Monday, 14 May 2012

WEEK 8 - "Ethics"


This week’s lecture was presented by Dr John Harrison. Now here’s a man who’s not afraid to say what he thinks… His presentation was both entertaining, with just a hint of wit (and frequent journalism jokes that got Dr BR chuckling) and quite confrontational. I particularly enjoyed examining the surplus of advertisements that have caused a stir in recent years and I actually found that the ones I identified as a problem were not seen as too bad and the other that I thought were alright, caused uproar… You just can’t pick them!!

There were a few ‘take home’ messages from this lecture. After showing a series of ‘inappropriate’ advertising campaigns, Dr Harrison asked us to determine what we thought on his nifty good taste/bad taste, ethical/unethical scale. What I learnt was although an advertisement can be seen as ‘tacky’ or in bad taste, doesn’t necessarily mean that it is wrong. That is, something can be tacky yet ethical and alternatively tasteful yet unethical. Upon reflecting on the ads, I found that the few that made me laugh, I classified as in good taste. However, it was then difficult to determine whether they were ethical or not. 

In good old Aussie spirit, I love the Sam Kekovich annual Australia Day Address to the Nation. It was interesting to hear that in the lead-up to Australia Day in 2005, this advertising campaign caused quite a stir. I can see why this might be the case, but nevertheless this ad really makes a person consider the ethics of mass media. 

Dr Harrison introduced us to three ethical ‘theories’.
  • The first is Deontology which is all about following the rules, principles and duties. That is, you will do the right thing by following the rules and ethics codes
  • The second is Consequentialism. Arriving at a ‘good’ or ‘right’ outcome is what matters, regardless of how you got there. It follows that say, “the ends justify the means”.
  • Finally there is Virtue Ethics which is concerned with the goodness or happiness of a person, their character and their habits. These habits are ‘virtues’ such as courage, justice, temperance and prudence.
Hitting a little closer to home, there are a number of codes that media professionals need to adhere to: MEAA, PRIA, AFA and AANA codes are just a few. What they say is simple… Journalists have a responsibility to be honest and as most people believe, good ethics pay off!

Now for some banned ad campaigns that I found. WARNING, some material may offend viewers...

 1. Bacardi in Canada. Banned as it “objectified and demeaned women”

2. Killer Heels by NMA in the UK. Banned as it “trivialised and stylised violence”

 
3. The Body Shop. Banned for emulating Barbie and received complaints about a “nude and nipple-less figure being exposed to the public”

 4. Diesel ‘Be Stupid’ campaign. Banned for being indecent and antisocial and promoting compulsive behaviour 

5. Promoting safe sex. Now this ad certainly gave me a laugh when I saw it on TV a few years back

6. Hyundai in Australia. This ad was banned after 3 weeks on TV. This is just too cute...

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