ETHICAL IMPLICATIONS OF GLOBALISATION FOR THE NEWS MEDIA EXECUTIVE

Abstract

News media executives are facing many challenges and their future success depends on their ability to understand the ideological consequences of these challenges. The changing pattern (through technology, capital, ownership, etc) of contemporary news media is one of the most striking and important transformations of our time. The purpose of this research has been to analyse and understand the media imperialism thesis within a modern context, as it applies to the news media industry. The research attempts to situate the news media and the theoretical concerns arising out of the media imperialism thesis within a business-related framework. The research suggests that news media executives need to associate media theory with questions of a moral and ethical nature. In order to do so, the research points to the need to incorporate a dual strategy, whereby the news media, on the one hand, aligns its approach with a worldwide communicative democracy based on cross-cultural communications and a deeper understanding of the issues facing humanity, and, on the other hand, with the strategies that empower people (Western and non-Western/core and non-core) and present the opportunities for these people to participate.