Abstract

This chapter argues that the local-global apparent tension is best examined and understood on ethical grounds. Two local experiences with universal appeal are presented: an attempt to “theorize communication” outside prevalent classical theories of communication and ethics as exemplified by what is called Value Determinism Theory, a relatively recent academic tradition that reconceptualizes the concept of culture, examines the dynamic relation between the real and the imagined, and delineates the good and the evil in media vis-à-vis the value system in a given sociohistorical context; a practical exercise to shift from parochial to universal higher education in the field of communication and ethics. With media ethics becoming a primordial criterion for the profession of journalism and communication in the face of the existing challenges to media’s truthfulness, the place of ethics in journalism education is being seriously reviewed and re-examined. This chapter maintains that the more inclusive the global communication and ethical discourse become, the more the impact of forces of power and domination is critically examined and deconstructed.