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Media Ethics

Chad Painter has taught Media Ethics: Issues and Cases in his communication courses; now he is a co-author of the textbook’s new edition.

Painter, a University of Dayton assistant professor of communication, was approached by his college mentor, Lee Wilkins, to join her and fellow co-author Philip Patterson for the book’s ninth edition. He was honored to contribute to the book, which combines constructs of media ethics with modern-day case studies to help students prepare for the ethical situations they will confront in their media careers.

“Having Wilkins and Patterson trust me to take over this book has some intrinsic reward to it,” Painter said.

Passionate about media ethics with experience in journalism and public relations, Painter first encountered Wilkins at the University of Missouri, where he received both his master’s in 2009 and doctorate in 2012 in journalism.

A new edition of Media Ethics: Issues and Cases is published every two to three years. The ninth edition came out in August and is being adopted into university classrooms globally. The book contains 11 chapters highlighting ethical constructs such as privacy, truth-telling, social justice and photojournalism. Incorporating around 60 current case studies, Painter believes the book is unique in the market.

“The most rewarding part is that this is going to be the most well-read thing I’ve ever written,” he said. “I’ve used this book in my classes before and getting to be a part of that is rewarding. I really believe that this book is a real contribution to media ethics scholarship.”

Joseph Valenzano, associate professor and chair of the Department of Communication, applauds Painter’s demonstration of scholarship.

"Chad's inclusion as an author on the leading textbook in the area of media ethics represents a significant contribution to the field of communication,” Valenzano said. “It will be read by hundreds of students each semester at universities across the country, testifying to its outstanding quality in terms of scholarship. Chad's scholarship stands as an example that hard work and perseverance can pay off.”

For students who are interested in getting published someday, “write and write and write,” Painter said. “The easiest publication routes right now are campus publications. You should be writing for those. Write for Flyer News. Write for the magazine ... don’t shoot for The New York Times for your first job, shoot for some place that is going to let you write and hone your craft.”

Painter’s passion for writing first developed while studying undergraduate English at Capital University. There, a professor suggested a career in journalism to him.

“I have been blessed by finding the right mentor at every stage of my life. If there’s anything that I’ve done correctly, it’s that I found the right mentors,” Painter said.

Painter joined the University faculty in 2016. He teaches courses on media ethics, media law, and news writing and reporting. His research focuses on the portrayal of journalists in popular culture, the role of the alternative press in U.S. media ecology, and media depictions on topics related to gender, race, disability and sexual orientation. Currently he is a member of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communications Media Ethics Division.

Media Ethics: Issues and Cases, ninth edition, is available through Rowman and Littlefield Publishers in e-book or paperback format. For more information, visit the publisher’s website.

- Ashley Junkunc ’21

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