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Virtue in Media

The Moral Psychology of Excellence in News and Public Relations

Patrick Lee Plaisance author

Format:Hardback

Publisher:Taylor & Francis Ltd

Published:21st Jul '14

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Virtue in Media cover

This work establishes a contemporary profile of virtue in professional media practice. Author Patrick Lee Plaisance examines the experiences, perspectives, moral stances, and demographic data of two dozen professional exemplars in journalism and public relations. Plaisance conducted extensive personal "life story" interviews and collected survey data to assess the exemplars’ personality traits, ethical ideologies, moral reasoning skills and perceived workplace climate.

The chosen professionals span the geographic United States, and include Pulitzer Prize winners and trendsetting PR corporate executives, ranging from rising stars to established veterans. Their thoughts, opinions, and experiences provide readers with an insider’s perspective on the thought process of decision makers in media.

The unique observations in this volume will be stimulating reading for practitioners, researchers, and students in journalism and public relations. Virtue in Media establishes a key benchmark, and sets an agenda for future research into the moral psychology of media professionals.

"Virtue ethics is of historic importance, but only episodic in media studies. A new era has begun; this erudite book gives virtue ethics gravitas. Supremely well-informed in the history of ideas, rigorous in research design, brilliant in interpretation, Virtue in Media is a difference maker. Plaisance proves that philosophy and social science are not a zero-sum game. He is a master thinker and exceptional writer—precise vocabulary, phosphorescent narrative, and clear as a bell in theory. Destined to be a classic in media ethics, Virtue in Media has the enduring qualities of Hutchins’ Free and Responsible Press, Nagel’s View from Nowhere, andDewey’s Public and Its Problems." Clifford G. Christians, University of Illinois.


"Plaisance...does an admirable job of expanding understanding of journalism and public relations ethics. Reinforcing the Aristotelian approach to media ethics, this study of moral exemplars in the two professions challenges traditional approaches...Plaisance's approach has pedagogical implications: it suggests that at least part of a media ethics curriculum should involve reading about worthy practitioners. This superb book opens interesting avenues to the examination of how practitioners, having good motives, can make nuanced and well-grounded ethical decisions...Summing Up: Highly recommended."
- J. L. Aucoin, University of South Alabama, in CHOICE.

"Virtue ethics is of historic importance, but only episodic in media studies. A new era has begun; this erudite book gives virtue ethics gravitas. Supremely well-informed in the history of ideas, rigorous in research design, brilliant in interpretation, Virtue in Media is a difference maker. Plaisance proves that philosophy and social science are not a zero-sum game. He is a master thinker and exceptional writer—precise vocabulary, phosphorescent narrative, and clear as a bell in theory. Destined to be a classic in media ethics, Virtue in Media has the enduring qualities of Hutchins’ Free and Responsible Press, Nagel’s View from Nowhere, andDewey’s Public and Its Problems."
- Clifford G. Christians, University of Illinois.

ISBN: 9780415707435

Dimensions: unknown

Weight: 476g

250 pages