Legal and Ethical Issues | Report

Running head: LEGAL AND ETHICAL ISSUES
LEGAL AND ETHICAL ISSUES
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Name of the University
Author Note

LEGAL AND ETHICAL ISSUES
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Introduction
Transmission of information to the common mass is essential, which media is majorly
responsible for. It not only transmits information to the mass but also transmits information
from unit or location to another along with storing data, which should always be done in
compliance with law and ethics. Media ethics involves guidelines as to how media should
make use of textual and pictorial information while transferring information. On the other
hand, media law comprises of the righteousness in the society by majorly discussing about
the fundamental rights of the citizens along with other legal rights like right to information,
confidentiality, privacy, fair trial, security, et cetera (Frost 2015). Therefore, in this paper, the
legal and ethical issues come across by the media in the given scenario shall be discussed.
Issue 1
Mary Green, News Director of Channel X come to know that the police were looking
for a missing woman and, in this context, she sent Jane Jones, one of the reporters and a
camera crew to the missing woman’s family house after digging up the address from the
public phone directory. The police authority has handed over sufficient information and a
headshot photo of the missing woman that was furnished by the woman’s husband.
Legal Issues
Till this point the media has abide by law and ethics, unless the media circulates the
confidential information that is has received from the law enforcement service pertaining to
the missing woman. It is also a matter of awareness for the media not to breach privacy laws
in the course of this investigation, thereby ensuring the privacy of the missing woman's
family (Grimmelmann 2015). The media should not force themselves upon the common
people all of a sudden in order to derive information from them. In most cases they are liable
to carry on secret or critical projects after getting the confirmation of the court, as it could

LEGAL AND ETHICAL ISSUES
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subsequently lead to lawsuits. The police as well as the media has only been authorised to
share information, therefore it would be a legal issue if they disseminate the gathered
information to the public, without the courts order and without confirming the sources of
such information, thereby often creating panic within a community (Grimmelmann 2015).
Ethical issues
As per the general rules of ethics, it is unethical to conceal an information from the
authorised entity, hack telephones, invade public privacy, et cetera. Instead of such conduct,
the media is majorly responsible for making an enquiry about a case in order to furnish
correct information along with winning the trust of the people and assuring them that their
privacy shall be secured.
The two-step flow theory could be availed by the media in order to avoid ethical as
well as legal issues (Choi 2015). In this two-step flow theory, an information does not move
from one source to another directly, but it is sent by the maker or a small group a source
where the message is reshaped and then forwarded to the maximum number of people (Pang
and Ng 2017). People receiving critical information from their trusted source would be more
credible for them to believe. This process helps the media to maintain its ethical and legal
responsibilities (Lawry 2013).
Issue 2
Channel X set up its camera for closing watching and recording the activity of the
missing woman's family, along with approaching her family members to ask about her.
Following channel X, channel Y and Z also arrives and starts filming news videos on the
streets, encroaching the privacy of the people living in the same area.
Legal issues