New Releases by Jay Black

Revisiting the topic of ethics codes in the media, this special issue begins by tracing the first 50 years of code writing and code enforcement experiences of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA). The second article shows how the 2000 Member Code of Ethics assumes professional standing for PRSA members, emphasizes public relations'' advocacy role, and stresses education rather than enforcement as the key to improving industry standards. Next, this special issue traces the evolution of the Israel Broadcasting Authority''s (IBA) code of ethics through five permutations between 1972 and 1998 and analyzes how journalistic codes of ethics in the United States wrestle with the matter of leaks. The Cases and Commentaries section explores the ethical ramifications of a public relations practitioner''s decision about presenting a false front group of grassroots image as a part of a public relations campaign. Finally, two book reviews stimulate further thought about entertainment media ethics and ethics in cyberspace.

This volume addresses some of the central issues of journalism today -- the nature and needs of the individual versus the nature and needs of the broader society; theories of communitarianism versus Enlightenment liberalism; independence versus interdependence (vs. co-dependency); negative versus positive freedoms; Constitutional mandates versus marketplace mandates; universal ethical issues versus situational and/or professional values; traditional values versus information age values; ethics of management versus ethics of worker bees; commitment and compassion versus detachment and professional "distance;" conflicts of interest versus conflicted disinterest; and "talking to" versus "talking with." All of these issues are discussed within the framework of the frenetic field of daily journalism--a field that operates at a pace and under a set of professional standards that all but preclude careful, systematic examinations of its own rituals and practices. The explorations presented here not only advance the enterprise, but also help student and professional observers to work through some of the most perplexing dilemmas to have faced the news media and public in recent times. This lively volume showcases the differing opinions of journalistic experts on this significant contemporary issue in public life. Unlike previous books and monographs which have tended toward unbridled enthusiasm about public journalism, and trade press articles which have tended toward pessimism, this book offers strong voices on several sides of this complex debate. To help inform the debate, a series of "voices"--journalistic interviews with practitioners and critics of public journalism -- is interspersed throughout the text. At the end of each essay, a series of quotes from a wide variety of sources -- "In other words..." -- augments each chapter with ideas and insights that support and contradict the points used by each chapter author.

In writing the second edition of Introduction to Mass Communication, we continue the main thrust found in the first edition. We have attempted to analyze the mass communication empires on their own terms, to recognize them for what they are--large, sometimes monolithic industries established to earn a profit as well as to serve the interests of their customers. The media are studied here within the broad contexts in which they operate. Technological, economic, political, philosophical, and sociological factors are considered throughout.