Solving Ethical

Dilemmas
Situation Ethics
Definition:
Situational ethics or situation ethics takes into
account the particular context of an act when evaluating
it ethically, rather than judging it according
to absolute moral standards. With the intent to have a fair
basis for judgments or action, one looks to personal ideals
of what is appropriate to guide them, rather than an
unchanging universal code of conduct, such as Biblical
law under divine command theory or
the Kantian categorical imperative.
Situation Ethics
• When asked whether the end justifies the means, persons
subscribing to situation ethics would reply that it all depends.
• The Relativists or Antinomians, hold that there are no laws and
only one operative principle.
• The only way to be Ethical is to view each situation as unique and
to solve the Ethical problem entirely on its own merits.
• Antinomianism = no moral absolutes….. every person, every
situation is unique.
John C. Merill
• John C. Merrill is
Professor Emeritus at the
University of Missouri
School of Journalism.
Merrill is the author of 30
books and over 100 articles
in journals. In 2007, a
festschrift, Freedom
Fighter, was issued in his
honor.
• Journalist Scholar and
Ethicist calls such ethics as
DEONTELICS.
DEONTOLOGICAL
ETHICS
Meaning, Definition, Explanation
Deontological Ethics
• Deontological ethics, in philosophy, ethical theories that
place special emphasis on the relationship between duty
and the morality of human actions. The term deontology is
derived from the Greek deon, “duty,” and logos, “science.”
• In deontological ethics an action is considered morally
good because of some characteristic of the action itself, not
because the product of the action is good. Deontological
ethics holds that at least some acts are morally obligatory
regardless of their consequences for human welfare.
Descriptive of such ethics are such expressions as “Duty
for duty’s sake,” “Virtue is its own reward,” and
“Let justice be done though the heavens fall.”
ETHICAL PROBLEMS OF
GLOBAL JOURNALISTS
 EVERETTE E. DENNIS
According to Everette E. Dennis
Executive Director of the Freedom
Form Media Studies Center,
“Journalist demean
themselves and damage their
credibility when they
misinterpret themselves their
works to new source and, in
turn, to the public at large
(71)”.
The Following are the Ethical problems
faced by media people:
• Deceit - the action or practice of
deceiving someone by concealing or
misrepresenting the truth. Deceit covers
a wide range of practices.

• CHECKBOOK
JOURNALISM - the practice of
paying large amounts of money for
exclusive rights to material for
newspaper stories, especially personal
ones.
The Following are the Ethical problems
faced by media people:
• Appraising the Situation – Making a good ethical
decision begins with good reporting. You need all the facts from variety of
sources.

• Identifying values- You value your audience’s right but you may
value a person’s right to a fail trial more.
• APPEALING TO ETHICAL PRINCIPLES- To be Ethical, you may
have to choose the principle or principles that are far from expedient.
• CHOOSING LOYALTIES – You must also be loyal to your readers,
stories any freebies they have accepted.
The Following are the Ethical problems
faced by media people:
• Participation in the news – According to Kowet,
Richard Harwood: “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”.
• Withholding Information – You never do
needless harm or suffering. It is better that you do the least harm
possible. You certainly don’t do harmless stories deliberately to
harass someone or without a good reason, No one likes a mean bully.

• PLAGIARISM– the practice of taking someone else's work or

ideas and passing them off as one's own.
The Following are the Ethical problems
faced by media people:
• Invasion of privacy– Invasion of privacy is a legal term.
It is used to describe a circumstance where an individual or
organization knowingly intrudes upon a person. The intrusion occurs
when the person has a reasonable expectation of privacy, such as in a
bathroom or locker room.
• An invasion of privacy is considered to be a tort. A tort is a wrongful
act that causes injury or loss to someone resulting in legal
responsibility for the wrongful act. One type of invasion of privacy, in
some states, is called deception. Deception occurs when an employer
collects information he claims is for one reason but uses it for another
reason, which could result in the employee's termination.