Mass media ethics and the classical liberal ideal of the autonomous individual are historically linked and professionally dominant--yet the authors of this work feel this is intrisically flawed. They show how recent research in philosophy and social science--together with a longer tradition in theological inquiry--insist that community, mutuality, and relationship are fundamental to a full concept of personhood. The authors argue that "persons-in-community" provides a more defensible grounding for journalists' professional moral decison-making in crucial areas such as truthtelling, privacy, organizational culture, and balanced coverage. With numerous examples drawn from life as well as from theory, this book will interest journalists, editors, and professionals in media management as well as students and scholars of media ethics, reporting, and media law.

Christians, Ferre, and Fackler offer an intellectually provocative account of journalism and ethics that will in many ways define the terms of debate for years to come. Good News is good news for anyone interested in an intellectually rich treatment of questions of media ethics and responsibility. * Theodore L. Glasser, Stanford University *