Q&A Hero

Q: It is almost always illegal for news organizations to report the names of juvenile suspects.

Q: Philosophers and others say _________ exist between our public and private lives.

Q: Search engines and other websites use _____________, or small files that work with your Web browser, to track who you are and where youve been online.

Q: What are the differences among the correspondence, coherence, and pragmatic theories of truth? Which one is a journalist more likely to follow? Which one is more likely for a public relations practitioner?

Q: Discuss the items in the “truth continuum” presented in the textbook.

Q: Discuss one of the two justification theories discussed in the textbook. Explain the steps in the model, and the caveats included with each.

Q: Which of these is NOT a step in correct order in a justification model for lying? A. Looking for an alternative without the use of a lie.B. Thinking about moral reasons for lying, and counter-arguments.C. Thinking of two separate examples of lies and settling on the one that will do the most good or the least harm.D. Asking what a public of reasonable people would say about the lie.

Q: A justification model to help us decide whether or not to lie was proposed by: A. AristotleB. Sissela BokC. William F. GibbonsD. Immanuel KantE. Lawrence Kohlberg

Q: Media practitioners should use terms such as “most” instead of “all,” or “nearly always” instead of “always,” to solve the semantic tendency toward: A. blurring of abstraction levels.B. the tendencies toward “allness.”C. two-valued orientations.D. the problem of being time-bound.E. lying to audiences.

Q: A coherence theory to the truth can be problematic because: A. the world cannot be measured.B. few philosophers buy into this theory.C. it is more likely to be used by journalists than by public relations practitioners.D. the theory lets us be sincere in our beliefs—but sincerely wrong when compared to reality.E. the utilitarian perspective of truth is missing.

Q: Coherence theories suggest that what is true is what makes the most sense in the real world.

Q: The journalistic notion of objectivity is based on the correspondence theory of truth.

Q: For 1 through 3, match the category of theory of truth with its baseball umpire-related description. 1. correspondence2. coherence3. pragmatic A. “Some are balls and some are strikes, but they ain’t nothing until I call them.”B. “Some are balls and some are strikes, and I call them as I see them.”C. “Some are ball and some are strikes, and I call them as they are.”

Q: Ethicist Lou Hodges says if a journalist must lie for a greater good, its best to pose in a helper role (such as a doctor or firefighter) in order to do the most good.

Q: Most liars and deceivers tend to overestimate the forces that push them to lie, according to the book Lying: Moral Choice in Public and Private Life.

Q: News, facts, and truth are the same on the truth continuum in the textbook.

Q: The truth continuum argues that non-truths told without intent to deceive are closer to truth than persuasive speech that uses selective information.

Q: To remind us that our words are not the same as the real world, general semanticists use the phrase the map is not the territory.

Q: A pragmatist approach to truth assumes that there are varying degrees of truth.

Q: A semanticist would say it is appropriate to describe the world in two-value terms, such as right or wrong.

Q: While the world is not limited, our ability to describe it is.

Q: The “correspondence” theory of truth is tied to the Peirce notion (from Chapter 1) of tenacity.

Q: _______________ _____________________ is the study of the relationship of language, and what it does to us, and what we do to it.

Q: The _________________ theory says truth is achieved when our beliefs about something connect with other beliefs we hold to be true.

Q: The ________________ theory of truth says we need to make decisions about what is true so we can get on with the business of interacting with the real world.

Q: The _______________ theory of truth holds that truth is based on objective reality.

Q: What are the key sets of values that emerge from mass media codes of ethics?

Q: Describe the difference between “terminal” values and “instrumental” values, as defined by Milton Rokeach.

Q: Most mass communication codes of ethics focus greatly on values that Schwartz says are tied to: A. Self-directionB. TraditionC. BenevolenceD. PowerE. Achievement

Q: Schwartz and Bilsky said that values ultimately emerge as we resolve conflicts between both of these EXCEPT: A. being open to change/opportunity vs. holding on to the status quo.B. being open to transparency vs. holding on to secrecy.C. being motivated by self-interest vs. motivated by the interests of others.

Q: Rokeach’s list of instrumental values would include all of these EXCEPT: A. salvation.B. broadmindedness.C. logic.D. politeness.E. cleanliness.

Q: Rokeach’s list of terminal values would include all of these EXCEPT: A. equality.B. wisdom.C. freedom.D. mature love.E. ambition.

Q: A mass communicator’s desire to meet a deadline is an example of: A. a moral value.B. an immoral value.C. a professional value.D. an anti-moral value.E. an amoral value.

Q: A nice place to live, independence, financial security, good health, etc., are examples of: A. moral values.B. immoral values.C. professional values.D. non-moral values.E. amoral values.

Q: Which of these statements is NOT true about values? A. They are things or properties that are worth having.B. They are necessary for, or contribute to, a person’s ability to be, thrive, or well-being.C. They emerge from beliefs, attitudes, and opinions.D. They are the bedrock concepts that guide people, sometimes unknowingly, to their actions.E. can be a noun and a verb.

Q: Traditional news values (such as impact, proximity, etc.) are examples of amoral values.

Q: Protonorms are values that focus on individual cultures, and are different depending upon the culture.

Q: Journalisms focus on objectivity means that news is value-free.

Q: Media ethics codes say little about values, because they are more focused on loyalties.

Q: The United Nations tried, but failed to define a set of core universal values because it was impossible to reach agreement.

Q: Social scientists agree that moral values cannot be measured.

Q: A moral dilemma exists when values conflict.

Q: The term value comes from the Latin, meaning to be of worth.

Q: It is correct to say that we value something, and that something has value.

Q: Values can be both moral and non-moral in nature.

Q: Media practitioners all share the same definition of truth as a value.

Q: Milton Rokeach described instrumental values as those that help us reach our desired goals. Those desired goals wed like to reach during our lives are known as ____________ values.

Q: Those who control the nations stories control the nations ___________.

Q: What did Eric Deggans mean when he wrote that some people see diversity as a scam?

Q: Discuss the pros and cons of loyalty in mass media. Discuss to whom people in your media discipline should show loyalty. In what order would you place those loyalties?

Q: In the textbook, St. Petersburg (Fla.) Times columnist Eric Deggans wrote that the surest way to see how well a culture has blended into the “great American melting pot” is to see: A. that culture’s unemployment rate.B. the percentage of that culture’s residents who speak English.C. how it is depicted in television and movies.D. how much money it contributes to the nation’s Gross Domestic Product.E. how often that culture is mentioned in the news.

Q: In the textbook, St. Petersburg (Fla.) Times columnist Eric Deggans wrote that diversity is all of these EXCEPT: A. a gateway to fairness in media.B. sometimes seen as a scam.C. a gateway to financial success.

Q: People at lower levels of moral development are more likely to direct their chief loyalty to: A. themselves.B. people who can help or punish them.C. people in their life or work communities.D. society in general.E. people who have less power than they do.

Q: If we are loyal to people we like or are good to us, we are engaging in: A. sentimental loyalty.B. un-sentimental loyalty.C. practical loyalty.D. a Kohlberg Level 5 level of moral development.E. amoral actions based upon the Golden Rule.

Q: When discussing loyalties, which of these would not be a loyalty? A. YourselfB. Other people.C. TruthfulnessD. Family and friends.E. Our fellow workers.

Q: News media at lower levels of development tend to cover ethnic minorities in stereotypical and integrated ways.

Q: It is rare among mass communicators to have conflicting loyalties.

Q: The concepts of loyalty and reciprocity are related.

Q: Doctors and other professionals tend to show un-sentimental loyalty toward their clients.

Q: Philosopher Thomas Hobbes said that humanity would collapse without loyalty.

Q: Loyalty is always a good thing.

Q: Loyalties and values are the same thing.

Q: Thomas Hobbes was among the first to note that people can have _________ loyalties that may conflict at times.

Q: Mass media practitioners can show both ________________ loyalty and ______________ loyalty in their work.

Q: Kohlberg’s theory discusses stages in moral development. James Rest’s theory discusses schemas. What are the differences between stages and schemas?

Q: Describe the three “conventions” of moral development of Kohlberg, and give a media-related example for each.

Q: For 6 through 8, match the stage of moral development with its key attribute. 6. Lower7. Middle8. Higher A. Work and play well with others.B. Ego-centered.C. Social contract

Q: Most people reach stage 6 in the cognitive-social theory of moral development.

Q: Its rare for young adults to lapse into relativism.

Q: We can more easily regressoperate at a lower stage of moral development than we typically reside inthan we can rise to a higher level.

Q: What are the differences between the moral development theories of Kohlberg and Gilligan?

Q: In the four components of morality, the component of moral sensitivity is tied to moral: A. sympathy. B. empathy. C. imagination. D. implementation. E. utilitarianism.

Q: The four components of morality defined by James Rest include of all of these EXCEPT moral: A. creativity B. sensitivity C. judgment D. motivation and commitment E. character and implementation

Q: Most people who follow the Golden Rule of doing unto others as you would have them do unto you are operating at ________ levels of moral development. A. pre-conventional B. conventional C. post-conventional D. absolute E. connectional

Q: Most young people start their ethical journal by assuming that moral issues are: A. unsettled. B. black and white. C. relative. D. unrelated to their lives. E. unknowable.

Q: For 1 through 5, match the moral development theory to its developer(s)1. Intellectual and ethical development in young adults2. Cognition-social theory3. The ethics of care4. Women’s ways of knowing5. Four components of morality A. James Rest (and others)B. Mary BelenkyC. William PerryD. Lawrence KohlbergE. Carol Gilligan

Q: Young adults who are dualistic are said to have reached higher levels of intellectual and emotional development.

Q: The Gilligan and Belenky theories of moral development argue that lower levels of development involve people who are powerless.

Q: Carol Gilligans theory says morally developed people will care for and care about humanity in general.

Q: A chief goal of moral development is to expand empathy.