Most projects in the field of media ethics address the freedom, quality and responsibility of mass media performance in connection with the conduct of professional media producers. This article proposes that the quest for freedom, quality and responsibility in the mass media should not only be the concern of producers, but also media users. It also argues that this concern is not adequately met through codes of conduct. To address seriously the matter of moral choice the design of a contextual and communicative ethics is needed.
Apel, K.-A.
(1988) Diskurs und Verantwortung. Frankfurt: Suhrkamp.
2.
Beyerstein, D.
(1993) `The Functions and Limitations of Professional Codes of Conduct', pp. 416-425 in W.R. Winkler, and J.R. Coombs (eds) Applied Ethics. Oxford: Blackwell.
3.
Bok, S.
(1978) Lying. Moral Choice in Public and Private Life. New York: Vintage Books.
4.
Christians, C.G.
, J.P. Ferre and P.M. Fackler (1993) Good News. Social Ethics and the Press. New York: Oxford University Press.
5.
Daes, E.-I.
(1983) The Individual's Duties to the Community and the Limitations on Human Rights and Freedoms under Article 29 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. New York: United Nations.
6.
Dworkin, R.
(1991) Index on Censorship Nos 4 and 5.
7.
Freire, P.
(1972) Pedagogy of the Oppressed. Harmondsworth: Penguin.
8.
Habermas, J.
(1993) Moral Consciousness and Communicative Action. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
9.
Kettner, M.
(1993) `Scientific Knowledge, Discourse Ethics, and Consensus Formation in the Public Domain', pp. 28-45 in W.R. Winkler and J.R. Coombs (eds) Applied Ethics. Oxford: Blackwell.
10.
Merrill, J.C.
and R.D. Barney (1975) Ethics and the Press. Readings in Mass Media Morality. New York: Hastings House.
11.
Rivers, W.L.
and W. Schramm (1969) Responsibility in Mass Communication. New York: Harper and Row.
12.
Rosenblum, M.
(1993) Who Stole the News?New York: John Wiley.
13.
Singer, P.
(1976). Practical Ethics. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
14.
Tufte, B.
(1992) `New Media Education Research?', paper presented at the Scientific Conference of the International Association for Mass Communication Research, Guaruja, Brazil, August.
15.
Winkler, E.R.
(1993) `From Kantianism to Contextualism: The Rise and Fall of the Paradigm Theory in Bioethics', pp. 343-365 in E.R. Winkler and J.R. Coombs (eds) Applied Ethics. Oxford: Blackwell.
16.
Winkler, E.R.
and J.R. Combs (1993) `Introduction', pp. 1-8 in E.R. Winkler and J.R. Coombs (eds) Applied Ethics. Oxford: Blackwell.