In 1999, police officers killed a man who they were chasing for three-consecutive hours. While he was being chased, five California TV helicopters broadcasted the event live, and the entire public, including his family, saw his death. The Church’s teaching reveals whether the live broadcasting of violent acts is ethical or unethical.
Throughout the years the media has increased the reporting of real violent acts, but they are not beneficial to the common good due to the negative effects it has on human dignity. Firstly, the Catechism Of The Catholic Church teaches that all media is limited to what the common good requires. To illustrate, Pope Paul VI says that, “The information provided by the media is at the service of the common good” (CCC 2494). This shows that all information disclosed by the media must be beneficial to the common good. Secondly, the Catechism states that all media that is broadcasted to the public must never oppose the common good. For example Pope Paul VI says the, “[the media] must adjust their economic, political or artistic and technical aspects so as never to oppose the common good” (Inter Mirifica 11). Revealing that the media must not disclose any information that may “oppose the common good”. Thirdly, the media releases wanton violent acts, which undermine the value of human dignity. For instance, the Catechism Of The Catholic Church teaches that, “Social justice can be obtained only in respecting the transcendent dignity of man” (CCC 1929). This means that “real” news reports can only be beneficial to the common good if they respect the dignity of man. Lastly, The Catechism Of The Catholic Church teaches that no matter what physical or mental state the person(s) are in the media must still respect ...
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...s and dignity of” the person(s) must be always respected. Thus, the media must take into consideration the harm they may cause to the public and the loss of respect for human dignity.
To conclude, the media's coverage of real violent acts in the news does not benefit the common good. The media uses the human right to information as a tool to broadcast as much news as possible for profit. They do not censor any of the gratuitous violence. The journalists are left to blame due to the responsibility they hold when disclosing the information they have learned to the public. Also, the uncensored violence can harm the public and it disrespects the dignity of the person(s). Over the years the media’s perspective of what “news” is has changed drastically, from information to entertainment. No matter where you go or what you watch, for some reason there is always violence.
Showing various different images on media forms like television is prevalent. However, it is seldom that a picture showing violence is openly displayed on screens. Such an idea is justified by saying that graphic images are sensitive and horrifying to see, but it is often not mentioned that not presenting such images itself is unfair. It is unjust for the public to remain in the dark, from the truth of life. Images only show what the truth is and hiding that would be wrong for every individual. "Death happens to be one of life's main events. And it is irresponsible and more than that, inaccurate for news papers to fail to show it..." (Source A). This suggests how no matter how many pictures or images are censored, the horrifying and 'sensitive' conditions will continue to exist, so what is the point of hiding it? In fact, by openly displaying such photographs, the viewers only learn more. They will get to fully understand the processes of life and what
This is pretty much golden rule or empathy based and to do what is best for others in a given situation. This being said, is it the responsibility of the media to promote the golden rule or to record life as it happens? On one hand, the media could dismiss all knowledge of said perpetrator and promote the well being of others in terms of an empathetic point of view. On the other hand, is it not important to establish a sense of factual evidence and details from an event that occurred? Citizens should be informed, however, from a care based ethics point of view which promotes the strict foundation of doing good unto others, the best answer would be to not publish facts and pictures to keep the feelings of a said society at bay.
According to John Davidson's essay Menace to Society, "three-quarters of Americans surveyed [are] convinced that movies, television and music spur young people to violence." While public opinion is strong, the results of research are divided on the effects of media violence on the youth in this country. Davidson wrote that most experts agree that some correlation between media violence and actual violent acts exists, yet the results are contradictory and researchers quibble about how the effects are to be measured (271). Moreover, Davidson is not convinced that the media is the sole problem of violence, or even a primary problem. He points out that other factors, such as "poverty, the easy accessibility of guns, domestic abuse, [and] social instability" may have a greater impact on a child becoming violent than the influence of the media (277). Even though other forces may be stronger, media violence does have some adverse effects on the members of society. If senseless violence on television and in movies had no effect, it would not be such a hotly debated topic. What type of effects and whom they affect are the most argued aspects of the discussion.
violence on television and in all forms of media. Once we impart some virtues in their
The media is our main source of knowledge about crime and other issues about the world. It shows us what is happening in the world which is beyond our direct experience and so it is very important. However the media can present a false view of reality and contain bias that the public needs to be aware of. The way the media represents crime can reinforce fear and create moral panic but as media consumers it is our job to critically analyze the content of the news and ask questions about the crimes that are shown in the media as to not be effected by the media in trying to shape our perceptions about crime.
Javier, Rafael Art., William G. Herron, and Louis Primavera. “Violence and the Media: A Psychological
Using material from the study of violence in the media assess the view that the media has a direct and immediate influence on their audience
When it comes to falling victim to crime whether it’s violent or not, the victimization and embarrassment does not stop after the crime is done. Media can be useful in law enforcement and it can also be hurtful. While meant to spread awareness and helpful information, media can often relay too much information and potentially hurt people.
The 2006 Duke Lacrosse Case brought to light many of the issues and divisions currently plaguing our media sphere. This terrible act of injustice, which blamed three innocent Duke lacrosse players, Reade Seligmann, Collin Finnerty, and David Evans, for the rape of an African-American stripper, garnered extensive media attention that gripped America for almost an entire year (Wasserman, 3). Today, many scrutinze the media’s methods of covering the case, and deem that certain codes of ethics were not adhered to. Rather than remaining neutral, newspapers and TV outlets allowed themselves to “be used” by Mike Nifong, the former District Attorney for Durham and prosecutor of the case, by reporting only his version of the incident and investigation (11). While some newspapers like Newsweek and The News & Observer were relatively quick to recognize flaws in the investigation, many prominent outlets like The New York Times overlooked important evidence and published inaccurate information. In response to this, the Duke Lacrosse Case saw a huge rise in blog reporting, as many sought to uncover the truth. Conclusively, the media overstepped its boundaries when reporting on this particular case, demonstrating the compelling effects sensationalism has on the field of journalism.
This question deals with the necessity of God himself. It asks us to imagine that there is no knowledge about any superhuman being, such as God. It makes me think about weather or not we would be inclined to want something like God. I am forced to think of how important God is in my own life, and how important God is in the rest of the world.
Suicide bombing has been linked with Islamic religion over the years and is considered the act of terrorism in the world. The acts of violence are unfortunate. Whether they are done by Muslims or not is controversial. The link of the vice with religion has been a major talking point over the years because of the continual attacks by Islamic extremists. Islam is a religion, and Muslims represent a following of that religion. The act of following Islam by Muslims could be sometimes imperfect, but that does not mean that Islam itself is to be blamed for that. The noble Quran is the most important book of the Islam faith. It is considered as the very word of God. The Quran contains dozens of passages that preach peace and tolerance, so all the violent attacks happen all over the world are not always related to Islam.
Leo, John. "The Amount of Violence on Television Has Been Exaggerated." Media Violence: Opposing Viewpoints. Ed. William Dudley. San Diego: Greenhaven, 1999.
The world we live in today is far from perfect. Hearing about murder and violence is something we have all become, accustom to but does that make it right? Absolutely not. Media has influenced an affected a key value of human beings and that value is integrity. The value of integrity is severely lacking and society needs to reestablish the ability to look beyond race, gender, and sexuality. I have seen on multiple occasions’ individuals jumping to conclusions or judging someone simply off the way they look or dress. This has been an issue I have witnessed throughout my high school career and in my everyday routine; media is a large contribution and something needs to be done.
The media, including television programming, cartoons, film, the news, as well as literature and magazines, is a very powerful and pervasive medium for expression. It can reach a large number of people and convey ideas, cultural norms, stereotypic roles, power relationships, ethics, and values. Through these messages, the mass media may have a strong influence on individual behavior, views, and values, as well as in shaping national character and culture. Although there is a great potential for the media to have a positive and affirming effect on the public and society at large, there may be important negative consequences when the messages conveyed are harmful, destructive, or violent.
John Lennon once said, "If everyone demanded peace instead of another television set, then there 'd be peace." In other words, he believed that the media was something that corrupted society and debased its morals. Media has always been around us; whether it is a persuasive billboard or a television commercial. It is inevitably everywhere bombarding society with violence. Today people are accustomed to this type of media, but one cannot neglect the correlations between some past incidents and media violence. Media coverage of violence is harmful to society since it has been associated with glamorizing crimes, causing children to behave aggressively, and creating motivation for criminals. Diminishing changes such as censoring the media and creating