Media Ethics | Free Speech
My Murder, Your Entertainment
May 15, 2023
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
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
Imperfections or Revealing Mistakes on Twitter?
November 30, 2022
What ethical concerns arise when Twitter users can edit their tweets? Read More
Can Journalists also be Activists?
October 31, 2022
What does objective reporting mean in covering the Black Lives Matter protests? 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
Historical Accuracy in Entertainment Media
August 10, 2022
How accurate do historical dramas like "The Crown" need to be? 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
Democratizing the Best or Enabling the Worst?
January 13, 2022
Is Amazon's easy self-publishing good or bad for democracy? Read More
A Tool for Racial Equality or Cancel Culture?
April 26, 2021
Should Yelp be in the business of branding businesses as racist? 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
Newsroom Objectivity in the Age of Black Lives Mat...
January 20, 2021
What does objective reporting mean in covering the Black Lives Matter protests? Read More
The Ethics of Op-Eds
December 29, 2020
Should newspapers run controversial or offensive op-ed pieces? Read More
TikTok, Time to Snitch
October 21, 2020
Is it ethical to use TikTok to shame fellow college students who violate COVID-19 guidelines? Read More
Quelling Interference or Dissent?
October 20, 2020
Did Tumblr's purge of Russian misinformation accounts go too far? Read More
Putting the President in Check
October 13, 2020
Is Twitter's decision to add a factcheck to Trump's voter fraud tweet a good thing? Read More
Sex, Drugs, and Hijabs on Netflix
September 21, 2020
Is Netflix's "Elite" a case of creative filmmaking or Muslim stereotyping? Read More
Gaming Platforms and Shocking Speech
September 14, 2020
When the gaming platform Twitch wants to police the speech of its users, what could go wrong? Read More
Picturing Justice for Kalief Browder
August 17, 2020
What ethical worries accompany Jay-Z's attempt to document injustices in the American prison system? Read More
Doxing in the Name of Public Health
July 6, 2020
Is it ethical to name and shame those that violate travel precautions in the COVID-19 pandemic? Read More
Fighting (Online) Fire with Fire?
June 22, 2020
What are the ethics of using counterspeech to fight online harassment? Read More
Politics in the Age of Digital Information Overloa...
May 21, 2020
What are the ethics of Facebook allowing potentially misleading political ads? Read More
Written In Only to Be Excluded?
May 11, 2020
What are the ethics of screenwriting and diversity in hits like "Game of Thrones?" Read More
Are there Bigger Fish to Fry in the Struggle for A...
April 13, 2020
Is PETA right that our anti-animal sayings do more harm than good? Read More
The Different Species of the Online Catfish
March 24, 2020
What ethical complexities circle around catfishing and online deception? Read More
Actors Playing Protestors in Real Life
March 19, 2020
What are the ethics of Bollywood celebrities joining popular protest movements--and the calls to "cancel" their careers? Read More
Dramatization or Falsification?
February 17, 2020
How far can films about journalists push the truth for dramatic effects? Read More
Beer Cans and Cancel Culture
February 5, 2020
What are the ethical challenges when journalism and cancel culture merge? Read More