Colloquium 2000 Series in Applied Media Ethics
Current and Past Colloquia
Colloquium 2000
Location: Brigham Young University
Topic/Title: "Twisted Words/Straight Talk—The Ethics of Persuasion in the Open Marketplace"
Colloquium 2001
Location: Washington and Lee University
Topic/Title:"Global Journalism: The Quest for Universal Ethical Standards"
Colloquium 2002
Location: University of Illinois
Topic/Title: "The Ethics of Cyberspace"
Colloquium 2003
Location: University of South Florida
Topic/Title: "Ethics Across the Professions"
Colloquium 2004
Location: University of Missouri
Topic/Title: "Media, Ethics, and Politics"
Colloquium 2005
Location: University of Oregon
Topic/Title: "Caring and the Media"
Colloquium 2006
Location: St. Thomas University
Topic/Title: "Who is a Journalist"
Colloquium 2007
Location: University of Hawai'i
Topic/Title: "Intercultural Intersections in Media Ethics"
Contents
Scope
Purpose
Background
Genesis of the Colloquium series
Scope
This series of colloquia typically involves six diverse mature scholars, with the assistance of six developing scholars, who generate information and ideas before gathering to discuss for several days diverse views on a single topic (persuasion, nature of privacy, paramount nature of truth telling, intercultural media ethics, responsibility of consumers in an entrepreneurial society, etc.). The product, thus far, has been articles for the Journal of Mass Media Ethics from teams of scholars. Selection of the scholars in both categories occur through screening of applicants.
A series of ten annual events should result in the accelerated development of up to 120 scholars better able to make profound contributions to the scholarship of the field.
Though the series is designed to probe topics in mass media ethics, serious applied ethics scholars from all areas are invited to apply for Fellowships. Particularly encouraged are scholars in philosophy, business, economics, marketing, law and political science, as well as from the various areas of communications (advertising, public relations, journalism, and marketing communications). Certainly, ethics specialists from medical ethics committees (at universities and hospitals), in government agencies, and in corporations and law firms are encouraged to seek participation.
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Purpose
The series of colloquia has multiple purposes and goals:
- Deal seriously and in a fairly coordinated way with a pressing communications (generally mass media) ethics question.
- Provide some resources for scholars to deal with questions, while assuring pluralistic content and vigorous consideration of various views on the topic.
- Use of some scholars as a mentors in the development of others as they collaborate as pairs in preparations before, during and after the colloquium.
- Provide quality articles for the Journal of Mass Media Ethics from serious scholars in the field.
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Background
Activity in media ethics has generally centered on basic instruction aimed at neophytes in the field (both academic and professional), providing few opportunities for broader discussions on fundamental issues central to media ethical decision making. Further, the few scholars in the field may have tended to become proprietorial in regard to their niches, limiting the collegiality necessary for exploration of these central issues. Such conditions may produce, given other conditions of debate in the field, graduate advocates for embryonic "schools," rather than reasoned, broad discourse on serious issues.
The colloquium idea was born as a continuing activity for the 21st Century in diverse geographic locations as a means of:
- Launching serious discussions by senior scholars in the field on cogent root topics important to the understanding of media ethics and providing them with substance for articles exploring those topics,
- Serving as a learning ground for young scholars in media ethics fields, encouraging them in their research and writing on media topics, and
- Generating an increased volume and quality of content for the Journal of Mass Media Ethics (JMME); hence improving the levels of information, instruction, and dialogue in the field.
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Genesis of the Colloquium Series
From the foreword in Vol. 14, No. 4 [1999] issue of the Journal of Mass Media Ethics.
"Three observations, whether faulty or sound, have led to a series of alliances that should vastly improve the quality of literature available on media ethics, would set a standard for discussion of media ethics, and should refine applied ethics theories to help academics, professionals, and students in the various fields.
"The first observation recognizes that the field of media ethics has not produced a profound bench mark body of literature upon which scholars may build their work. As a result, much ethical discussion and writing continue to mull fundamental issues. True, the Journal of Mass Media Ethics, other periodicals, and an increasing number of books have made, and are making significant contributions to the field, but much of the work centers on observations and opinions about what shape the wheel of media ethics should assume. Such an accumulation makes it difficult for subsequent writers to find a stable moral theory platform from which to launch their own contributions.
"The second is that there is very little face-to-face presentation and defense of moral positions among media ethicists. At JMME, for example, submissions are refereed and returned to authors, who may either revise or defy. There is no opportunity for author and reviewer to sit together, explain, elaborate, and justify their positions. Resulting articles miss the rich refinement that comes from full-blown discussion or debate. Similarly, conference papers are reviewed, presented, and critiqued without the extended give-and-take that should accompany birth and maturation of profound ideas. Memory suggests no example over JMME's 14 years of dissenters seeking to respond to positions taken in previous articles in the pages of JMME. Often, media ethics discussions (both in print and at conferences) are nothing more than random shots fired from a distance into the adversary's ramparts.
"Third, there are few fora in which young scholars with new PhDs may be mentored in developing their skills in the ethics field, enabling them to mature into the senior group that will develop the field during the 21st Century. Most who wish to teach applied media ethics find themselves lone voices in the face of indifferent or even hostile colleagues. There are few colleagues for lunch discussions off whom new ideas may be bounced. Rare is the institution with a collegial group of ethics instructors.With the intention of attacking the three problems above, as well as improving the number and quality of submissions to JMME, a series of annual colloquia, to be held at various global locations, will begin in the Year 2000. They will be sponsored by the host institution and by the Journal of Mass Media Ethics, and the Brigham Young University Department of Communications.
"For the first colloquium, on the Ethics of Persuasion, 12 Fellows will be invited to a mountain resort in Utah in the Fall of 2000 for four days of discussion of specific approaches to persuasion ethics in an adversary, free-enterprise society. Six teams of two Fellows each will be expected to prepare position papers on a specific topic relevant to the persuasion debate prior to the colloquium and to make conference presentations and write a refereeable paper to submit to JMME following the colloquium. Transportation, housing, meals and an honorarium will be provided each Fellow. The first topic was selected as a pressing example of a general field which needs a great deal of coordinated discussion of its moral role and behavioral thresholds in society. Persuasion, like oxygen is omnipresent, but the levels at which it may become toxic or socially fatal are yet to be measured or defined.
"Subsequent colloquia will be held at other institutions each year to examine other important topics in the media ethics field. Each institution will select its own topic. Potential Fellows are invited to submit applications by February 15, 2000. Further information is available on the internet at jmme.byu.com."
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