Real-World Media Ethics

CHAPTER 4

Controversy and Ethics

A producer, writer, actor, or director may decide to tackle controversial material for a variety of reasons. Some of these reasons might be to address a timely issue, to find a good story, to undertake a challenging part, to get ratings or to be a box office winner, to be true to one’s personal convictions, or simply to make some noise and garner some attention.

Before analyzing the ethical issues associated with controversy, let’s consider what constitutes controversy. One artist’s controversy may be another’s pabulum. Would the public find the material controversial? Would advertisers? After all, advertisers are a generally conservative group, well aware that a negative campaign launched by the Parents Television ...