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As forms of communication evolve, avenues of news reporting increase, and the scope of media influence expands,

media ethics becomes an increasingly important issue in modern society.

People are exposed to television news, radio broadcasting, newspaper articles, and now digital media as well.

he mass media is an intrinsic part of everyday lives.

hat exactly drives the powerful Western media — government mandates, social responsibility and the quest for truth, or is it the financial goals of large media corporations?

In the book, Four Theories of the Press written in 1963, Wilbur Schramm, Fred Siebert, and Theodore Peterson present four different models of the media.

Two of them are relevant to the Western media today, the social responsibility system and the Libertarian system.

The former has its roots in mid-twentieth century society and revolves around ethics in the media, but has always existed as an ideal; the latter is more prevalent today, and by nature threatens media ethics.

The Social Responsibility System for News Reporting

In the social responsibility theory of the press, the media is driven to benefit the public.

It expects journalists to answer society's need for truth, requires an open and diverse debate on public issues, and honest updates of current events.

In this model, media ethics is automatic because the press is free to serve its purpose for the public, as opposed to special interest groups or advertisers.

Another condition of the social responsibility model, is that news reporting cannot be dependent on groups that may encourage bias and unethical practices in exchange for financial support.

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