Online Radio Ethical Dilemmas

Online Radio Ethical Dilemmas

Individual and social principles are largely applicable in dealing with ethical problems in e-commercial. Online radio is a major venture that can capture a wider market with a huge global following if the programs resonate with the target population. In the modern internet era, the target population for an online radio can be wide, depending on the popularity of the social media platforms that are used to broadcast the content. Regardless of the target population, online radio presents ethical business dilemmas that the business organization, as well as the individuals working in the media, must meet and solve (Deuze & Yeshua, 2001). Among the common ethical dilemmas that online content generators such as online radio station can experience is the include the use of unauthorized audio and video files,

An online radio largely depends on the contents that are sourced online or from the actual scenes, using an audio recording. The more a company collects the relevant and most accurate information from the field, the more they earn the trust of the listeners, which is likely to generate more income. However, at times, it becomes almost impossible to obtain the audio files from the primary source, forcing the radio to use contents from other sources that can be distorted to make the news headline catchy (Deuze & Yeshua, 2001). The dilemma comes when the content used for the headline contains exaggerated content or slightly wrong information, yet the information itself excites the listeners. The major goal of the online radio is to attract as many listeners and interaction with the listeners as possible. In the event that the news content is incorrect and at the same time it excites the public, it becomes relatively hard to call back a news content that is already in the public domain and still remain relevant to the listeners. In most cases, the online radio is torn between facing the reality that the news content was wrong and remaining silent amount the wrong content to remain relevant to the listeners.

Another possible ethical dilemma that online production has is in line with their income generation avenues. One of the major sources of income for online companies is through online advertisements. The online advertisements also depend on the number of people that visit the site and interact with the company. However, the online platform can generate false information about people that visit the website and actually view the messages of advertisement. The online traffic into the system can be generated from companies such as Google, which can monitor the number of people that visit the site. However, it is relatively hard to evaluate the number of people that viewed the contents and are intending to make purchases based on the contents they received from the online platform (Capurro & Pingel, 2002). This leads to a false impression that so many people view the products and likely to purchase them. On the contrary, online radio can be aware of reality, yet they cannot tell their clients because they need to generate income. This is also an ethical issue as companies ought to operate with honesty and a high level of integrity.

Unlimited freedom of expression can potentially put online radio at risk of being closed down. Information dissemination is restricted based on several reasons, including age, security, and ethics. However, the interaction between the listeners and the radio presenters can create a situation where the presenter is faced with a dilemma as to whether to allow the listeners to express themselves fully or regulate the content they say online (Capurro  & Pingel, 2002). For instance, age is an important factor that determines the contents that the listeners can say online. When discussing sensitive issues such as sexuality and family life, it is important to warn the listeners that the content is meant for people of a specific age group. However, the problem comes when the presenters are unable to verify the age of the listeners and also to regulate the content that other active listeners say while they are online. On the same note, discriminating against the minors with specific information can also be considered a violation of their right of access to information. The right to access information has not defined what type of information and the age at which one is expected to get the information. However, the media regulations require that the content aired to the listeners is appropriate for their age. Here, the media creates an ethical dilemma as to whether to obey the constitution of media regulation (Ho, Lui, & Ma, 2003). It becomes hard to choose either of the regulations because they all lead to a conflict with the law or the media regulations. The balance between moral values and the constitutional provisions that guarantee people access to information should be the driving force behind any decisions that emanate from such an ethical dilemma.

Every online radio is founded on specific values that guide the contents they produce to the listeners. With regards to the online radio that targets students, it is most likely to be a station that focuses on academic contents as well as entertainment that resonates with the age and generation of the target population. In this regard, there is a possibility of the radio station attracting another cohort of listeners with a different preference than the initial vision of the station (Capurro & Pingel, 2002). In the event that they ask to be incorporated into the online content, either through integrating their contents or allowing them to participate in the programs actively, they may cause an ethical dilemma as to whether the radio station should remain committed to the initial goals or change to embrace the new cohort of listeners (Ho, Lui, & Ma, 2003). Accepting the new preferences in the radio program is likely to lead to the loss of the previous listeners who were the initial and target listeners. Moreover, it will be relatively hard to verify the genuineness of the new group of listeners with different preferences. Subsequently, the station can face a serious dilemma of choosing the right target population from the existing and the new group.

It is important that organizations stick to the original visions and missions of their firms to demonstrate honesty, dignity, and focus on the success of the firm. Firms that easily change their visions based on the prevailing market can plunge into economic uncertainty because they will have to reevaluate their operations and requirements to meet the needs of the new visions.

Solutions to the ethical dilemma.

Understanding the dilemma that online radio station can experience requires the understanding of principles that guide the online interaction online. The first and most important principle is the principle of ethical values. Ethical values are significantly important in making any decisions that would affect a large population. Most importantly, an organization should acknowledge that it serves a diverse society with a varied understanding of the operations of the organization. Business ethics should be the guiding principles that regulate how the online radio station interacts with the people, which are considered the most important stakeholders in the business. For instance, the utilitarianism theory of ethics posits that one should act for the best interest of the majority. Any action that positively affects the greatest population is considered ethically correct, regardless of the intention of doing it (Ho, Lui, & Ma, 2003). For instance, when the content has a positive impact on the majority of the population, the company should consider the program as being ethical based on the number of people that have been positively influenced by the program on the radio station. In this sense, the radio station ought to base its decisions on the best interest of the majority.

Solutions to the dilemma mentioned above can be varied, depending on the suitability and the effectiveness of the solution to the dilemma. To begin with, the issue of accuracy of the information that is given to the target population can be solved through an extensive data management system where the information gathered from the field is objectively analyzed and verified before production. This is to say the editors must do extra work to ensure that the information they release to the public is objectively verified, and the content is certified to be true. This way, any information released to the public will be true; therefore, no need to struggle to correct it.

In terms of the content and the sensitivity of the information being passed to the listeners, online radio stations can plan for programs according to the time of the day. More sensitive contents that can be considered classified and age restrictive can be presented late in the late, and the listeners clearly warned against allowing minors to take part. Similarly, during interactive sessions with the listeners, it is important to maintain as much professionalism as possible to avoid situations of minors participating in programs (Ho, Lui, & Ma, 2003). Although it is hard to verify the age of the listeners, the station can regulate it by timing the programs that are age-sensitive to odd hours when children have slept. This may include midnight programs, early programs, and during the day when the majority of the children have gone to school.

In terms of the business operations and traffic generated from the online visitors, it is the responsibility of the business organization to generate the relevant and accurate data the represents the number of visitors and views to enable them to calculate the revenues without anyone overcharged or undercharged. The true reflection of the views should translate into decisions to buy the products (Capurro & Pingel, 2002). For the radio station to confirm that their traffic leads to more sales for the clients’ products, analysis of the sales, and the source of information from the buyers should be conducted. For instance, when a buyer purchases products, they ought to be asked where they got the information about the products, and the data can be used to prove that the advertisement through the online radio platform is effective. It is unethical to receive funds from clients when the company knows well that they have not impacted positively in achieving the client’s goals.

References

Capurro, R., & Pingel, C. (2002). Ethical issues of online communication research. Ethics and information technology, 4(3), 189-194.

Deuze, M., & Yeshua, D. (2001). Online journalists face new ethical dilemmas: Lessons from the Netherlands. Journal of Mass Media Ethics, 16(4), 273-292.

Ho, S. S., Lui, S. M., & Ma, W. W. (2003). Acceptance of Internet content filters: An empirical study. International Journal of Information Technology & Decision Making, 2(03), 477-496.