MCOM 301 Media Law Ethics LAW ETHICS What

MCOM 301: Media Law & Ethics LAW & ETHICS

What is Law? � Laws are the set of rules established by nature or by human authorities, to regulate natural phenomena or human behaviour within a given community or country. � From this general definition, it can be seen that laws fall under two broad categories, that is, those which govern natural phenomena and those which govern human activities.

Categories of Law � Natural Laws are the laws of nature, such as the laws of the natural sciences. � An example of natural law is that which governs the floatation of objects. � Laws of Relativity discovered by Albert Einstein, � Law of Gravitation, discovered by Isaac Newton.

Categories of Law � Laws of Supply and Demand Diminishing Returns are natural laws. � The earth revolves and at the same time rotates on its axis is a law which was imposed by nature itself.

Categories of Law � Man-made laws are those imposed by human authorities for the regulation of human activities. � Such laws include the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights (UNDHR), various International Conventions, National Constitutions, Statutes, Codes, Decrees and Edicts imposed by governments at different levels and for specific purposes.

Man Made Law � They are imposed by the ruling class of every time and space to regulate the behaviour of people under them. � Man-made laws are enforced by the rulers as vigorously as they have the political will to enforce them. Hence some laws may exist in the Statute but are hardly ever enforced. � Every law has an effective date

Man Made Law � Laws can be repealed or amended to suit the desires (policies and objectives) of the ruling class. � Man-made laws derive from the values and practices of a given society. � Man-made laws respect natural laws and justice.

What are ethics? � Ethics is the branch of philosophy which deals with judgment as to the rightness or wrongness, desirability or undesirability, approval or disapproval of our actions. � At its simplest, ethics is a system of moral principles. � They affect how people make decisions and lead their lives. � Our concepts of ethics have been derived from religions, philosophies and cultures.

What are ethics? � The term is derived from the Greek word ethos which can mean custom, habit, character or disposition. � Ethics covers the following dilemmas: � how to live a good life � our rights and responsibilities � the language of right and wrong � moral decisions - what is good and bad?

Law and Ethics Compared and Contrasted � Law and ethics may have the same basic objective, namely, to ensure order, protect the rights of the individual and preserve the state. � Yet, following are the basic differences between law and ethics. � Law is imposed by the outer society, while ethics is self-imposed, self-enforced

Law and Ethics Compared and Contrasted � Law has a definite effective date while ethics has no effective date. � Law can expire, or be repealed, but ethics is continuous. � Law has more formal institutions, such as the legislature, police, judiciary (the courts, tribunals, court-martials, etc. ) penitentiary (prison, reformatory, etc), but ethics has less formal institutions for its formulation and enforcement.

Law and Ethics Compared and Contrasted � Chief enforcer of ethics is the conscience. � While morality protects a way of life by tabooing immoral action even before it takes place, laws only provide a resource after the deed has been done.