Microsoft Word - Document2
Write no more than a 10-page paper (including the bibliography) that uses the 10-point SEA to
write an analysis of a mass media case study. For each Part, use Word. Do not include a cover
sheet or running heads.
The media case study for this paper will be:
Fyre Festival. In 2017, the organizers promoted a music festival that didn’t exist.
Title, abstract, and introduction: Write a title of not more than 10 words that is factual and
interesting. Your abstract is a summation of your topic in not more than 75 words and single-
spaced.
Write an introduction that will catch the interest and the imagination. Include a quote. The rest
of the introduction should simply tell the reader what to expect in your paper including the use
of the 10-step SEA. (10- Step SEA is stated below)
For this paper, you will use the 10-point SEA to write your analysis of a mass media case study.
Label each section with a bold heading. You must use itemized lists as much as possible.
Use APA style for all your sources.
Also, in a separate attachment is an example of a paper that received an A. Please use that
example on how to format the paper
The Ten-Step Systematic Ethical Analysis (SEA)
1. What are the three most significant facts of the case? After a careful evaluation
of all the known facts presented within a particular scenario, single out the top
three facts that are the most important?
Clearly state why each fact is important.
2. What are three facts you would like to know about the case? You should have
questions about the case study that are not answered by the facts presented. You
may need to interview individuals, consult written records, explore the web, and so
on to obtain a clearer idea of the facts and motivations of the actors involved with
the case. Use sources to answer your questions and cite them using APA style.
3. What is the ethical dilemma related to the case? Most dilemmas come down to a
conflict of interests between the various parties involved, but there may also be
economic, privacy, and personal issues that motivate the dilemma. Define the
dilemma and cite your source.
4. Who are the moral agents and what are each person’s specific role- related
esponsibilities (RRRs)? Concentrate on media personnel as MAs.
5. Who are the stakeholders and what are each person’s specific role- related
esponsibilities (RRRs)? Name no more than three SHs.
6. What are the possible positive and negative values of all the moral agents and
stakeholders named in Steps 4 and 5 and the two most opposite values from all the
lists? State 4-5 values for each MA and SH.
7. What are the loyalties of the moral agents and stakeholders named in Steps 4
and 5 and the two most opposite loyalties from all the lists? State 4-5 possible
loyalties for each MA and SH.
8. For each of the six moral philosophies used in this book describe either a
justification or a criticism that can be applied to a moral agent or a stakeholder
named in Steps 4 and 5 in the case study. The six philosophies are: golden rule,
hedonism, golden mean, categorical imperative, utilitarianism, and the veil of
ignorance. Define each philosophy and include your source.
9. What creative and/or credible alternatives could resolve the issue? You need to
name two creative and two credible alternatives.
10. What would you do as a member of the media? As advocated by Sissela Bok in
her three-step SEA, this final step asks you to make known your personal reaction
to the case study being analyzed. Pretend you are a specific media professional
involved with the case. What action would you take and why?
Your Name Here
Covington Caught in the Crossfire:
Amateur Videographers Dictating News Media
Abstract
The national news media were sent into a frenzy when Covington Catholic high school
students were seen in a cellphone video seemingly taunting a Native American man at the
footsteps of the Lincoln Memorial. Soon after, another video surfaced and showed a different
perspective, providing insight on how the events unfolded. This paper will use a 10-step
systematic ethical analysis to examine the event and media landscape which allowed for the
esulting confusion and vitriol.
“I can only speak for myself and what I observed and felt at the time. But I would caution
everyone passing judgement based on a few seconds of video to watch the longer video
clips that are on the internet, as they show a much different story than is being portrayed
y people with agendas” (Sandmann, 2019).
In January 2019, Nick Sandmann and other classmates from Covington Catholic High,
along with an elderly Native American man and black He
ew Israelites confronted each other at
the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. Multiple amateur videographers captured the confrontation at
the Lincoln Memorial on their cellphones. These videos were then shared with news media at
different times, resulting in media na
atives that showed different perspectives with different
sides to the story. Because of this staggered release of videos, the national new media were in a
state of chaos, causing confusion for their national audiences. To understand and further examine
the events of that day, the 10-step systematic ethical analysis, developed by Paul Martin Lester
(2018), will be utilized to understand the motivations, loyalties, and moral philosophies guiding
and justifying the actions of all entities involved in the January 2019 confrontation at the Lincoln
Memorial.
Step 1: Three Significant Facts
1. It is important to note that all three groups that were involved in the incident were there
for political purposes. This is important because no group is free of blame in this
scenario- there are no true victims. The high school boys from Covington Catholic High
were in Washington D.C. for the March for Life anti-abortion demonstration. Among the
group of boys, many can be seen wearing hats and clothing Make America Great Again
lettering. The Native American activists were present because of the Indigenous People’s
March, pushing for recognition of issues facing Indigenous people. The Black He
ew
Israelites were demonstrating and proclaiming their religious beliefs, including that
America would be destroyed in nuclear warfare (Kestenbaum, XXXXXXXXXXThis is important
ecause it emphasizes that none of the involved parties were non-political or innocent by
default. They all had motives.
2. Among the multiple cellphone videos that were taken during the event, two primary clips
arose, which Chappell uses in his piece. One of those clips was filmed by a member of
the Black He
ew Israelites, the other filmed by someone seemingly belonging to the
group of Native American activists (Chappell, XXXXXXXXXXBecause these were the primary
videos to surface, the audiences of the news media were only given perspective on two of
the three involved parties, potentially introducing bias by not highlighting the point of
view of the Covington Catholic High students. This is important because it explains the
ias in the early reporting of the incident and demonstrates that the journalists and their
publications were more concerned about quickly delivering content versus determining
accuracy.
3. According to Sandmann, the Covington Catholic boys were granted permission by their
chaperone to engage in the confrontation by shouting their school chants (Sandmann,
2019). This is important because it demonstrates that the boys acted out of their own
volition and were directly allowed to participate in this behavior by their authority figure;
they were participants, not victims. Although meant with seemingly good intention, the
oys and their adult chaperone willingly engaged in an already tense situation, potentially
worsening the overall confrontation. It is important that it is understood that the boys
eceived permission from their chaperone, which dismisses the idea that the boys are
wholly innocent.
Step 2: Facts to Know
1. What caused the incident to go viral and cause such a national news media takeover?
According to the New York Times, the initial video of the incident was posted on Twitter
y an account by the name of @2020fight. The video was posted with the caption, “This MAGA
loser gleefully bothering a Native American protestor at the Indigenous Peoples March” (Conger
& Frenkel, XXXXXXXXXXConger and Fenkel report that the account was part of a network that was built
to make content go viral, posting more than a hundred political tweets a day. According to
communication scholar, Jason Turcotte, “[news] recommendations from friends who are
perceived as strong opinion leaders are associated with an increase on respondents’ desire to
engage in additional information- seeking behaviors (Turcotte, XXXXXXXXXXGiven that the @2020fight
account was an opinion leader based on its network of 30,000 followers, this allowed more trust
to be placed in the information that the account posted, allowing the content to have more
potential to go viral.
2. How often does the news media source it’s information from social media?
According to a content analysis of UK and Dutch newspapers by Marcel Broersma and
Todd Graham, “tweets can trigger news stories because they are newsworthy themselves. This
was the case in about 20 per cent of the stories in which tweets were quoted” in the news stories
that they analyzed (Broersma & Graham, XXXXXXXXXXAlthough the research is conducted in Europe,
and the situation at hand is American, there can be estimation and extrapolation of the data. More
than anything, the data can be used as a point of reference as to how much social media influences
the reporting of news media.
3. What was Nathan Phillip’s intention in putting himself in the middle of the confrontation
and facing off with Nick Sandmann?
In an audio interview with NPR, Nathan Phillips argued that he feared for the safety of
the Black He
ew Israelites because of the large group of young White men. He argued that
ecause of recent news media, he was not comfortable with the dynamic of a large group of
white men confronting a small group of black men (Chappell, XXXXXXXXXXPhillips was attempting to
calm tensions instead of contributing to them.
Step 3: The Ethical Dilemma
The ethical dilemma to this event is stereotyping. On the Simply Psychology website, Saul
McLeod XXXXXXXXXXdefines the term as, “In social psychology, a stereotype is a fixed, over generalized
elief about a particular group or class of people. By stereotyping we infer that a person has a
whole range of characteristics and abilities that we assume all members of that group have. For
example, a ‘hells angel’ biker dresses in leather.”
Given that the initial reporting of the event involved only a short clip of the incident as
well as claims of political statements, the public divided politically on this event. As a result,
stereotypes were formed on both sides of the political spectrum based on the contents of the early
video. Because speed is prioritized by journalists over wholistic and accurate reporting, early
news reports can disseminate biased information, contributing to polarization in society and the
erosion of American democracy.
Step 4: Moral Agents and Role Related Responsibilities
Journalists.
• They report on cu
ent events, communicate newsworthy information accurately
and effectively,
• remain fair and unbiased in their reporting of information,
• do not cause unnecessary harm to the subjects of their reporting, and
• convey information in a timely manner.
Amateur videographers. For amateur videographers, “their purpose is to give voice to
new and discernible points of view” (Bock, XXXXXXXXXXThey are to record events as they occur,
provide perspective that otherwise might not be obtainable, be accurate in their recording of
events, capture an event in its entirety if possible, to not intrude or interfere with events as they
occur, and to pass along the video/information when possible.
Step 5: Stakeholders and their Role Related Responsibilities
The Covington Catholic High students.
• They are to be respectful of others,
• defend themselves in a way that does not escalate tensions,
• to remove themselves from potentially dangerous situations,
• to be mindful of how their actions affect others, and
• to not mock or offend others.
Nathan Phillips.
• To not place himself in the middle of a confrontation,
• to not perform an action with no context and expect it to be well received,
• to remove himself from a potentially dangerous situation, and
• to be mindful of how his actions affect others.
The audiences of the news media.
• They are to be responsible with their media consumption habits,
• assess the information they