Synopses & Reviews
Reality television is continuing to grow, both in numbers and in popularity. The scholarship on reality TV is beginning to catch up, but one of the most enduring questions about the genre—Is it ethical?—has yet to be addressed in any systematic and comprehensive way.
Through investigating issues ranging from deception and privacy breaches to community building and democratization of TV, The Ethics of Reality TV explores the ways in which reality TV may create both benefits and harms to society. The edited collection features the work of leading scholars in the field of media ethics and provides a comprehensive assessment of the ethical effects of the genre.
Review
"Wyatt and Bunton have taken an important first step in filling a sizable hole in the literature of media ethics with this first systematic, international, and philosophical inspection of a key, if not dark, continent within the television landscape." - Media Ethics Magazine
Table of Contents
Editors' Note Foreword: The Morality of Amoral TV -- James PoniewozikIntroduction: Reality TV Matters -- Wendy N. Wyatt and Kristie BuntonChapter 1: Flourishing: Reality TV and a Life of Ethical Excellence-- Christopher MeyersChapter 2: Stereotypes: Reality TV as Both Creator and Confronter-- Kristie BuntonChapter 3: Privacy: What Has Reality TV Got To Hide?-- Madeleine Shufeldt EschChapter 4: Cultural Values: Reality TV Manufactures Marriage --Mira K. DesaiChapter 5: Community: Reality TV Reaching Out --Gareth PalmerChapter 6: Inspiration and Motivation: If Reality TV Stars Can Do It, So Can I-- Janie Harden FritzChapter 7: Commercialization: The Intersection of Economics and Ethics in Reality TV-- Bastiaan VanackerChapter 8: Deception: Reality TV Playing Us False --Edward H. SpenceChapter 9: Democracy and Discourse: How Reality TV Fosters Citizenship --Deni ElliottChapter 10: Exploitation: When Reality TV Becomes Degradation TV --Wendy N. WyattConclusion: Reality TV Conveys Responsibilities-- Wendy N. Wyatt and Kristie BuntonBibliographyContributorsIndex