Thinking along the Cultural Line: A Cross-Cultural Inquiry of Ethical Decision Making among U.S. and Chinese Journalism Students

Abstract

A cross-cultural inquiry of ethical decision making among U.S. and Chinese journalism students (N = 204) investigated four internal and four external constructs relevant to moral reasoning. Students, regardless of nationality, shared similarities in assessing the internal constructs, whereas differences emerged in evaluating relevance of external constructs. Chinese students also were more likely to emphasize colleagues' views and their editors' reactions, while U.S. students emphasized news media's needs in a competitive environment. Differences confirm that ethical thinking follows a prominent cultural line of individualism and collectivism.