A Global Perspective on Ethics: New Resources for Teaching and Discussing Media Ethics and Journalism Ethics

It is rare to have two edited volumes on media ethics published within a month of each other. Yet, The Routledge Companion to Journalism Ethics and the Handbook of Global Media Ethics were both released in fall 2021. Combined, they offer a comprehensive analysis of the state of global media ethics along with a global perspective on journalism ethics. A handful of authors have pieces in both books, which speaks to their expertise in the field of ethics. It should be noted that Patrick Plaisance, editor of Journal of Media Ethics, wrote a chapter on moral psychology in media for the Handbook, and I wrote a chapter on fake news and public trust in journalism for The Routledge Companion to Journalism Ethics. There is no doubt that both volumes make major contributions to the fields of media ethics and journalism ethics, and each will continue to inspire future scholars, students, and practitioners to be mindful, and sometimes critical, of how ethics plays out in theory and practice in contemporary society. After taking a deep dive into both books, I will be editing my graduate ethics syllabus to include multiple chapters from each book. Ward, S. J. A. (Ed.). (2021). Handbook of global media ethics. Springer.In the Handbook on Global Media Ethics, Stephen J. A. Ward, professor emeritus and Distinguished Lecturer on Ethics at the University of British Columbia, brings together a collection of entries that results in one of the first comprehensive research and teaching tools for the developing area of global media ethics. Ward worked with Prof. Clifford G. Christians, a team of seven editors, and 77 authors in dozens of countries to make this book a reality. The Handbook addresses all major approaches to global media ethics and contains contributions by leading, internationally recognized authors in the field of media ethics. According to Ward, the advent of new media that is global in reach and impact has created the need for journalism ethics that is global in principles and aims.The 70 chapters in the Handbook are divided into seven sections, each of which had editors who expertly developed their chapters, worked with authors, and wrote the section introductions. The first section, edited by Ward, sets the context for the field of global media ethics by providing 10 chapters on basic concepts and practical problems. Cliff Christians explains how section two, “contributes to the Handbook’s purpose by representing up-to-date reviews of the approaches taken to conceptual issues and to theory in global media ethics,” (p. 179). Section three tackles ethical issues presented by our ever-evolving sphere of digital and social media. Kathleen Bartzen Culver writes, “Through eight chapters covering an array of disparate technologies and questions, the section seeks to illuminate the reasoning and processes that can guide us through tumultuous times” (p. 425).The fourth section on global issues for global media was edited by Ian Richards. He notes that the list of implications for journalism ethics is extensive and “extend from such all-encompassing topics as poverty, water, immigration and urbanization to justice, human rights, and truth and reconciliation commissions,” (p. 577). Richard Lance Keeble edited section five which “seeks to explore the many issues relating to war and peace reporting, surveillance, the secret state, security, threats to privacy, and the right to offend in the “New World Disorder” (p. 849). In her introduction on global ethics and journalism practice, Katharine Bell explains that the 10 chapters in section six “deal with media ethics ‘on the ground’ as they relate to how journalists do their work, mostly in the North American context” (p. 1067). She notes how “they explore the ideological and institutional influences on journalists historically and in the current moment, as well as practical considerations that influence ethics, and . . . include critiques of existing media practices and representations, explanatory works that illuminate historic and contemporary ethical issues, and chapters that explore some of the broader philosophical perspectives that do or can inform praxis” (p. 1067).Lastly, Wendy Wyatt edited section seven on global media ethics in a geographical framework noting its late edition to the Handbook. She explains, “eight chapters in this section are a terrific primer to media landscapes in places around the world, but they also offer analyses that move beyond the descriptive to the prescriptive, offering ideas for how principles of global media ethics can be more fully applied” (p. 1257). According to Wyatt, this last section offers readers an opportunity “to explore how ideas introduced in the first six sections of the Handbook can play out in countries with different political, economic, and social systems” (p. 1257).The Handbook includes a wealth of new knowledge written by leading, global media scholars, ethicists, JOURNAL OF MEDIA ETHICS 2022, VOL. 37, NO. 1, 72–75 https://doi.org/10.1080/23736992.2021.2020257