Gossip Ethics

Potential Scenario
In a potential career as an entertainment journalist/film critic there is one fundamental type of news that I believe to be a large ethical dilemma. The concept of right to privacy has all but disappeared as entertainment news is now gossip. I am a fan of news regarding upcoming film releases, actors signing on to projects, and award show buzz. The problem comes with the lower end “news.” TMZ has been in the forefront of this deep-seeded love for rumors that don’t need to be based in actual reality. Are celebrities real people? I would hope so. Therefore people shouldn’t dig up any irrelevant detail about their private life and plaster it all over the internet.

However, this kind of information sells. Drama regarding Kim Kardashian or Charlie Sheen makes its way into actual newspapers and magazines because people are intrigued and interested. But Kardashian’s circus wedding put her relationship in the spotlight to begin with, so she isn’t without blame. It’s obvious I have a personal opinion, but that may change if I were in a situation where printing this could help a company I worked for.

In regard to our course and potential topics to be discussed, I would like to address this rumor dilemma. Why is this the best-selling news and how should educated individuals approach it? I used to just write off everything I saw on the “gossip rags.” But somehow these unsubstantiated claims often turn it to be correct. Is getting the scoop more important than strong sources and double checking for truthfulness?

Ethical Tools
I initially thought that I had a strong ethical foundation, but it appears that it is more of a moral foundation. This is a great tool to have and it has helped me a lot in my life so far. I will have to wait and see if the lines get a little more blurred through further ethical discussion and a potential job where I have an obligation to more than my family and myself. From this week’s readings I found Aristotle’s “Golden Mean” theory to be the most interesting. I’ve essentially been living unknowingly by this model for a long time, but to see it written out adds a more detailed perspective. The other theories are helpful, but Aristotle has the only one listed where I can base my decisions on what is considered to be acceptable.

In the chart provided on page 9 of “Media Ethics,” it shows bravery sitting between cowardice and foolhardiness as the acceptable behavior of the three. However, the subjective interpretation of these terms would cause some people to engage in the other two. The example I think of is with the X-Games. The majority of people would consider doing no-handed backflips on a motorcycle as foolhardy. I would agree with that. However, this entire brand has been built by people interpreting these actions as brave. It really forces one to think deeply about whether or not their actions and thoughts are based in reality. This may not be an ethical choice, but it can certainly be applied to interactions of that sort.