Tag Archives: ethics

Bad Language in the News: “But what does “d—ing” mean?”

Posted on September 19, 2016 by Ralph Hanson

Last week hackers released a group of e-mails they had stolen from former Secretary of State Colin Powell.  The e-mails gave Powell’s opinions about a wide range of political figures, including Hillary Clinton and her husband Bill. A lot of … Continue reading →

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Questions Worth Asking (Maybe)

Posted on November 17, 2015 by Ralph Hanson

What’s wrong with a Bloomingdale’s ad that suggests you secretly spike your date’s drink? ‘Cause date rape is always in style, Bloomies… (To be fair, after they got ripped on social media, the store apologized. How do you make money … Continue reading →

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Looking back at the Unabomber and the Washington Post

Posted on September 29, 2015 by Ralph Hanson

What has been the lasting lesson of the Washington Post publishing the Unabomber’s manifesto? Twenty years ago the Washington Post published a long and rambling manifesto written by a terrorist known as the Unabomber.  The Unabomber said he would send another package … Continue reading →

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The World Trade Center in the Movies

Posted on September 11, 2015 by Ralph Hanson

Reposted from Sept. 11, 2011. Before 9/11, the silhouette of the twin towers of the World Trade Center were one of the quickest ways movie makers had of establishing that we were looking at the NYC skyline.  Here’s a beautiful … Continue reading →

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Star Trek and Ethics

Posted on December 3, 2014 by Ralph Hanson

I gave my introduction to media ethics lecture in JMC 100 this morning and made mention of the movie Star Trek 2 – The Wrath of Kahn. Here’s a link to my blog post about how ethics are portrayed in … Continue reading →

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Link Ch. 11 – Native Ads

Posted on October 18, 2014 by Ralph Hanson

Here are some of the native ads we’ve discussed in Mass Communication: Living in a  Media World. Southwest Airlines Rolls Out New ‘Loyalty Goes Both Ways’ Campaign The Atlantic’s Scientology Native Ad

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NFL & Sponsor Trouble – Part 2

Posted on September 17, 2014 by Ralph Hanson

Another day, another look at the National Football League’s violence against women and children crisis: Minnesota Vikings initially reinstate Peterson, then ban him from all team activities According to the Washington Post, the Vikings have banned Adrian Peterson from participating … Continue reading →

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When the sponsors get involved, you know the NFL is in trouble

Posted on September 17, 2014 by Ralph Hanson

If you’ve been paying any attention to sports news for the last couple of weeks, you know that the NFL has a crisis on its hands.  A crisis of star players who have been caught committing a range of violent … Continue reading →

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Link Ch. 11 – Creativity, Tastelessness, and Grabbing the Advertising Audience

Posted on May 29, 2014 by Ralph Hanson

In advertising, a tension often exists between creativity and salesmanship.  An ad may do a great job of grabbing people’s attention and generating talk, but if the ad doesn’t have a solid sales message, consumers will not remember the product or … Continue reading →

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What happens when people get offended by pop culture stars?

Posted on December 19, 2013 by Ralph Hanson

In March of 2003, Natalie Maines of the popular country band The Dixie Chicks told a British concert audience: ““Just so you know, we’re on the good side with y’all. We do not want this war, this violence, and we’re … Continue reading →

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