Webster's New World Pocket Dictionary defines ethics as "moral standards" and as a "system of morals." Webster's then defines moral as, "of or dealing with right or wrong." Similarly, media ethics are moral standards that are applied to the media. An example of this is the Society of Professional Journalists' Code of Ethics(1), a standardized list of items that members of the SPJ use as a guide in their strides to be effective journalists. In a similar manner, media professionals sometimes use their code of ethics as a device to shield themselves from attacks that are often led by indi…
