Media Ethics | All Case Studies

As the COVID-19 pandemic progressed, controlling or countering misinformation – the intentional spreading of false or misleading information – became a priority for many news organizations and social media platforms. For example, in September of 2021, YouTube decided to limit “content that falsely alleges that approved vaccines are dangerous and… Read More

Since its initial release in 2016, TikTok has taken the United States—and arguably the world—by storm. Through harnessing the short form user-created content of over 2 billion users worldwide, the popular video sharing app has introduced a new form of social media responsible for countless pop culture trends and significantly… Read More

Explicit sexual assault and rape scenes in popular media have been a major controversy in recent years with the television series Outlander being a major offender. Debates around the inclusion of sexual assault and rape in popular television vary greatly with some appreciating the accurate portrayal of these sensitive scenes… Read More

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 AI chatbots help politicians communicate with their constituencies? Read More

In the early hours of Thursday, February 24, 2022, Russian President Vladmir Putin announced a “special military operation” to “denazify and demilitarize” Ukraine (Berger, 2022). This moment was the culmination of years of military and scenario planning, and months of anticipation in the media across the globe. Speculation over a… Read More

What are the ethics of covering conspiracy theories in the news? Read More

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

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

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

SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, originated from Wuhan, China, in late 2019. Since then, SARS-CoV-2 has spread across the world and has claimed over 6 million lives as of April 2023. To develop better treatments for the virus and prevent another global pandemic, many scientists have worked to pinpoint… Read More

What are the ethical concerns of true crime podcasts? Read More

How can scientists ethically and effectively communicate urgent information? Read More

On November 14, 2014 tech giant Amazon announced the newest voice assistant to hit the market. The voice assistant, commonly known as “Alexa,” was a primary feature of a new wave of Amazon systems, known as the Echo. Alexa could answer virtually any question asked and perform many functions; from… Read More

What are the ethics of communicating new research on psychedelic drugs? Read More

It’s no secret that true crime media, whether in podcast or film format, has skyrocketed in popularity in recent years. True crime is popular for reasons other than entertainment, as this genre has led to solving cold cases, bringing ignored issues to light, and educating audiences on how to avoid… Read More

While Instagram used to be a casual platform to share quick snapshots with friends, it has turned into a perfectly curated stream of highlight reels. Like many young people, 21-year-old Sky Lane heavily edits her photos before posting them to social media. Lane’s main goal is to appear skinnier, but… Read More

Now that social media sites like Twitter allow news to spread like wildfire, journalists have been feeling more pressure than ever to get their stories published in accordance with stricter deadlines in an effort to compete against other media organizations. However, many wonder whether this competitive race to be the… Read More

For thousands of years, art has been an endeavor of the human race. From Rembrandt to Basquiat, from the Benin Bronzes to the new wave cinema of Hong Kong, art has been recognized as creative expressions of human intelligence. With the public release of DALL-E 2, a neural network that… Read More

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

TikTok Influencers have a lot of power. Should they use it in ethical ways? Read More

What are the ethics of greenwashing products in advertising? Read More

What are the ethical tradeoffs of surveillance software in online education? Read More

What ethical concerns arise when Twitter users can edit their tweets? Read More

What does objective reporting mean in covering the Black Lives Matter protests? Read More

What happens when YouTube drama channels switch from influencer gossip to serious tragedies? Read More

Are coordinated political campaigns ethical? Read More

When do popular TikTok trends become unethical? Read More

How offensive can trolls be? A case study in online free speech. Read More

Can inclusive advertising survive the heavy hand of Facebook's able-biased AI? Read More