Media ethics : opening social dialogue

All of us form some kind of idea about what we see, hear or read in the media, not only about the content of the reports but also about the way in which they are presented and their relevance. We judge the reports as good or bad for this or that reason. And yet most people remain convinced that 'media ethics' has nothing to do with them. The term 'media ethics' leaves many people with the false impression that it refers to an exclusive specialist discipline for professionally trained experts. Ethics is not a field like biochemistry or ancient history : ethics has more to do wit the skill of being able to distinguish good institutions, actions and ideas from ones that are not so good, a skill everybody needs to exercise, certainly in this age where media are so influential. It is important for the well-being of our societies and democracies that the questions about good media are on the top of the agenda of everyone involved in it : producers, broadcasters, journalists, politicians, internet providers and media users. In this volume, well known ethicists and social scientists present their introduction to this question from various perspectives and different points of departure. With their contributions they hope to open a balanced social dialogue that will prevail over commercial and rhetorical violence.