The Role of Media in Ethics Promotion
Introduction
Media activities are becoming increasingly important especially as use of electronic
media pervades our lives. It has been constructed drawing on the above and the individual
liberty of expression of thought as the supreme principle. Similar ethical issues apply across
the types of media activity. In such a changing environment, it is important that in general
develop a methodology to apply to media-related ethical promotion issues. Through the
media, knowledge and skills could be imparted and change could be achieved. This paper
surveys the media related sectors and identifies some common and particular themes.
Objectives
- To promote and serve the people for their ethical status with news, views,
comments and informations.
- To know the media all over the country has voluntarily accepted the code of
ethics
- To observe the matters of public interest in fair, accurate, unbiased and decent
manner and language.
- To notice, media should be service and norms of media conduct, they act as a
special reference guide in varying circumstances.
Methodology
Qualitative methods
Ethical guidelines and legislation are common and many media are subject to ratings
systems and supervision by agencies. Journalistic ethics tends to dominate media ethics.
Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression. The press is and indispensable
pillar of democracy. It purveys public opinion and shapes it. Media not only reports but acts
as a bridge between the state and the public. Economy has brought about drastic change in
the medias cape and the press is also going global, the responsibility of the press to
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safeguard, the interest of the people and the nation has increased manifold. All TV Channels,
the media seems to have taken over the reigns of human life, promotion of ethical action and
society in every walk of life. While playing the role of informer, the media also takes the
shape of a motivator and a leader. With so much power and strength, the media cannot loose
sight of its privileges, duties and obligations.
This privilege includes the right to collect information from primary authentic sources,
which are of use and importance to the society or the nation and then report the same in an
unbiased and positive way with the aim to inform and no to create sensation and harm the
public. Media is mandate to follow certain ethics in collecting and disseminating the
information. Ethics is a code of values and are thus very essential for moral and healthy life.
Ethics may be described as a set of moral principles or values which guide the conduct of
journalism. The ethics are essentially the self-restraint to be practiced by the journalists
voluntarily, to promote the trust of the people and to maintain their own credibility and not
betray the faith and confidence of the people.
The role of media in Myanmar has accepted that code of ethics such as honesty and
fairness, duty to provide to critical factual reportage, avoid by receiving gifts, respect for
privacy, duty to distinguish between facts and opinion, not to discriminate as race,
nationality, religion or gender. Duty not to prejudge the guilt of an accused and not to use
dishonest. In Myanmar core press council has been formed with 20 persons. Media watch
groups which focus the wrongs committed by the media persons, journalists or the
management. These measures not only ensure the accountability of the media and act as a
brake on the arbitrary and unbridled use of power but also help to enhance the credibility of
the press.
Truth may conflict with many other values. Privacy is also a right and one which
conflicts with free speech. Journalism may mix fantasy and truth with resulting ethical
dilemmas. Photo Journalists who cover war and disasters confront situations which may
shock the sensitivities of their audiences. The ethical issue is how far should one risk
shocking an audience’s sensitivities in order to correctly and fully report the truth.
Advertising and entertainment media make heavy use of stereotypes. Stereotypes may
negatively affect people’s perceptions of themselves or promote socially undesirable
behavior. The stereotypical portrayals of men, affluence and ethnic groups are examples of
major areas of debate.
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The media has manipulated the way public officials conduct themselves through the
advancement of technology. When a statement is written in an article or a video is shown of a
public official, it is the original truthful words of the individual official themselves. Freedom
of speech and aesthetic values are primarily at home in media ethics. In media ethics the
ethical obligations of the guardians themselves comes more strongly into the foreground.
Media usage may be subject to pressures to maximize: economic profits, entertainment value,
information provision, the upholding of democratic freedoms, the development of art and
culture, fame and vanity.
The main role of media both print and electronic is to inform as well as motivate the
society on its paths to development. In Myanmar, MRTV has signed agreements with 10
international news agencies. According to the news exchange programme, TV news from
China Central Television (CCTV), Nippon Hoso Kyokai (NHK) and Deutsche Welle (DW)
are inserted into the international news of MRTV. In Myanmar, ITU (International
Telecommunication Union) a plan is being implemented to switch off Analogue system and
shift to digital system and to extend TV Channels in the future. In survey data, in country’s
40 million Television viewers and newspapers readers are estimated 30 million. 5 FM radio
lines or channels and radio listeners now total 43 million. Radio also has similar ethical
issues to TV.
Member of the society of journalists believe that public enlightenment is the
forerunner of justice and the foundation of democracy. The duty of the journalist in our
county is to reach those ends by seeking truth and providing a fair and comprehensive
account of events and issues. They motivate the active participation of the affected people
and advocating for their interests, in place of the views of polity makers and planners. Instead
of merely reporting issues related to poverty, corruption, hunger and illiteracy. Growing rift
in our country between mass media and mass reality, a trend driven by increasing corporate
control. Media have a solemn duty to play a positive role in Ethics promotion.
Much of the recorded music available describes or promotes lifestyles and ethics at
variance with the religious message. Telecommunications are able to offer data transmission
including internet connections and chat lines. The ethical issues are of a slightly different
nature to television. Telephone is providing specific services, the responsibility for the ethical
nature of those services is clear. The Internet has risen in popularity over the past few years,
in Myanmar the number of users has increased. The Internet does raise a number of ethical
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issues and uplift ethic promotion. The ethos behind some of the culture and religious
magazines may be distinct from a Buddhist ethic. Overall, these magazines promote a
lifestyle ethic status. The newspaper in Myanmar is also quality of displaying soft porn
images and criticised for invasion of privacy.
Conclusion
All media are respect for the state’s reputation and inhabitants interests. Media must
always give correct and sufficient information to other authorities, groups, companies,
organizations or inhabitant. Media role main value is in interpreting basic societal standards
of right and wrong for the milieu of work in the civil service. Media point, how they can lift
individual civil servants or public above the “do’s and don’ts” of ordinary organizational life
to give meaning and reality to the highest values of a society. The role of media makes
perfect sense for public who must work within the framework of law and also charged with
reaching effective and efficient results to balance utility, rights, justice and self-interest.
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Timming, W.M (1990). A Case book of Public Ethics and Issues. Pacific Grove, CA:
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The Role of Media in Ethics Promotion
Mr. Myint Swe
Deputy Principal Officer (Director)
Office of the Union Civil Service Board
The Republic of the Union of Myanmar