music with traditional Chinese opera and creates a new style of pop music called "Chinese pop." This hybrid
music style, became popular among several nations and attracted people from other countries to enjoy Chinese style pop
music. Given the new condition created by digitalization, virtualization, and the Internet—artists in several developed
countries—now have more possibilities to communicate with the public. Social media as a powerful cultural weapon
increase the communication and interaction between pp star and the public. People can get to know their icon's life through
the television show, magazine, and Twitter. In this way, pop music fans feel closer to their idols resulting to a bigger
support.

Music

We often hear the expression "Music is the universal language." This means that even if two people do not speak each
other's language, they can at least appreciate music together. But like so many popular sayings, this one is only partially
true. Although all people do not have the same physiological mechanisms for hearing, what a person actually hears is
influenced by his or her culture. Westerners tend to miss much of the richness of Javanese or Sri Lankan music because
they have not been conditioned to hear it. Whenever we encounter a piece of non-Western music, we hear it (process it)
in terms of our own culturally influenced set of musical categories involving scale, melody, pitch, harmony, and rhythm.
Because these categories are defined differently from culture to culture, the appreciation of music across cultures is not
always ensured.

Ethnomusicology

The cross-cultural study of music is known as ethnomusicology, a new field involving the cooperative efforts of both
anthropologists and musicologists (Nettle and Bohlman, 1991). Ethnomusicology has made rapid progress because of the
recent developments in high quality recording equipment needed for basic data gathering. Slobin and Titon (1984) have
identified four major concerns of ethnomusicology.

1. Ideas about music. What functions does music play for the -society? Is music viewed as beneficial or harmful to
the society? What constitutes beautiful music? On what occasions should music be played.?
2. Social structure of music. What are the social relationships between musicians? How does a society distinguish
between various musicians on the basis of such criteria as age, gender, race, ethnicity, or education?
3. Characteristics of the music itself: How does the style of music in different cultures vary (scale, melody, harmony,
timing)? What different musical genres are found in a society (lullaby, sea chantey, hard rock, and so on)? What
is the nature of musical texts (words)? How is music composed? How is music learned and transmitted?
4. Material culture of music. What is the nature of the musical instruments found in a Culture? Who makes musical
instruments and how are they distributed? How are the musical tastes reflected in the instruments used?

Alan Lomax in his colleagues (1968 cited by Ferraro, 2004) conducted one of the most extensive studies of the relationship
between music and other parts of culture. Specifically, Lomax found some broad correlations between various aspects of
music and a culture's level of subsistence. Foraging societies were found to have fundamentally different types of music,
song, and dance than more complex producers. By dividing a worldwide sample of cultures into five different levels of
subsistence complexity, Lomax found some significant correlations as shown in Table 7.2.

Table 7.2 Comparison of Music from Egalitarian Societies and Stratified Societies

Egalitarian Societies with Simple Economics Stratified Societies with Complex Economics
Repetitious texts Non-repetitious texts
Slurred articulation Precise articulation
Little solo singing Solo singing
Wide melodic intervals Narrow melodic intervals
None elaborate songs (no embellishments) Elaborate songs (embellishments)
Few instruments Large number of instruments
Singing in unison Singing in simultaneously produced intervals

RELIGION AND THE MASS MEDIA

Despite popular beliefs that the relationship between religion and the mass media is something unique and new, it is
actually as old as the mass media; it began five centuries ago, when Johannes Gutenberg began mass printings the Bible.
Likewise, the "electronic church" did not begin with Jim and Tammy Bakker's Praise the Lord (PTQ ministry but with the
first radio broadcast of a human voice in 1906, a Christmas service that included the singing of "0 Holy Night" (Martin,
1988). Today, religious organizations reach across the globe to influence hundreds of millions of viewers. As of 2015, in
the United States alone, there were more than 1,738 religious radio stations, 379 religious television stations; 6,800
evangelical Christian bookstores, with annual retail sales of 5.6 billion dollars; and countless suppliers of specialized
religious tracts, magazines, audiotapes, videotapes, and films (Jacquet & Jones, 2015). Since the 1960s, the more aggressive
and entrepreneurial " evangelicals have gained a virtual monopoly," purchasing over 90 percent of all broadcast time
devoted to religion (Martin, 1988, p. 63).
According to Wuthnow (1988), when religion is beamed into living rooms around the world from "sleek, high-technology
Studious via satellite hookups," it becomes the source of multiple paradoxes. For One thing, while many 'televangelists"
Condemn modernization; they are the most high-tech and "modern" of all Christian groups. Likewise, the " hot- rhetoric"
of the tent preacher has given way to the "cool demeanor" of the talk-show host in order to appeal a mass audience
(Wuthnow, 1988). As David Diekema (1991) observed, the absence of personal presence and other effects of a televised
ministry transform what appears to be a charismatic relationship between minister and congregation into a "pseudo-
charismatic" one.

The paradoxes do not end here. By exposing the public to an enormous variety of religious "truths," media religion
reinforces religious privatization and the general consumerist trend in religion, and religion comes to be seen as one of
many "private, leisure-time activities" (Wuthnow, 1988). At the same time, however, religious television and religious
leaders like Pat Roberstson proved in the 1980s and 1990s that they have the power to transform private morality into
public issues and exert considerable influence on the political system (Wuthnow, 1990; Hadden, 1990).

To survive in a highly competitive market place, religious television must inevitably accommodate its message to the middle
class and to a general audience (Moore, 1994). By the mid-1980s, in the United States, most major television ministries
had an annual budget of 20 million dollars. At the same time, however, televangelist cannot alienate their core constituency,
which consists of approximately 13 million people (6 percent of the national television audience) who are, for the most
part, poor, elderly, and disadvantaged (Thompsoll and Hickey, 2006).

This social composite bears a striking resemblance to the demographic portrait. of the 50 to 80 million evangelical
Christians in the Umted States (Mattill. 1988; Diekema, 1991.). Many of them exist at the margins of the mainstream but,
thanks to television, are fully aware of both the material benefits and spiritual perils of the modern age. The Jim Bakker
and Jimmy Swaggart sex scandals in the late 1980s caused temporary decline in both number of viewers and contributions
to most religious television ministries. Few sociologists would be willing to predict the outcomes of these and other
televangelist scandals, but most would agree that as long as some individuals and religious groups share only the costs and
few of the benefits of modernization, televangelists will have little difficulty mobilizing conservative Christians to resist
the secular challenge (Hadden, 1990).

Mass Media Images of Marriage and the Family

More than any other medium, television has become virtually synonymous with the family. It has been described as a
member of the family, the local point of our life, and an electronic babysitter. Perhaps because of its intimate association
with our everyday lives, we have developed ambivalent feelings toward it that are usually reserved for our closest kin.
Television—especially free television—has been praised for entertaining, informing, and educating us, but the medium
has also been cursed and blamed for Virtually all of society's ills. It has been accused of “wrecking the family,” “causing
divorces,” “destroying children’s minds,” “promoting family violence,” and both over stimulating and dulling sexual desire
(Abelman 1990; Bryant:, 1991; Kunkel, 1990).

Once perceived as a piece of furniture, the television set is now the dominant feature of the domestic landscape. It
influences when and where family members eat, work, socialize, and relax—in effect, it shapes domestic time and space
and the basic rhythms of family life. Television also "mediates, focuses, promotes, or suppresses family interactions"
(Andreasen, 1990). Family members may use it to avoid or gain access to others, to socialize children In and promote
values, to exhibit power, or to facilitate discussions about sensitive family topics or personal relationship.

Television both shapes and reflects social norms and values, and because it markets products to a mass audience, it must
be sensitive to demographic trends and changing public tastes. One of the paradoxes of television ('is that although its
content changes, the underlying messages remain conservative and rather traditional "(Cantor and Pingree, 1983).
Although television families and real-life families have changed a great deal over the past few decades, in the patriarchal
discourse which continues to shape our understandings about marriage and family life—"white families," "wealthy
families," an overrepresentation of men, "home," and motherh00d remain dominant in soap operas and prime time
television (M. L. Moore, 1992; Williams, 1992). Moreover, "intact families" with two or more children still "provide the
most harmonious and supportive models of family life (Skills, et al., 1990).

In some ways, daytime soap operas, which have an estimated 25 million loyal viewers – 80 percent of them women –
provide a more progressive view of marriage and the family (Cantor and Pingree, 1983). Many soap operas portray families
as more diverse than they actually are: most marriages are the second or third; the majority of families are blended; and
many families include unrelated children, nannies, grandchildren, and all sorts of exotic houseguests. However, though the
soap operas are also far ahead of prime‑time TV in presenting views on date rape, breast cancer, bulimia, father-daughter
incest, and other controversial topics, the cursory treatment these issues receive usually transforms them from serious
social issues into fads. Moreover, the soap operas have not relinquished fundamental patriarchal themes. Men still control
more of the action than women, and women continue to be portrayed as softer and more emotional than men. Likewise,
men remain as paternalistic as ever, often correcting and restraining women, and soap operas persistently relate women's
value to their sexual allure and physical attractiveness (Pingree and Thompson, 1992, Williams, 1992).
 ACTIVITY WORKSHEET

Name:
Year & Section:
Direction: Answer the following questions following the attached rubric on the last page. Write your answer on the
space provided or may use a separate sheet if needed. Use A4 size of bond paper. Either hand written or encoded.

1. Why is accuracy a basic element of most communication ethics?

2. What can companies and industries and other sectors of society do if they believe the mass media are not fair
and balanced in their coverage?

3. As an individual, use a moral reasoning process in making decisions? How would you describe that process?

4. Based on your observation, how do you rate the two giant television networks in our country (Channel 2 and 7)
in terms of credibility and objectivity in their news coverage?

5. Based again on your observation and assessment, how do you rate the news personalities of the two giant
networks in terms of credibility, objectivity, accuracy, and fairness?
RUBRIC FOR ESSAY

Above Average = 3 Exemplary = 4

Inadequate = 1 Adequate = 2
Criteria (Exceeds (Far Exceeds
(Below Standard) (Meets Standard)
Standard) Standard)
Writing lacks logical Writing is coherent Writing is coherent Writing shows high
organization. It and logically and logically degree of attention
shows some organized. Some organized with to logic and
coherence but ideas points remain transitions used reasoning of points.
lack unity. Serious misplaced and stray between ideas and Unity clearly leads
Organization
errors. form the topic. paragraphs to create the reader to the
Transitions are coherence. Overall conclusion and stirs
evident but were not unity of ideas is thought regarding
used throughout the present. the topic.
essay.
Shows some Content indicates Content indicates Content indicates
thinking and thinking and original thinking and synthesis of ideas, in-
reasoning but most reasoning applied develops ideas with depth analysis and
Level of Content
ideas are with original thought sufficient and firm evidences original
underdeveloped and on a few ideas. evidence. thought and support
unoriginal. for the topic.
Main points lack Main points are Main points are well Main points are well
detailed present with limited developed with developed with high
development. Ideas detail and quality supporting quality and quantity
Development
are vague with little development. Some details and quantity. support. Reveals
evidence of critical critical thinking is Critical thinking is high degree of
thinking. present. weaved into points. critical thinking.
Spelling, Most spelling, Essay has few Essay is free of
punctuation, and punctuation, and spelling, distracting spelling,
grammatical errors grammar are correct punctuation, and punctuation, and
create distraction, allowing reader to grammatical errors grammatical errors;
Grammar and
making reading progress through allowing reader to there are no
Mechanics
difficult; fragments, essay. Although, follow ideas clearly. fragments, comma
comma splices, run- some errors remain. There are very few splices, and run-ons.
ons, evident. Errors fragments or run-
are frequent. ons.
Mostly in elementary Approaches college Attains college level Shows outstanding
form with little or no level usage of some style; tone is style and is going
variety in sentence variety in sentence appropriate and beyond usual college
structure, diction patterns, diction, and rhetorical devices are level; rhetorical
Style rhetorical devices or rhetorical devices. used to enhance devices and tone are
emphasis. content; sentence used effectively;
variety are used creative use of
effectively sentence structure
and coordination