The Issue of Ethics in the Media and Communication Profession

Abstract

Media and Communication studies are well-known and attractive subjects in many universities and higher institutions, but the core of both subjects is not so popular and not viewed as a necessary subject by the scholars of media and communication. The writer of this humble article views this abnormal phenomenon as a disaster that jeopardizes the existence of the media and the lives of media practitioners. The illegal imprisonment of media practitioners, in addition to numerous cases of their murder, kidnaping, assault and all types of challenges and multiple acts of violence against journalists nowadays are nothing but a clear indication that there is something wrong. However, in a wrong situation like this, there is urgent need to correct such wrong. One of the main problems that need to be rectified is the issue of ethics in media. The society and more so, the authority need not to be taught that to be a journalist is not a crime but a legitimate type of career. This paper deals briefly with the issue of ethics in media and communication professionals and discusses some characters and code of conducts that are always categorized as a default of media by the consumers of the media products.