Digital Dilemmas: Ethical Issues for Online Media Professionals

Journalism and mass communications professionals entering the innovative world of new media technology face a wave of challenging and often unanticipated ethical quandaries. Digital Dilemmas: Ethical Issues for Online Media Professionals is the first title in Blackwell Publishing's Media and Technology series (Alan B. Albarran, series editor). This important new text establishes a framework for discussing, understanding, and ultimately making sound decisions on meeting these ethical challenges. In addition, the book provides guidelines for approaching and making decisions from an ethical standpoint.

Part one of the text gives background and overview information to examine existing professional ethical codes and their applicability in the new media. Part two delves into the ethical dilemmas faced by all online communications professionals—privacy, speech and intellectual property. Part three warns the reader about three specific types of ethical hazards—speed vs. accuracy and quality; validating Internet sources; and blurring editorial with commercial information.

Through the use of historical summaries, discussion of specific problems, case study illustrations, critical thinking exercises, chapter summaries, key points, and recommended readings, each chapter comprehensively explores ethical issues. Aimed at students as well as practicing journalists and media professionals, Digital Dilemmas serves as the essential text and user’s guide to the emerging ethical challenges facing those who work or plan to work in the online media.

In this text for students in journalism and mass communication, Berkman (media studies, New School University) and Shumway, a former broadcast journalist, establish a framework for making decisions on ethical challenges posed by new media technology. They delve into dilemmas surrounding privacy, speech, and intellectual property, as well as validation of Internet sources and the blurring of editorial and commercial information. Case studies, discussion questions, and chapter summaries are included. Annotation ©2003 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

Robert I. Berkman is on the faculty of the Media Studies M.A. program at New School University, New York, NY. He teaches the class New Media Ethics via the New School’s Online University division (NSOU) and has also taught Research Methods online. Author of several books on online searching and research, Berkman is founder and editor of The Information Advisor, a monthly journal for professional researchers.

Christopher A. Shumway was a broadcast journalist for 15 years, serving as a photographer, news reporter, anchor and meteorologist at local TV stations in Alabama, Georgia, Texas, and Ohio. During that time he won more than a half dozen awards for his work, including a regional Emmy nomination. He is currently completing work on a Master’s degree in Media Studies from New School University