Welcome to Communication Studies 455: Media Ethics, a three-credit university course that focuses on the ethics of journalism. This course provides you with an introduction to the different philosophical views of ethics (since there is no single view in society of acceptable or desirable ethical standards); a critical examination of the rights, responsibilities, limitations, and abuses of media in democracies such as Canada and the United States; and an analysis of emerging pressures to redefine journalism as a reliable, responsible process of accurate reportage and critical commentary on our society.