Purpose
The major essay is a summative assignment. That is, it allows you the opportunity to integrate your understandings through the construction of a substantial argument.
There are two topics to select from:
Topic A: Ethics and Images
Topic B: Ethics and Advocacy
You select ONE of these two topics. Both Topics cover a wide range of communication professional ethical concerns. You may attempt either topic as you wish. In doing so, you need to reflect on the topic based on a communication profession.
Topic A – Ethics and Images (Biological Limits)
In journalism practice, professionals strive to move beyond their personal truths in order to determine [p. 332] reasonably accurate information. This special challenge of visually derived information is that it can short-‐circuit conscious reason, making it appear we have determined truth objectively while we are actually heavily influenced by personal truths. (Newton & Williams, 2010, pp. 332-‐3) Journalism, Public Relations and Media Production are all implicated in the ethical and philosophical issues raised by Newton and Williams. While we might argue that Journalism takes truth and its possibilities (objectivity) as its key distinguishing characteristics, the key features of PR (advocacy and its limits) and Media Production (expression and its ideologies) are also implicated in the ethical concerns that are raised by images in our current image dominated communication world. Newton and Williams offer suggestions to help professionals face the challenges of a biological ethics: The use of SMA and similarly rational processes may, with enough time, enhance the ability of visual creators and editors to make more ethical decisions. However, doing so will facilitate only part of the desired outcome: the cultivation of a reflective, internal sense of ethics to help guide ongoing, daily decision-‐making. Because the complex decision-‐making that facilitates ethical behavior is supported by highly intuitive, nonconscious cognitive processes, we need a balanced, holistic approach to ethics, one that integrates rational and intuitive cognitive abilities of the human mind to enhance ethical decision-‐making. (Newton & Williams, 2010, p. 343) Is there a way forward? In answering this question, you will need to employ the standard features of an academic engagement with a field of concern, in this case, your communication professional practice and its ethical limits. The standard academic features include historical, analytical, critical and theoretical accounts. Assessment Criteria Breadth of coverage of the direct and indirect issues raised Depth of analysis and integration of ideas Coherence of argument Adherence to academic requirements Chief Resources Meyers, Christopher (ed) (2010) Journalism Ethics: A Philosophical Approach. OUP. [Available as an e-‐ text]. See especially Part IX: Image Ethics: Newton H. Julianne, Williams Rick. (2010) “Visual Ethics: An Integrative Approach to Ethical Practice in Visual Journalism, pp. 331-‐350. Lester, Paul Martin. (2010) “Ethics and Images: Five Major Concerns”, pp. 351-‐ 358.
Topic B:
Ethics and Advocacy (Ag-‐Gag)
Forced to endure severe confinement, suffer through surgical procedures without pain relief and denied any semblance of a life worth living … animals raised in Australian factory farms pay the price for ‘cheap’ meat and eggs. And it’s all going on behind closed doors. Those who profit from this cruelty would like to keep it that way.
The pork industry and animal welfare groups have endured a combative relationship in Australia in recent years. Last year, two pig farmers took out apprehended violence orders against the executive director of Animal Liberation, after activists secretly filmed at their piggeries in the New South Wales town of Young and posted some of the footage on YouTube. “We’ve got the situation today where we have vegetarian groups raiding pig farms, misrepresenting what goes on on those pig farms through selective film footage and making ridiculous and defamatory claims about what’s going on on those farms, all driven from an agenda that animal agriculture should not exist,” Mr Spencer said. “We think that is completely unfair and that the law needs to be able to deal with that effectively.”
There are advocates for animal liberation and humane animal farming; there are advocates for the animal farmers. Looking at the Australian context, put forward the pro case for both sides of this debate. It is suggested that you select one significant lobby group for each side (two groups all up) and look at their actual strategies and publications. In doing so you might extend the issues through comments or information coming from other groups. For example, the RSPCA has its own particular focus which might help enhance the approach of a particular animal lobby. The events in the US are more advanced that Australia and they might help you round things out. Having established contrary views (one for Ag-‐Gag and for humane treatment of animals), propose an ethical solution to the debate. In doing so, you might call on the models looked at in the Minor Essay as well as the models covered by Breit in the set text. There is a vast amount of information available through a Google search for “Ag-‐Gag Australia”. In answering this question, you will need to employ the standard features of an academic engagement with a field of concern, in this case, your communication professional practice and its ethical limits. The standard academic features include historical, analytical, critical and theoretical accounts.
Assessment Criteria
Breadth of coverage of the direct and indirect issues raised Depth of analysis and integration of ideas Coherence of argument Adherence to academic requirements
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