Description
From the use of the word “thug ” by journalists to describe #BlackLivesMatter protesters, to calling trans women such as Caitlyn Jenner “he/she” or even “it,” to seemingly mundane stories about urban food deserts, coverage of matters that explicitly or implicitly reflect issues of socially constructed differences present ethical concerns for journalists and audiences alike. Covering stories highlighting issues of race, ethnicity, gender identity or sexual orientation, and so forth is challenging because of the many ethical issues that arise. Yet ethical issues related to diversity or socially constructed differences may occur in nearly any news story. In this chapter, we argue that the concept of ethical sensitivity can provide a worthwhile tool in the education of not only future and current media professionals but also media audiences. We begin by describing ethical sensitivity (ethsen) and reviewing ethsen research before focusing on ethsen in contexts involving race, gender, and other areas of socially-constructed difference. Finally, we turn to how assessing ethsen may contribute to both undergraduate education and the ongoing professional development of journalists.
Publication Date
1-1-2017
Keywords
Communication Studies, Faculty Works, Scholarship, Ethics, Diversity, Media, Education
Department
Communication Studies
Recommended Citation
Lind, Rebecca A. and Swenson-Lepper, Tammy, "Ethical Sensitivity Assessment in Educational Settings: Examining Awareness of Ethical Issues Related to Media and Diversity" (2017). Communication Studies Faculty Works. 32.
https://openriver.winona.edu/communicationstudiesfacultyworks/32
Unique Identifier
WSUCMSTFACWORKS-2017-Swenson Lepper-Ethical_Sensitivity_Assessment_in_Educat.pdf
