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BY SCOTT R. STROUD
This issue of Media Ethics represents the first full issue of my new editorship and it serves as a preview of the exciting new paths that Media Ethics may travel in its future evolution. In its “pages,” readers will find what Media Ethics is best at—delivering scholarly insight on the pressing issues of media in a timely and readable fashion.
The present issue highlights the ways that we can leverage the strengths of Media Ethics as an online source of scholarly and research-based commentary on media and communication ethics. A significant portion of this issue is dedicated to a forum on the #MeToo anti-sexual abuse and harassment movement and media ethics. David Beard approached me with the idea for this forum this summer, and we enlisted a group of scholars interested in enabling further reflection on the achievements and future prospects of this important contemporary movement. David and I joined forces with Trish Roberts-Miller, Gina Chen, and Elizabethada Wright, and started discussing the many interesting submissions that came in for this forum. A coherent subset emerged, and this selection is what you see in the contents in this issue. David Beard authored a foreword to the contributions in this forum, and Elizabethada Wright and Christina R. Pinkston penned a powerful afterword that captures the challenges we are left with now. Justin Pehoski, the new editorial assistant for Media Ethics, has also done a superb job on a challenging first issue. Part of the value of Media Ethics is its ability to quickly and usefully discuss the issues of today, and the editorial team assembled for this forum did an admirable job in keeping this endeavor on schedule for a fall release.
Beyond special timely forums such as the #MeToo one that you will see in the present issue, Media Ethics will also feature commentary and articles on important topics in media ethics. This issue features two such articles, a shorter synopsis by Stephen J. A. Ward on his provocative stand on “disrupting journalism ethics” and a longer exploration by Skye Grayson on the challenges of moderation and free speech in online media. Also continued is the emphasis on pedagogical tools present in the previous issue—two interesting and useful case studies are included that deal with controversial topics in journalism (the use of powerful photographs in immigration coverage) and advertising ethics (Nike's use of Kaepernick and protest activism in its "Just Do It" reboot). Instructors are encouraged to use these for educational purposes, and they can be found in easy-to-disseminate PDF form as well.
Readers are encouraged to enjoy and use this issue of Media Ethics, as well as to submit their own content. We are always looking for articles, commentary, forum ideas, case studies, and book reviews to consider for our future issues. Please contact me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. should you wish to submit materials, or if you have any other ideas for future issues for Media Ethics.
- Scott R. Stroud is the editor of Media Ethics and Associate Professor of Communication Studies at the University of Texas at Austin. He is also the director of the Media Ethics Initiative, part of the Center for Media Engagement at the Univeristy of Texas at Austin.
