[ad_1]
According to Eunson (2005), communication is understood as “the study of the transmission of meaning” (p. 2). Adhikary (2008a, p. 3) explains communication as “a process, human action and a knowledge discipline” while also suggesting that “context” be considered to understand the dimensions of communication in current discourse. It is noteworthy that the discipline of communication as a knowledge or process is not often combined with the concept of ethics, so the discourse of ethics in communication leads directly to the details of the ethical standards that communication practitioners adhere to. According to Adhikary (2006), these ethical standards are further based on different “principles, religions and cultures” (p. 6) that define what is right and what is wrong. For example, showing the movie American Pie at Jay Nepal Hall may not be unanimously accepted by Nepalese society because Nepalese society does not accept the culture of nudity and therefore considers such a phenomenon to be immoral. Similarly, showing a video clip of someone beheading a cow on Nepali television may not be appropriate because it would hurt the feelings of Nepalese people, but this does not mean that it cannot be shown in other countries because people have no problem seeing such clips. The aforementioned reference to “context” is also meant to explain how the same action may be ethical in some contexts but be flatly rejected elsewhere.
Communication as a profession involves media practices and at the same time, our dealing with ethical issues in communication discourse automatically connects us to ethical issues in these practices. When ethics as a subject is incorporated into the communication curriculum, the concept of ethics in “communication as a discipline” becomes apparent (Adhikary, 2008b, p. 293).
Ethics in communication as a concept refers to the state of ethical considerations in the practice of communication. The terms “ethics” and “communication” have different meanings and definitions. The dictionary meaning of communication is “the exchange of ideas, information, or messages by speech, signals, writing, or behavior”, while McQuail defines communication as “a process of increasing commonality or sharing between participants” (Adhikary, 2008, p. 5). Similarly, according to Potter, ethics is a system of principles that guide action (Potter, 2006: 55, cited in KC, 2009, p. 7), while Adhikary (2006) associates ethics with the distinction between good and evil in the world, right and wrong human behavior, and the moral and non-moral characteristics of people (p. 1).
The concept of communication ethics has been widely discussed among development thinkers and media professionals because in today’s dynamic times, the media has to deal with many controversial issues that can create confusion and endless debates among practitioners when deciding what is right and what is wrong. In such situations, ethics provides guidelines for making appropriate decisions. For Nepal, the Code of Journalism Conduct issued by the Press Council of Nepal is one such example.
How to judge whether the behavior or decision of a communication practitioner is ethical? One can find multiple ways to analyze this phenomenon, but no one can deny that everyone should follow some universally accepted values such as humanity, brotherhood, and non-violence. The core idea is to explore the morality of a behavior or action based on the values and normative standards followed by a particular society. These codes of conduct are further explained by different principles and theories, including the categorical imperative, the golden rule, Stuart Mill’s utilitarian theory, and social relativism (Wimmer & Dominick, 2011, p. 66). Eastern and Western perspectives may differ because they both have their own moral standards.
Kshetri (2009, p. 25) writes about the literature on ethical media practices in South Asia, exploring the current state of media ethics in Nepal, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Maldives, Afghanistan. In the context of Nepal, Kshetri critically comments on the unethical media practices of the then only state-owned Gorkhapatra Sansthan, which used to publish content only to portray loyalty to the royal family rather than properly inform the people (p. 31). Similarly, Bhuwan KC (2009) explores ethical journalism practices in Nepal, noting that ethical practices in the Nepali media are challenging because Nepali journalism has long advocated for political causes (p. 22).
Therefore, it can be inferred from the above examples that the ethics in communication practices vary depending on the context and the different moral theories and principles that guide a particular society. In addition, this discourse also provides space for other thinkers to conduct necessary ethical inquiries into the multiple dimensions of communication.
refer to
Adhikari, N. M. (2006). Study the ethics of mass media. Kathmandu: Prashanti Books
Adhikari, N. M. (2008a). Integrated Studies in Communication, Media and Journalism. Kathmandu: Martine Chautari
Adhikari, N. M. (2008b). Nepali Maha-media neetisastra adhyaan. In D. Humagai, P. Onta, S. Parajuli, K. Bhatta (Eds.), Media Studies (pp. 293-305). Kathmandu: Martin Chautari
Bhuwan, KC (2009). Ethical practice of journalism in Nepal. Bhuwan KC (ed.), MBM Media Ethics Methodology (pp. 7-24). Kathmandu: Madan Bhandari Memorial College
Eunson, B. (2005). Communication in the 21st century. Sydney: John Wiley & Sons Australia Ltd.
Kshetri, I.D. (2009). Ethical practices in South Asian media. In. Bhuwan K.C. (ed.), MBM Methodology for Media Ethics (pp. 25-46). Kathmandu: Madan Bhandari Memorial College
Wimmer, Roger D. and Joseph R. Dominick. (2011). Introduction to Mass Media Studies. 9th ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, 2003
[ad_2]
Source link
