Media Ethics | Advertising/Public Relations
Tik-ing Off Users?
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
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
More than a Fashion Faux Pas?
Can inclusive advertising survive the heavy hand of Facebook's able-biased AI? Read More
Ethical Targeting or Transgressing Ethics?
Is it ethical to use personalized data to target voters in political ad campaigns? Read More
Privacy versus Products in Targeted Digital Advert...
How far can digital advertisers go in using our personal data to sell their products? Read More
How Much Emotion Can Health Campaigns Ethically Ev...
How far can health campaigns go in convincing people to eat healthy meals? Read More
Setting the Terms of the Debate
What ethical trade-offs accompany different ways of framing advocacy campaigns in political communication? Read More
Whose Image is It to Use?
What ethical choices lie behind the use of images for advocacy campaigns? Read More
Fighting (Online) Fire with Fire?
What are the ethics of using counterspeech to fight online harassment? Read More
Politics in the Age of Digital Information Overloa...
What are the ethics of Facebook allowing potentially misleading political ads? Read More
Campaigning for Your Enemies
Is it ethical to campaign for opponents you know you can beat? Read More
Are there Bigger Fish to Fry in the Struggle for A...
Is PETA right that our anti-animal sayings do more harm than good? Read More
Ethics and E-Cigarette Advertising
What ethical concerns arise in regulating e-cigarette advertisements? Read More
Green is the New Color of Money
What are the ethical concerns with "greenwashing" in advertisements to sell products? Read More
Advertising Ethics and Social Issues
Gillette walks the razor's edge in using the battle against toxic masculinity in their recent ad campaign. Read More
Entertaining Endorsements in Sports Journalism
What conflicts arise when sports journalists also get endorsement deals? Read More
Just Do It?
Did Nike do too much in their use of Colin Kaepernick and others in their recent advertising campaign? Read More
Side Effects May Include Persuasion
What ethical concerns are raised by direct-to-consumer advertising for pharmaceutical products? Read More
Covering Female Athletes
What ethical choices are made in how female athletes are portrayed in sports media? Read More
Sweet Justice?
Did Pepsi go too far in its use of protest iconography to sell its product? Read More
The Ethics of Green Advertising
Watch Dr. Lucy Atkinson (UT Austin) talk about the promises and pitfalls of green consumption on Youtube! Read More