media ethics

ASSIGNMENT 1: MEDIA ETHICS
In 1500 words, discuss the mainstream media reportage of “African gang violence” in Australia. In your answer, address how each of the ethical frameworks – deontology, consequentialism and virtue, might shape the reportage.
Your essay should be based on an analysis of news items – from mainstream newspapers, radio and television stories. Source these through using your Internet search engine, search YouTube as well as Google or Bing.

The purpose of this assignment is for you to demonstrate:
That you understand each of three ethical theories: deontology, consequentialism and virtue.
That every news item reflects one of these theories, even though this may not be obvious. (You may need to look at the news organisation from which the item come to determine this.).
Insight into the diversity of ways issues of race are reported in the Australian media. (This is relevant given the issues raised by the Black Lives Matter movement about institutional racism).
That you can apply ethical theory to reporting on a particular issue – in this instance purported “African gang violence in Melbourne”, and your assignment should be structured to reflect this.
Watch an example of media coverage of this issue here:


The purpose of these videos is to help you understand the issue. You may use these as examples in your assignment, but you must also draw on additional sources.
The criteria sheet is attached to the Electronic Course Profile.

Here is procedure for submitting your assignment.

Your essay should be uploaded to TurnItIn in a pdf format. Keep a copy of your essay, and your TurnItIn receipt as proof of submission.
Make sure you upload the FINAL version of your assignment. The TurnItIn settings for this assignment do not permit multiple submissions. Tutors have instructions NOT to mark work submitted by email.
The file name should be YOUR FAMILY NAME, given name and the word ETHICS. All in capitals. For example: HARRISONJOHNETHICS.
Documents which do not use the correct naming protocols described above will lose marks for incorrect style. As will material not uploaded as a pdf.
Your essay should have a cover page containing your full name, your student number, and the title of your essay.
Your essay should have page numbers.
The references should be in alphabetical order according to the APA Style. The Library Guide to APA is here: https://guides.library.uq.edu.au/referencing/apa7.
Citing PowerPoint lecture materials is not permitted, and will result in a loss of marks. Please note that academic staff do not read drafts of student work.
The weekly readings are revised versions of material originally published in, and should be cited as,
Harrison, J. M., & Graham, P. (2001). Ethics for Australian Business. Prentice Hall-Sprint Print.

Here is a list of academic references which may assist you. Note that the assignment asks you to apply the three ethical theories to the media coverage of the issue.
ACADEMIC REFERENCES
Altheide, D. L. (2009). Moral panic: From sociological concept to public discourse. Crime, Media, Culture , 5 (1), 79-99.
Cheshire, A. (2018). Minister Dutton and the ‘lily-livered judges’. Bar News: The Journal of the NSW Bar Association, (Autumn 2018), 12-13.
Due, C. (2008). Who are strangers?’:‘Absorbing’ Sudanese refugees into a white Australia. ACRAWSA e-journal , 4 (1), 1-13.
Khan, S., & Pedersen, A. (2010). Black African immigrants to Australia: Prejudice and the function of attitudes. Journal of Pacific Rim Psychology , 4 (2), 116-129.
MacDonald, F. (2017). Positioning young refugees in Australia: media discourse and social exclusion. International Journal of Inclusive Education , 21 (11), 1182-1195.
Marjoribanks, T., Nolan, D., & Farquharson, K. (2010). Media representations of Sudanese people in Australia: An initial analysis. In Proceedings of the Australian and New Zealand Communication Association Conference on Media, Democracy and Change (pp. 1-13).
Ndhlovu, F. (2014). Becoming an African diaspora in Australia: Language, culture, identity . Springer.
Nunn, C. (2010). Spaces to speak: Challenging representations of Sudanese-Australians. Journal of Intercultural Studies, 31(2), 183-198.
Pittaway, T. (2018). African gangs myth shows fear is winning. Eureka Street, 28(1), 68-70.
Soutphommasane, T. (2019). On Hate. Melbourne University Publishing.
Smyth, L. (2019). Melbourne’s ‘African gang crisis’: A content analysis comparing two Melbourne media outlets. http://muep.mau.se/handle/2043/29213
Udah, H., & Singh, P. (2018). ‘It still matters’: The role of skin colour in the everyday life and realities of black African migrants and refugees in Australia. Australasian Review of African Studies, 39(2), 19.
Windle, J. (2008). The racialisation of African youth in Australia. Social Identities, 14(5), 553-566.
Wright, T. (2002). Moving images: The media representation of refugees. Visual Studies , 17 (1), 53-66.

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