Responsibility and Ethics in the Canadian Media: Some Basic Concerns

Abstract

In many democracies, freedom of expression and freedom of the media are guaranteed by the same constitutional provision. This essay analyzes some of the troubling issues in Canadian media ethics. I commence discussion by reflecting on the cultural considerations involved in the Canadian media's proximity to the United States. Subsequently the essay discusses the problems of excessive ownership of the media by a few organizations, arguing that the right to exercise free expression does not include the right to own as many media organizations as money can buy. In this context I consider the work of two Royal Commissions - the 1970 Davey Commission and the 1980 Kent Commission. Next the essay is concerned with excessive intrusion of individual privacy. When news becomes entertainment (infotainment) and private stories become public spectacle, individual lives can be mercilessly exposed to the glaring spotlight of unwanted publicity. In delineating the boundaries of intrusion, we need to distinguish between public figures and ordinary citizens, and between those who choose to live in the spotlights and ordinary citizens who stumble into the public eye.

Keywords: freedom of expression, freedom of the media, Canadian culture, excessive ownership of the media, Davey Commission, Kent Commission, privacy