Media Ethics
The New School
Fall 2026

Instructor: Peter Asaro asarop AT newschool.edu
Course: NCOM 3048 CRN: 11208
Time: Mondays, 4:00 - 5:50 pm (ET)
Location: Synchronous Online (ZOOM)

Course webpage is here: http://peterasaro.org/courses/2026MediaEthics.html

Course blog is here: http://mediaethics2026.wordpress.com/

Course Description

This course provides a theoretical foundation that will enable students to identify and analyze ethical issues in the media. Students are familiarized with scholarly literature and case studies on media ethics and apply approaches to ethical decision-making strategies to current and past media practices. Emphasis is on the ethical and moral dilemmas that news, advertising, public relations, and entertainment organizations face in conjunction with their professional obligations and market pressures. Concurrently we will analyze the societal implication resulting from these ethical dilemmas and the role of media in relationship to social justice, freedom, diversity, and responsibility. Ethical questions presented include: Do the media have a special obligation to ethical behavior and to what extent might that impact public access to a "free marketplace of ideas?" Do advertising and journalism operate under the same ethical rules? How much information should the media provide about the private lives of public figures? What role should competition and the profit motive play in news reporting?

Students will be required to make regular blog entries based on the assigned readings, participate in online class discussions via Zoom, and develop a final paper, or create a media project, during the course of the semester.

LEARNING OUTCOMES:

Upon successful completion of this course, a student should possess the following abilities and knowledge:

1) Identify, use, compare, and contrast major ethical approaches and decision-making strategies.

2) Apply critical thinking skills to ethical and moral dilemmas.

3) Analyze media messages, issues, and cases in terms of their ethical and moral implications.

4) Evaluate diverse approaches, practices, and effects within media using logical reasoning and effective writing and debate.

5) Develop personal and professional codes of ethics for work as a media professional.

6) Understand the major ethical approaches that have affected decision making in the media today as well as the role of professionals in shaping those decisions.

7) Understand the complex relationship between technological, social, cultural, and economic effects on the media and how those impact decision-making.

8) Understand how to make complex moral decisions as a media practitioner by considering all affected parties, assessing differences between functional and moral obligations, and ordering moral priorities.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS & GRADING:

Class Attendance & Participation 30%
Blog Entries & Comments: 25%
Paper or Project Idea 5%
First Draft Paper or Media Project 15%
Final Project Presentation: 5%
Final Paper or Media Project: 20%

Class Attendance and Participation: 30%

You are expected to have thoroughly and thoughtfully read the assigned texts, viewed the assigned videos, and to have prepared yourself to contribute meaningfully to the class discussions. For some people, that preparation requires taking copious notes on the assigned readings; for others, it entails supplementing the assigned readings with explanatory texts found in survey textbooks or in online sources; and for others still, it involves reading the texts, ruminating on them afterwards, then discussing those readings with classmates before the class meeting. Whatever method best suits you, I hope you will arrive at class with copies of the assigned reading, ready and willing to make yourself a valued contributor to the discussion, and eager to share your own relevant media experiences and interests. Your participation will be evaluated in terms of both quantity and quality.

As this is a seminar, regular attendance is essential. You will be permitted two excused absences (you must notify me of your inability to attend before class, via email). Any subsequent absences and any un-excused absences will adversely affect your grade.

If you must attend a class session "asynchronously" due to scheduling or time-zone conflicts, you must make arrangements with me for your class participation. In most cases this will consist of watching the posted videos of the weekly discussion, and posting an additional weekly blog entry with your reflections on the week's topic and readings (approx. 1 page or 500 words).

Blog Entries & Comments: 25%

You will be required to make weekly blog entries commenting on the assigned readings and any additional related material you discover on your own and wish to share with the class.

You will be required to create an account on WordPress (if you do not already have one), and will receive an email invitation to be added as an author to the private collective course blog. Everyone will be posting to a common blog page, and this will be readable by your classmates, but not by people outside of the class. When writing and making comments, you are expected to treat other students with the same respect and courtesy as you should in the classroom, and to cite the sources of any text or quotes you use in accordance with academic honesty policies.

You are also expected to read the posts of your classmates, and encouraged to comment on other people's posts each week. Posts will not be graded but I, and other students, will read them and occasionally comment on them. There will be 12 posts worth 2 Points (on-time) or 1 point (late) required through the semester (not required on days when papers/projects are due), thus 24 points, plus 6 points for comments on the posts of other students, totalling 30% of your grade.

Blog posts will be due before the start of each class. They are time stamped when you post them, and late posts will only receive half credit (1 point). There is no specific assignment for each post, but they should express your reactions to, and reflections on, your readings and the topic for that week.

Paper or Project Idea 5%
First Draft Paper or Media Project 15%
Final Project Presentation 5%
Final Paper or Media Project: 20%
There will be no final exam.

There are 2 options for papers/projects: Research/Analysis Paper Option, and Media Project Option (group projects are also allowed).

Paper or Media Project Idea Due: September 28
Paper Length: 500-1000 words (approx. 1 page), Media Projects of equivalent effort

First Draft of Paper or Media Project Due: October 19
Paper Length: 500-2000 words (approx. 1-5 pages), Media Projects of equivalent effort

Final Project Presentations: December 7 & 14
Oral presentations over Zoom. Slidedecks are optional. (approx. 5-7 minutes plus questions).

Final Paper or Media Project Due: December 17
Paper Length: 3000-5000 words (approx. 10-18 pages), Media Projects of equivalent effort

Project topics can address any aspect of the topics and materials discussed in class. Projects should include materials beyond what is directly covered in class, as appropriate for your topic. In other words, they should require research. You media journal and blog entires will provide many ideas for projects, as will class discussion. You should develop one of these into a more in depth analysis through additional research to try to answer a question, or argue a position, you feel is important.

Research Paper Option
This will take the form of a 3000-5000 word (Times New Roman, 12pt font, double spaced) term paper. You should draw upon sources from the course readings as well as beyond the course readings. You should cite your sources properly.

Media Project Option
Media Projects can take the form of film and video pieces, audio documentaries, websites, interactive media, performance pieces, infographics, a social media campaign strategy, or other ideas. In addition to the actual media product, you will need to submit a short written piece explaining your project, its motivations, methods and what you did to realize it.

Papers should be submitted to me in electronic form by email (Word Perfect, MS Word, PDF, HTML and plain TXT are all fine). All assignments are due at the start of class on the day they are due. Late final papers will not be accepted unless arrangements are made in advance, as I must turn in grades shortly thereafter.

Academic Honesty and Integrity

Compromising your academic integrity may lead to serious consequences, including (but not limited to) one or more of the following: failure of the assignment, failure of the course, academic warning, disciplinary probation, suspension from the university, or dismissal from the university.

Students are responsible for understanding the University’s policy on academic honesty and integrity and must make use of proper citations of sources for writing papers, creating, presenting, and performing their work, taking examinations, and doing research. It is the responsibility of students to learn the procedures specific to their discipline for correctly and appropriately differentiating their own work from that of others. The full text of the policy, including adjudication procedures, is found at http://www.newschool.edu/policies/# Resources regarding what plagiarism is and how to avoid it can be found on the Learning Center’s website: http://www.newschool.edu/university-learning-center/student-resources/

The New School views “academic honesty and integrity” as the duty of every member of an academic community to claim authorship for his or her own work and only for that work, and to recognize the contributions of others accurately and completely. This obligation is fundamental to the integrity of intellectual debate, and creative and academic pursuits. Academic honesty and integrity includes accurate use of quotations, as well as appropriate and explicit citation of sources in instances of paraphrasing and describing ideas, or reporting on research findings or any aspect of the work of others (including that of faculty members and other students). Academic dishonesty results from infractions of this “accurate use”. The standards of academic honesty and integrity, and citation of sources, apply to all forms of academic work, including submissions of drafts of final papers or projects. All members of the University community are expected to conduct themselves in accord with the standards of academic honesty and integrity. Please see the complete policy here.

Generative AI Policy

You are expected to do your own writing for this class. While you may use generative AI creatively in your final project, you must carefully describe its use and your own original conrtibutions to your final project as part of your proposal and final paper. You may also use generative AI to correct and improve your grammar and use of language, but the ideas and arugments of your texts should be yours. Your weekly blog posts should be your own writing and ideas. Any and all use of generative AI should be disclosed in the assignment when you turn it in. Violation of this policy will be treated as a violation of academic integrity.

Zoom Policy

You are expected to participate in an interactive dialogue during the Zoom sessions. This means you should be actively logged-in, with your camera on during class. If you are not in an environment where you can turn on your camera, let me know. In general you should find a location to participate where you are able to leave your camera on, and to turn on your mic to participate.

In general you should turn your mic off. You can raise your real or virtual hand to be called on. Hopefully we evolve a more casual mode where people can speak freely and respectfully without being explicitly called on. We should always be both respectful and critical of the views of others, as we interrogate sensitive values and principles of morality.

Zoom Sessions will be recorded and made available to members of the class. This will enable you to review lectures, or to make-up missed discussions if you are sick or unable to attend the live Zoom session In those cases you will need to watch the recording, but also make an additional blog post with your thoughts and reactions to the discussion (in addition to the regular weekly blog post).

READINGS

All readings will be available electronically, via the web, in PDF, MS Word, HTML, or similar format. You are welcome and encouraged to buy any of the books used.

LECTURE/DISCUSSION VIDEOS

All of the Zoom lecture/discussion sessions will be recorded. Recordings will only be made available to members of the class through a Google Drive.

NOTE: By attending this class you consent to being recorded.

Weekly Topics & Readings

Week 1: August 31
Course Introduction

Course Syllabus Overview