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Ethical Relativism, Pluralism, and Global Media Ethics

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Handbook of Global Media Ethics

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Abstract

This chapter shows that the development of global media ethics follows the path of monism (biased towards the global and Western-centered), ethical relativism (biased to the local), and pluralism (between the global and the local). This chapter argues that the first two have been eliminated, and the solution of pluralism seems to be caught in the irreconcilable contradiction between the global and the local. Then, global media ethics loses its meaning and even falls into ethical nihilism. This chapter claims that interculturality, developed from intersubjectivity, provides a solution, that is, the construction of media ethics based on dynamic and global dialogue can lead to a global media ethics of interaction and integration.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Wasserman, “Towards a Global Journalism Ethics Via Local Narratives.”

  2. 2.

    Christians, “Introduction: Ubuntu for Journalism Theory and Practice.”

  3. 3.

    Charles and Hua, “Culture and Communication in the Global Network.”

  4. 4.

    Donnelly, Universal Human Rights in Theory and Practice, 2.

  5. 5.

    Nikolaev, Ethical Issues in International Communication, 9.

  6. 6.

    See Gowans, “Moral Relativism.”

  7. 7.

    Herskovits, Man and His Work.

  8. 8.

    Argued in Nie, “Limits of Western Ethical Relativism.”

  9. 9.

    Li, “On Cultural Relativity.”

  10. 10.

    This is elaborated in Nie, “Methodological Basis of Western Ethical Relativism.”

  11. 11.

    Blocker, Ethics: An Introduction, 38.

  12. 12.

    Pojman and Fieser, Ethical Theory: Classical and Contemporary Readings, 29.

  13. 13.

    Nie, “Limitations of Western Ethical Relativism and Its Enlightenment.”

  14. 14.

    Nie, “Limitations of Western Ethical Relativism and Its Enlightenment.”

  15. 15.

    Christians, “Cultural Diversity and Moral Relativism in Communication Ethics.”

  16. 16.

    Christians, “Introduction: Ubuntu for Journalism Theory and Practice.”

  17. 17.

    Marx and Engels, Selected Works of Marx and Engels: III, 435.

  18. 18.

    Ess, “Ethical Pluralism and Global Information Ethics.”

  19. 19.

    Ess and Hua, “Culture and Communication in the Global Network.”

  20. 20.

    Claude, Liberalism and Value Pluralism, 51.

  21. 21.

    Ess, “Ethical Pluralism and Global Information Ethics.”

  22. 22.

    Ess, Digital Media Ethics, 224.

  23. 23.

    For an early call to internationalize media ethics, see Christians and Traber, Communication Ethics and Universal Values.

  24. 24.

    Ward, “Philosophical Foundations for Global Journalism Ethics.”

  25. 25.

    Ward elaborates on these guidelines, “Ethical Flourishing as Aim of Global Media Ethics.”

  26. 26.

    Tehranian, “Peace Journalism: Negotiating Global Media Ethics.”

  27. 27.

    For a comprehensive history of objectivity in journalism, see Ward, The Invention of Journalism Ethics: The Path to Objectivity and Beyond.

  28. 28.

    Ward, “Global Journalism Ethics: Widening the Conceptual Base.”

  29. 29.

    For an illustration and elaboration, see Ayish, “Television Reality Shows in the Arab World: The Case for a ‘Glocalized’ Media Ethics.”

  30. 30.

    Robertson, Globalization: Social Theory and Global Culture, 26.

  31. 31.

    Ayish develops these four aspects in “From ‘Many Voices, One World’ to ‘Many Worlds, One Voice’: Reflections on International Communication Realities in the Age of Globalization.”

  32. 32.

    Christians and Traber, Communication Ethics and Universal Values.

  33. 33.

    Ayish, “Television Reality Shows in the Arab World: The Case for a ‘Glocalized’ Media Ethics.”

  34. 34.

    Tehranian, “Peace Journalism: Negotiating Global Media Ethics.”

  35. 35.

    Ward, Global Media Ethics: Problems and Perspectives.

  36. 36.

    Callahan, “New Challenges of Globalization for Journalism.”

  37. 37.

    For a review of this argument, see Shome and Hegde, “Postcolonial Approaches to Communication: Charting the Terrain, Engaging in Intersections.”

  38. 38.

    See Rao, “The ‘Local’ in Global Media Ethics.”

  39. 39.

    Ward, “Global Journalism Ethics: Widening the Conceptual Base.”

  40. 40.

    Ward, “Global Journalism Ethics: Widening the Conceptual Base.”

  41. 41.

    Kale, “Peace as an Ethics for Intercultural Communication,” 450–550.

  42. 42.

    Tehranian, “Peace Journalism: Negotiating Global Media Ethics.”

  43. 43.

    Saliou, “Media, Civil Society, and Political Culture in West Africa.”

  44. 44.

    Kasoma, “The Foundations of African Ethics (Afriethics) and the Professional Practices of Journalism: The Case for Society-centered Media Morality.”

  45. 45.

    White, “The Moral Foundations of Media Ethics in Africa.”

  46. 46.

    The argument for regionalism is explained in Hafez, “Journalism Ethics Revisited: A Comparison of Ethics Codes in Europe, North Africa, the Middle East, and Muslim Asia.”

  47. 47.

    See “The Association of Independent Electronic Mass Media of Central Asia,” uia.org/s/en/11000047103, 1997.

  48. 48.

    For the full ethics code, see Asia-Kyrgyzstan.

  49. 49.

    Christians and Nordenstreng, “Social Responsibility Worldwide.”

  50. 50.

    Christians and Nordenstreng, “Social Responsibility Worldwide,” 18–26.

  51. 51.

    Christians CG, Rao S, Ward S JA, et al. “Toward a Global Media Ethics.”

  52. 52.

    Christians, Rao, Ward, and Wasserman, “Toward a Global Media Ethics: Theoretical Perspectives.”

  53. 53.

    Ayish and Rao, “Introduction: Explorations in Global Media Ethics.”

  54. 54.

    For elaboration of the concept of patriotism in terms of international journalism, see Ward, Global Journalism Ethics, Chapter 6.

  55. 55.

    Omojola, “Toward Global Ethics: Exploring the Perspectives of Local Media Stakeholders.”

  56. 56.

    Ayish, “Television Reality Shows in the Arab World: The case for a ‘Glocalized’ Media Ethics.”

  57. 57.

    Ayish and Rao, “Introduction: Explorations in Global Media Ethics.”

  58. 58.

    For a comparison of principles of international media ethics with the international reporting and policies of Al Jazeera, see Sadig, Al Jazeera in the Gulf and the World: Is It RedefiningGlobal CommunicationEthics?

  59. 59.

    Al-Najjar, “Contesting Patriotism and Global Journalism Ethics in Arab Journalism.”

  60. 60.

    Piecowye describes this case and his rationale acting in “Negotiating Global and Local Journalism Ethics.”

  61. 61.

    Wasserman, “Towards a Global Journalism Ethics Via Local Narratives: Southern African Perspectives.”

  62. 62.

    Shan, The Issues and Possibilities ofIntercultural Communication.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Director of Center for Media Development Research, School of Journalism & Communication, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China

    Bo Shan

  2. School of Journalism & Communication, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China

    Qiong Ye

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  1. Bo Shan
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  2. Qiong Ye
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. UBC Graduate School of Journalism, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada

    Stephen J. A. Ward

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Shan, B., Ye, Q. (2021). Ethical Relativism, Pluralism, and Global Media Ethics. In: Ward, S.J.A. (eds) Handbook of Global Media Ethics. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-32103-5_14

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