Media Law and Ethics
Nowadays media has gained more importance than ever due to the increased interconnectivity between regions because of globalization. Sharing of information and knowledge has become a pillar in a more closely knit modern world. However, the significance of the media in its roles in social, economic, and overall development calls for ethics and discipline. Rao said that an unregulated media with no ethics would be disastrous not only to the social freedom, but also its own independence. Therefore, the need to have media laws that govern and guide the media as well as an ethical framework for the media cannot be underestimated. While the laws governing the media differ from one country to the other due to the diversities, the bottom line is the regulation of sharing information to ensure that it serves the interest of the consumers and general social wellbeing. In advanced democracies such as the US, media laws and ethical standards are higher and more developed, while emerging economies that have gained global recognition such as the UAE have also become significant. This paper will provide an overview of the media laws and ethics in the United States and United Arab Emirates and compare the situations in the two countries before making recommendations on how to improve the overall benefits that the society can reap from a responsible and ethically sound media in the United Arab Emirates.