L01 - Ethical Issues

Ethical Issues
I think that ethical issues could be something that is negative towards someone/people. (morals) the difference in right and wrong. Making sure the media product is accessible to an audience regardless of there age, ethnicity, gender, body image, religion, sexuality. Not negatively targeting a group of people, no discrimination regardless of their backgrounds.Does not cause offence or disturb those who use it. This has to be thought about in the pre-production planning stages.

Ethical issues.
Representation of people.
Access to all - Can still access a product (language, font style/size)
Use of disturbing imagery, are all the imagery appropriate to ages.
Use of offensive materials, negative stereotypes E.G images, words, language.

Potential exam question.
Identify and explain a potential ethical issue based on the brief. (3 OR 6 MARKS)


What three ethical issues have ASOS addressed and tackled based on this image?

1) In this image ASOS have published these clothes can be worn by any body type, meaning people can feel fine with there body size and shouldn't be worried about it. This will appeal to a mass audience as these models are different size, making it accessible to all.

2) Another thing ASOS have considered with Ethical Issues are race, no matter what your background is you can access these clothes.

3) The last thing ASOS has challenged is a stereotypical dress style as a woman, they can dress however they want to dress rather than just dresses and skirts.

The common stereotype for the black people are fierce, wearing a leopard skin dress being connoted as aggressive and scary for a black background.

Educational video game aimed at 8-12 year olds about healthy eating.
1) The ethics that should be considered in this creation would be to not offend them on the body size they already have. E.G having characters of different body sizes or having different races, not all male or female.

2) Doesn't have an offensive storyline that could upset a child to make them think it is him/her being subjected. An example being a kid that stays at home and eats and play games all day and has a big body size and maybe has few friends, if this connects with someone they could feel picked on.

3) The language used being positive if they get something wrong, being positive with helping them rather than putting them down. However using simplistic words as the age rating is 8-12 so they understand what they need to do while playing the game and understand the instructions.

4) Certain ethic groups eat different diets E.G pork for the religions that don't eat pork or vegetarian options for the ones that don't eat meat.

5) Making sure the use of images with the consequences are not offensive with the young audience.

ASA banned this advert as they are the regulatory body for advertisements and took hundreds of complaints, ethically this advert was banned by the ASA because she is holding a flower between her legs, this is offensive because she looks young and is holding a phallically shaped object between her legs, being subjected as a sexual object baring in mind she is very young, she was 15 during this photoshoot, if you use Marc Jacobs you can take her flower, meaning it will help you use your virginity.

The consequence of not adhering to ethical issues.

Can be taken down causing it to be banned.

Loss or reputation.

Loss in revenue meaning loss of profit

Could potentially be sued, can face legal action.