Milton argued for a free and open exchange of information and ideas - a marketplace of ideas. Just as people at a farmers' market can pinch and insect a lot of vegetables until the find the best, so can people find the best ideas if they have a vast array from which to choose. Milton's marketplace is not a place but a concept. It exists whenever people exchange ideas, whether in conversation of letters or the printed word. (399-401. Bold type in the original)And Vivian adds:
Milton reasoned that people would gain confidence in their ideas and values if they tested them continually against alternative views. It was an argument against censorship. People need to have the fullest possible choices in the marketplace if they are going to go home with the best product, whether vegetables or ideas. ALso, bad ideas should be present in the marketplace because, no matter how objectionable, they might contain a grain of truth.Please post your answers to the following question as a comment below:
Milton and his libertarian successors acknowledged that people sometimes err in sorting out alternatives, but these mistakes are corrected as people continually reassess their values against competing values in the marketplace. Libertarians see this truth-seeking as a never-ending, life-long human pursuit. (401)
How does the marketplace of ideas concept play out in the interpretation of the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution and the codes of ethics and day-to-day practice of professionals in journalism and public relations that we studied earlier this week? How does it compare to the philosophy behind an "multilingual, web-based, free-content encyclopedia project based on an openly editable model" like Wikipedia?
UPDATE FOR WEDNESDAY: Let's everybody comment on this. What specific parts of the SPJ code for news writers and the PRSA code for PR professionals are involved with the marketplace of ideas?
ASSIGNMENT FOR FRIDAY: Read the post that I have modestly titled "Copyright: Here's What You Need to Know." I'll update it and post it to the blog, but there's an old version at http://mackerelwrapper.blogspot.com/2010/04/comm-209-copyright-heres-what-you-need.html"target="_blank" ... think of it as my little Christmas present on the last day of class, because it'll explain a way of getting art - visuals, in other words - for school papers without violating copyright.
15 comments:
there are three types of ethics in media: deontological(duty based theroy), teleological (the end justifies the means) and situational (each situation requires a different thought process to determine response...leaning towards act utilitarianism). The first ammendment gives repoters the right to say what they want.However, a sense of ethics should be be applied. I personally believe that telelogical ethics should be applied because in some deontelogical situations, articals could be published weather it harms a person or not. In addition, sites like wikipedia are somewhat like informational blogs, anyone can post on them. They are merely practicing their 1st ammendment.
The "Marketplace of Ideas" concept can basically be defined as the idea of freedom of expression similar to the comcept of a free market from an economic standpoint. This concept rides on the belief that the best and/or most truthful ideas will rise out of the competition of a broad spectrum of other ideas. This concept is most often applied with the freedom of the press and responsibilities of the media. This somewhat applies to the first amendment in that the first amendment grants freedom of speech, giving reporters and citizens the right to say and report on whatever they wish. This concept, however, does not give anyone with a pen and notepad to say and publish whatever they choose. The idea is that there is a sense of truth behind each story, and that each writer is applying their ethical beliefs whenever they are reporting. Wikipedia is a good example of a Marketplace of Ideas. People collaborate to post information about various subjects, and the most truthful and accurate writings are the ones that are posted. Anyone can post on any of the subjects, which is the aspect of a marketplace of ideas...people coming together and putting their knowledge together to create a helpful and truthful end result.
Thanks for posting, guys. We'll do some more in class tomorrow (Wednesday), but this is a good start.
@Haley - I agree, reporters ought to be ethically grounded. But, how, specifically, do the concepts you're learning in COMM 209 apply to the marketplace of ideas concept?
@Rachel - glad to see you making up the class, and I especially like what you say about Wikipedia and the marketplace of ideas.
Q)How does the marketplace of ideas concept play out in the interpretation of the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution and the codes of ethics and day-to-day practice of professionals in journalism and public relations that we studied earlier this week?
A) a. The marketplace of ideas plays out in the First Amendment because it allows freedom of speech/press/assembly/religion/petition. All of these things contribute to the marketplace of ideas. Freedom of speech allows individuals to voice their different opinions, allowing other people to choose which opinions to believe. Freedom of press allows the press to report on different ideas and issues for people to form these opinions. Freedom of assembly and petition allows people to act on their ideas. Freedom of religion allows for a marketplace of religious beliefs for people to choose from.
b) The marketplace of ideas plays out in the ethics codes and day-to-day practices of journalists/PR people because these people are sharing either the ideas of the people their reporting on, or the ideas of the people they represent. By being open, honest, and truthful, they allow people to make educated decisions when "shopping" in the marketplace of ideas.
Q)How does it compare to the philosophy behind an "multilingual, web-based, free-content encyclopedia project based on an openly editable model" like Wikipedia?
A) Wikipedia also facilitates this marketplace of ideas because it requires neutrality in its entries. People can read these and decide their own opinions of them. Other people can add in the opinions of others in order to keep it balanced and covering all sides of issues.
Q)What specific parts of the SPJ code for news writers and the PRSA code for PR professionals are involved with the marketplace of ideas?
A) For the SPJ: Seek the Truth and Report It and Act Independently are the two parts of the code that are involved with the marketplace. By seeking the truth and reporting it, they are giving the public access to ideas. Acting independently means they won't be biased, therefore giving their readers a bias.
For the PRSA: Protect and advance the free flow of accurate and truthful information.
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Foster informed decision making through open communication.
The first ensures that the public has access to the truth to make informed decisions in the marketplace, and of course, the second specifically says to "foster informed decision making."
I would believe that all the parts of both codes are part of the marketplace of ideas. They are both different ideas, and they are read and viewed by several people. These codes of ethics are a marketplace of ideas.
I got my yahoo account working again!
John Milton's marketplace of ideas is the idea of having some sort of medium where people can express their opinions and ideas. Whether you buy it or not is up to you. Wikipedia and the Mackerel Wrapper are great examples of this. However, the people who post on the internet should consider some sense of ethics before doing so.
The idea of a market place of ideas and the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution go hand in hand because the first amendment allows it's citizens freedom of speech and the concept of the market place of ideas is to speak on a subject whether one agrees or disagrees with the widely accepted public opinion. The method of marketplace of ideas gives voice to all sides of issues. With this said, those that are participating in the marketplace of ideas (cough: journalists) need to be aware of the code of ethics on which thier job and reputation depend.
the 1st ammendment allows us to have this "marketplace of ideas" because it allows americans to freely express their opinions in any venue. i think online blogs have made our marketplace for ideas much larger because anybody can post. with all the user generated content, you can read anybodys opinion on anything on the internet and you can leave a comment where you leave your opinion of the subject at hand.
SPJ CODE OF ETHICS and how it relates to the marketplace of ideas: The association believes that public enlightenment is the forerunner of justice and the foundation of democracy. The duty of the journalist is to further those ends by seeking truth and providing a fair and comprehensive account of events and issues. All journalists contribute to the Marketplace of Ideas by publishing stories in the most accurate and truthful ways possible, so that the public may learn and understand our society better.
PRSA CODE OF ETHICS and how it relates to the marketplace of ideas: PRSA trains and provides education to those pursuing a PR career, therefore making the marketplace of ideas better by contributing intelligent, well-rounded, and educated people to publish and broadcast ideas to society.
SPJ’s Code of Ethics is an important reference for professionals and students. It is widely consulted and applied in newsrooms and classrooms as the definitive statement of our profession’s highest values and a helpful way to think about the specific and unique journalism dilema we confront daily. The code specifically calls on journalists to "clarify and explain news coverage" to "encourage the public to voice grievances against the news media" and to expose unethical practices of journalists and the news media."
Without freedom of speech (the first ammendment) journalists would have a hard time legally printing anything worth reporting. The code of ethics simply sets guidelines for writers to follow in order to stay ethical without creating a set of "rules" they directly have to follow. It assists with ethical decision-making for writers.
Without the code of ethics I feel that the writers would have a hard time writing their journals and such without running into legal trouble. It is hard for someone to realize if they are not following the correct code of ethics because it is such a wide range of things they can or can’t talk about while writing. Similar conflict exists between our other two basic principles, "Act independently" and "Be accountable." all the journalist are responsible for their actions when writing, it is their responsibility to follow the code of ethics they are given. The close of ethic is used all over when writing something.
Some specific things that interested me when looking at the SPJ website was; Give voice to the voiceless; official and unofficial sources of information can be equally valid. This I believe can relate fairly well to, "marketplace of ideas." It gives a sense of speaking freely and to let everyone hear what needs to be expressed.
The PRSA code of ethics is similar to, "marketplace of ideas" in a sense to protect and advance the free flow of accurate and truthful information. The PRSA code talks about always being accurate and truthful which is similar to the marketplace of ideas.
When looking at, marketplaceofideas.org, I came across some of their values. One that struck me the most was the one talking about community; "Coming together of people committed to work for their common betterment through the development of their highest skills and fullest potential.” This really can relate to the SPJ and the PRSA for all of them want to act in the best way possible for everyone to get along in the work environment.
All of them would be involved with the marketplace of ideas. For instance, inorder to have a market place of ideas such as Wikipedia people must be able to protect and advance the free flow of accurate and truthful information. As viewers read information and add to it they should make sure they are being accurate. Many rely on this information. Open communication helps foster more information. All information should be free of bias inorder to allow the reader to make their own decisions. Basically, inorder for a marketplace of ideas to work, everyone must feel free to state what they know, without the fear of retaliation or judgement. They must also feel safe in questioning others opinions. This allows everyone to broaden their scope of knowledge.Everyone has something to contribute.
All of them would be involved with the marketplace of ideas. For instance, inorder to have a market place of ideas such as Wikipedia people must be able to protect and advance the free flow of accurate and truthful information. As viewers read information and add to it they should make sure they are being accurate. Many rely on this information. Open communication helps foster more information. All information should be free of bias inorder to allow the reader to make their own decisions. Basically, inorder for a marketplace of ideas to work, everyone must feel free to state what they know, without the fear of retaliation or judgement. They must also feel safe in questioning others opinions. This allows everyone to broaden their scope of knowledge.Everyone has something to contribute.
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