Child Sensation or Exploitation?
April 22, 2025
Today nearly everyone is online. With easy, direct access to technology and social media platforms’ user-friendly interfaces, most Americans have become accustomed to sharing bits-and-pieces of their lives with others. Indeed, generations that once took family photos on bulky cameras are now able to snap pictures of their children… Read More
Can Artificial Intelligence improve Democracy?
February 27, 2025
Can AI chatbots help politicians communicate with their constituencies? Read More
QAnon and the Return of JFK Jr.
October 30, 2024
What are the ethics of covering conspiracy theories in the news? Read More
Bringing Dead Actors Back to Life
October 2, 2024
One of Hollywood’s most treasured actors may soon appear on the big screen again. James Dean –star of classic films like East of Eden, Rebel Without a Cause, and Giant– epitomized sexy youthful rebellion for many teens coming of age in the 1950s and beyond. While comeback roles are not… Read More
Tik-ing Off Users?
July 10, 2024
On September 12, 2023, TikTok launched its newest addition to the popular app: TikTok Shop. Originally, TikTok functioned as a video-sharing platform where users shared information, their thoughts and feelings on various topics, and of course, viral dances. However, with the implementation of the marketplace feature, creators now have the… Read More
The Ethics of Skinvertising
April 18, 2024
Getting a tattoo can be a symbolic personal decision, one that is not for everyone. It’s a decision to express something about their personality in a permanent and often publicly visible way. But what if your tattoo was meant to advertise for someone else instead of to display your own… Read More
Cancel Culture in Journalism?
February 20, 2023
2020 and 2021 were years marked by the concept of “cancelling.” To cancel someone or something means to stop supporting that person, business, or organization. It could also mean using methods of publicity to harm that person, perhaps through affecting that person’s reputation or their means of income. Whether one… Read More
With Great Fame Comes Great Responsibility?
February 13, 2023
TikTok Influencers have a lot of power. Should they use it in ethical ways? Read More
The Ethics of DNA Predictive Technology in Law Enf...
December 5, 2022
What are the ethical tradeoffs of surveillance software in online education? Read More
Imperfections or Revealing Mistakes on Twitter?
November 30, 2022
What ethical concerns arise when Twitter users can edit their tweets? Read More
Newsworthy Expression or Tragic Tea?
October 18, 2022
What happens when YouTube drama channels switch from influencer gossip to serious tragedies? Read More
Is Coordinated Political Activity on Social Media ...
October 13, 2022
Are coordinated political campaigns ethical? Read More
The Ethics of TikTok Trends
September 15, 2022
When do popular TikTok trends become unethical? Read More
Socratic Discussion or Masked Bigotry?
September 1, 2022
How offensive can trolls be? A case study in online free speech. Read More
More than a Fashion Faux Pas?
August 25, 2022
Can inclusive advertising survive the heavy hand of Facebook's able-biased AI? Read More
Internet Activism or Cyberterrorism?
August 18, 2022
Is hacktivism an ethical form of protest or activism? Read More
A Straight Man in Damascus?
July 26, 2022
Can a blog author blur their identity to increase attention on an important issue? Read More
Ethical Challenges in the Fight against Gun Violen...
July 11, 2022
What are ethical concerns with police using technology to detect gunshots? Read More
Promoting Safety or Infringing on Privacy?
June 16, 2022
What are the ethical tradeoffs of surveillance software in online education? Read More
All (Free) Press is Good Press
May 12, 2022
How should journalists cover inflammatory politicians? Read More
Imprecise Reporting or Missing the Point?
April 19, 2022
Was NPR being imprecise or misleading in their coverage of masking on the Supreme Court? Read More
“Act Like You’re Crying”
February 1, 2022
What are the ethics of influencers and kidfluencers on YouTube? Read More
Defamation, Copyright, and Journalism in India
January 26, 2022
Should news organizations in India sue other sites who use their content to criticize it? Read More
Aiding the Cause or Enabling Performative Activism...
January 19, 2022
What are the ethics of sharing social justice posts on Instagram? Read More
Democratizing the Best or Enabling the Worst?
January 13, 2022
Is Amazon's easy self-publishing good or bad for democracy? Read More
Should Our Past Follow Us Forever Online?
December 13, 2021
What are the ethics of unpublishing or removing news items? Read More
Getting the News Out with Apple News+
December 7, 2021
What ethical concerns arise when Apple distributes the news? Read More
Twitter’s Difficult Choice in India
October 26, 2021
How should Twitter deal with government demands to regulate speech in India? Read More
The Latest in Dirty Campaign Tricks?
October 20, 2021
Do cheapfakes raise new ethical problems in political communication? Read More
Stopping the Spread of Anti-Vax Memes
February 8, 2021
Should platforms censor anti-vaccination memes to help end the pandemic? Read More
Paying Your Way to the Top
May 20, 2020
Are purchases made in multiplayer video games unethical and unfair? Read More
The Different Species of the Online Catfish
March 24, 2020
What ethical complexities circle around catfishing and online deception? Read More
The Ethical Study of Digital Fan Culture
February 26, 2019
March 26, 2019: What ethical challenges arise in researching digital fan culture? Read More
Media Freedom and the Middle East
February 6, 2019
February 19, 2019: How do you create media freedom in the Middle East? Read More
“One Does Not Simply Create a Meme”
January 14, 2019
When does the creation and sharing of internet memes go too far? Read More
Does the Photo Fit the News?
December 11, 2018
What happens when a powerful image becomes the face of the immigration debate? Read More
Digital Immortality on an App
December 10, 2018
When AI chatbots let us talk with the dead, what ethical issues might haunt us? Read More
Is It Only A Game?
December 6, 2018
First-person shooter video games are popular. But are they ethical to enjoy? Read More
“Some of My Best Friends are Internet Vigilantes”
December 5, 2018
What are the ethical issues that arise with naming and shaming racists online? Read More
How Can I Be So Mean to Myself?
December 4, 2018
What are the ethical concerns with the new phenomena of digital self-harm? Read More
Don’t “Like” My Children
November 28, 2018
What could go wrong when parents share information about their children online? Read More
When Actors Become Characters
November 26, 2018
What are the ethics of fictional works created by fans that involve real people as characters? Read More
Filtering Out Cyberbullying
November 23, 2018
What are the ethical issues raised by Instagram's efforts to filter out cyberbullying? Read More
To Catfish or Not to Catfish?
November 15, 2018
What are the ethical problems with "catfishing" online? Read More
Journalism Ethics amid Irrational Publics: Disrupt...
November 14, 2018
What ethical challenges confront the public relations practitioner? Read More
Ethics in Public Relations
November 14, 2018
What ethical challenges confront the public relations practitioner? Read More
Gaming the System?
November 4, 2018
What are the ethical problems with cheating in Fortnite? Read More
Boldly Going Where Studios Have Gone Before
October 31, 2018
When does fan fiction cross the line from inspired creativity to unethical stealing? Read More
Is Incivility Ever Ethical?
October 25, 2018
Must we always be civil in our protests and activism? Read More
BYOD! Should We Really Ask New College Grads and ...
October 4, 2018
What ethical issues arise when we ask employees to use their own mobile devices? Read More
AI and Online Hate Speech
September 25, 2018
Can AI save us from online hate speech? Or will it learn our worst traits? Read More
Google Assistant and the Ethics of AI
September 24, 2018
What ethical issues arise when realistic-sounding AI is used in human interactions? Read More
Moral Psychology and Media
September 12, 2018
September 19, 2018: What can psychology tell us about media ethics? Read More
The Ethics of Media Criticism
May 2, 2018
What are the ethics of media criticism in turbulent political times? Read More
Finsta Fad
April 30, 2018
What are the real ethical issues raised by fake Instagram accounts? Read More
What Exactly is Revenge Porn or Nonconsensual Porn...
April 20, 2018
[ARTICLE]: Is revenge porn really simple to identify and legislate? Read More
Media Ethics and Virtual Reality
April 18, 2018
What ethical issues are raised by the use of virtual reality in journalism? Read More
Biometrics, Data, and Privacy
April 17, 2018
Does national security trade off with privacy in biometric identification? Read More
Anonymity, Doxing, and the Ethics of Reddit
April 4, 2018
What ethical issues are created in Reddit's attempts to clean up its act? Read More
Robots, Algorithms, and Digital Ethics
April 4, 2018
Dr. David Gunkel (NIU) discusses robot rights and digital ethics. Read More
Fake News, Fake Porn, and AI
March 29, 2018
What are the ethical issues involved in the use of AI in creating fake video content? Read More
Bullying our First Amendment?
March 19, 2018
What are the legal and ethical implications of bullying by text message? Read More
The Dark Side of Social Media
November 27, 2017
A panel of experts discusses the dark side of social media. Read More
Panel Shines Light on the Dark Issues of Social Me...
November 16, 2017
[ARTICLE] What is the dark side of social media? A panel of experts discuss privacy concerns and more in our online lives. Read More
Stressing Ethics in an Unfiltered Age
March 3, 2017
It is more important than ever for members of the media to stay ethical and informed, according to Mary Bock, associate professor of in the School of Journalism, during a talk Read More
Ethical Issues in the Fight Against Revenge Porn
March 1, 2017
March 21, 2017: What are the ethical issues involved in online revenge porn, and what tough ethical decisions are involved in fighting it? Read More