The media have no morals
1 October 2011, 5:30 - 7:15pm
Festival of Dangerous Ideas, Sydney Opera House
The more we find out about British tabloids and their phone hacking habits, the more outrageous their conduct appears. Is the ethical vacuum in their editorial offices the sign of old media struggling to stay alive - and relevant - in a brave new world or is this just business as usual driven by user demand? In the new media environment of gossip, opinion, attack and partisanship does the concept of public interest even exist? Do we have the right to expect ethical and moral standards of the media or have they always done whatever it takes to get the story and our attention?
Poll results
At each IQ² debate the audience is polled on the topic, both before and after the debate takes place. Here are the results for this debate:
| Pre-debate poll | Post-debate poll | |
|---|---|---|
| For: | 58.4% | 45.1% |
| Undecided: | 23.8% | 4.2% |
| Against: | 17.8% | 50.7% |
Watch the video
Speakers
Includes Senator Bob Brown, Kate Adie, Julian Burnside QC, Stephen Mayne and Hamish McDonald.
Chair:
Dr Simon Longstaff has a PhD in Philosophy from Cambridge. Prior to becoming the inaugural Executive Director of St James Ethics Centre in 1991, Dr Longstaff worked in the Northern Territory in the Safety Department of BHP subsidiary, GEMCO, lectured at Cambridge University and consulted to the Cambridge Commonwealth and Overseas Trusts. His book Hard Cases, Tough Choices was published in 1997. Dr Longstaff was inaugural President of the Australian Association for Professional & Applied Ethics and is a Fellow of the World Economic Forum. He is Chairman of Woolworths Limited Corporate Responsibility Panel and AMP Capital Socially Responsible Investment Advisory Committee and serves as Member on a number of Board Committees.
