Abstract

The purpose of this study is to examine how the field of media ethics addresses the influence of economics on journalistic values. This study includes two analyses. A quantitative analysis examines the most widely used media ethics textbooks for mentions of economic issues. This part of the study is designed to determine the quantity of the content that concerns economic influences and the issues that are addressed. The findings of the quantitative analysis are then applied in a qualitative analysis that compares the data identified in the media ethics textbooks to the content of codes of ethics of five professional journalism organizations. The study examines how the two compare concerning economic influences on journalistic values, sometimes informing one another, sometimes talking past one another, and often reflecting the tension between the two values