Case Study #1: Murdochs Mess by Lee Wilkins

The Guardian reporter Nick Davies was pursuing a story to determine

whether or not U.K. tabloid reporters, particularly those working for Rupert
Murdochs News of the World, were tapping phones to garner personal
information for high-profile stories. Rupert Murdoch is one of the last of the
media barons, controlling major media outlets including The Wall Street
Journal and Fox News, so potential corruption in his organization would have
huge consequences. Originally, Davies research was limited to one reporter
who was known to have hacked phone conversations of celebrities and
politicians, but he later discovered that the issue was far more widespread. It
became clear that unethical behavior was an accepted standard for all
Murdoch publications. The subsequent investigations led to economic
collapse of News of the World and criminal investigations on Rupert Murdoch,
James Murdoch and many high level employees within Murdochs media
empire. While many are willing to blame Murdoch for the unethical behavior
of his organization, some consider the behavior a response to the Interneteras 24/7 news cycle, in which one must do whatever one can to get a good
story.
The issue of the ethical nature of phone hacking in journalism is largely
dependent on the type of ethical code one adheres to. Deontological ethics,
which emphasizes the nature of the action over the consequences, would
condemn phone hacking as unethical. To analyze the action from a
teleological perspective, which would favor the end result over the means, is
a bit more complicated. Both utilitarianism and Aristotles virtue ethics,
which are foundationally teleological ethical systems, would need to see the
hacking contextualized within the greater situation. From a utilitarian
perspective, one must consider the value of the action for the majority; if the
hacking provides the public a benefit, it is ethically sound. Virtue ethics
would consider not only the consequences of the action, but also the
motivations of the journalist. A virtue ethicist would consider both the
Murdoch journalists intentions behind the hacking and also Davies
motivation to relentlessly pursue this particular story; is he genuinely
seeking justice, or does he simply aim to dismantle his competitors
credibility?
This case study is a clear illustration of the varied ethical quandaries that
exist in any given situation. Lee Wilkins first described phone hacking of
celebrities and politicians, which received little attention. However, the
public was outraged when it was revealed that Murdochs employees
hijacked the voicemails of soldiers serving in Afghanistan, and family
members of a young girl who was murdered; he also mentioned political
bribery, corporate malfeasance, and insinuated that only some Murdoch
employees were held criminally accountable despite the behavior being
known by all associated parties. While all actions were performativity similar,

the exploited party changes the ethical perception of the situation. For
example, the phone hacking of celebrities and politicians was met with little
sympathy because of how we perceive celebrity - to choose to be a public
figure is the forfeiture of privacy, and the societal power those affected
possessed. Conversely, the hacking of the murdered schoolgirls phone was
perceived as a vicious exploitation of an average familys suffering.
Davies hot pursuit of the Murdoch corp. is a great example of journalists
watching the watchdog a responsibility usually taken up by bloggers and
independent sources. Journalism emerged to serve as a fourth estate
independent from traditional societal structures to inform citizens about the
happenings of larger institutions and powers. One issue with the concept of
the modern journalist watchdog is that most media outlets have been
absorbed into the institutions they should scrutinize; furthermore, there is
unethical behavior within media outlets that needs surveillance. The
behavior of The Guardian in the case study is how all journalists should
behave: independent news organizations should observe and monitor one
another to ensure the industry remains as ethically sound as possible. While
the goals of the investigators may have prioritized maximizing wealth over
pursuing justice, the end accomplishment still served the majority.
But is this idea of a self-policing industry effective in cleaning up the sketchy
behavior of media conglomerates? Further intervention from democratic
governments as auditors of ethics seems like a reasonable solution, but is
problematic for a few reasons. First, media organizations are supposed to be
policing governments; giving governments the power to investigate and
readily affect change in media organizations also gives them the power of
censorship. Second, the lobbying and bribing of vulnerable government
officials is a reality one must contend with. If the most corrupt organizations
are also those with the most money, governmental intervention would be
rendered useless. Rather than rely on governments to police major media
organizations, citizens should seek out the the fifth estate, or nonmainstream journalists, bloggers, and independent investigators not
affiliated with dominate news outlets.
Case Study #2: Was That an Apple Computer I Just Saw? A
Comparison of Product Placement in the U.S. Network Television and
Abroad by Philip Patterson
In the United States, product placement is becoming the standard form of
advertising in network television. Executives refer to this method of
advertising as brand integration, and the subsequent corporate reception
has been positive. Advertisers are still getting exposure despite technology
that allows consumers to skip advertisements, and production companies are
retaining at risk advertiser dollars. However, not all countries are reliant on
the emerging model; the U.K. is actively resistant to brand integration, while

other countries such as Austria offer a limited number of product spots to be

placed in their programming. From a creative perspective, some argue that
consumer products bolster their content as being a sincere reflection of
American culture, while others note that it is distracting and cheapens the
creative enterprise.
In the case study, a BBC executive reminisces on how brands were disguised
in the 1950s, but the same technique would not work today because
viewers dont find it convincing (Patterson and Wilkins, 75). I agree with
this sentiment; given the highly commercialized nature of Western culture,
the complete absence of brand names from television programs would be
conspicuous. While product placement can be distracting, the deliberate
attempt to remove all branding can be equally distracting. For better or for
worse, brands are an articulation of cultural values, personality, and identity;
this should be harnessed effectively to bolster the brand the programming is
attempting to create.
That doesnt mean that product placement can be always be easily
implemented; it has to be seamlessly integrated into the programming
without intruding on the natural flow of the storytelling. Because of this,
some genres of TV can incorporate product placement more easily than
others - for example: reality TV. Reality TV doesnt need to rework scripts to
mold the plotline around a brand; they can simply identify a sponsor brand
for a challenge or outing the cast members are going on. In some ways, this
method of brand integration is preferable; audience members are being
advertised to, but the programming makes it clear that a particular segment
is an advertisement. Scripted dramas and comedies, on the other hand,
require the brand be bold enough to attract the viewers attention, but subtle
enough so it doesnt distract the viewer from the entertainment content.
The second key consideration for using intertextual advertising is that
appropriate product placement is not only limited to the context of the
genre, but the context of the specific program. Some standard guidelines
should be followed when advertising within programming. For one, the brand
of the product should be conducive with the brand of the program. For
example, American Eagle shouldnt be outfitting characters on Girls; the two
are branded differently. Furthermore, brand integration should be not be
used as a key plot point - this becomes overly conspicuous and alienates the
viewers.
One of the questions the case study poses is what would happen if television
were no longer free a movement that is already underway with the
popularization of cord cutting. Content streaming from platforms such as
Netflix and Amazon Prime is becoming more popular than network offerings,
and the content of television is changing as developers are no longer
dependent on advertiser dollars. Netflix and Amazon arguably have

segmented the market and made television programming more niche - the
phenomenon of must-see TV is becoming a relic of the past - but they have
also enabled TV to reflect progressive views and the interests of minorities in
an unprecedented manner.