Upcoming and past meetings, events, lectures, resources, and seminars related to media ethics are shared here. The announcements that follow are based on information supplied by the organizations involved or other sponsors. If you wish to have announcements of future meetings published in Media Ethics, please contact the editor at sstroud(at)austin.utexas.edu.
Resources for Teaching Ethics
A growing list of case studies suitable for use in media and communication ethics courses can be found at the Media Ethics Initiative website: www.mediaethicsinitiative.org. The Media Ethics Initiative is based in the Center for Media Engagement in the Moody College of Communication at the University of Texas Austin.
PTC 2023 ETHICS REPORT
Cybersecurity! Privacy! AI Ethics! It was encouraging to see these three topics featured as part of a major plenary panel at the Pacific Telecommunication Conference in 2023. The engaging panelists and moderator were:
Elizabeth Adams, Affiliate Fellow, Stanford Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence (HAI), USA (PANELIST)
Scott Shackelford, Professor & Executive Director, Ostrom Workshop, and Indiana University-Bloomington Cybersecurity Program, USA (PANELIST)
John Gasparini, Associate, Corporate Department, Paul Hastings LLP, USA (MODERATOR)
Dr. Shackelford spoke of those AI issues in which there is convergence among many countries but noted that some Asian countries are focused almost entirely upon the security of AI whereas Canada and the US are more concerned about the potential problems with the surveillance of citizens. His own work is focusing upon “cyber-peace,” building a peaceful “no war” zone within the internet aspiring to minimize hacking, cyber-terrorism and other elements of “cyber-war.”
Elizabeth Adams’s research concluded that “trust” must be the key Area within AI practices. She emphasized that AI Ethics committees need to be developed which have full-spectrum representation within the community as well as include those with technical expertise. It is important that companies and institutions have “artefacts” (documents, policies, on-line programs) which are available, consistent, updated, and known to the larger community. Furthermore, she emphasized that AI is an ongoing “practice” (not just artefacts and discussion) which must be constantly mindful, active, growing, and responsible.
These topics and the “usual suspects” within the ethics legacy – fair regulation, sustainability, security, equity, diversity, human rights, racial and gender discrimination, freedom of information, among others -- were discussed and debated at the 45th annual Pacific Telecommunications Council Conference (PTC, ’23). The event occurred from January 15-18, 2023, at the Hilton Hawaiian Village in Honolulu.
The Pacific Telecommunications Council is a global professional organization with over 3500 member representatives from over 45 countries and 300 member companies. Given that PTC engages more than 200 international experts as speakers, and many guests as well, it is not surprising that professional communicators, lawyers, regulators, academics, vendors, and others participated to discuss topics regarding the economics, engineering, impact, policies, laws, growth, evolution, regulation, and infrastructure of the information technology industries within the Pacific region.
PTC’s new CEO, Brian Moon, felt “PTC'23 was the most successful, record-breaking conference to date. The Annual Conference was 20% better than the next year ever. Participants represented 82 countries and were engaged in senior-level business meetings, conference sessions, and networking activities.
PTC President Sean Bergin, who is also the president of AP Telecom, added “The highlight for me at this year's event has been… that the younger generation was extremely well represented at PTC. The future of the industry is definitely in safe hands.”
Many issues were discussed within the atmosphere of “multiple concurrent technological and social revolutions” epitomized by the multi-cloud environment within the context of the ongoing global pandemic.
One important ethical challenge in the Pacific region (and indeed worldwide) has been narrowing if not eliminating the digital divide, especially within developing nations and tribal economies. Such inequities point toward related problems of access, equity, racial discrimination, and limited resources beginning with impoverished and marginalized Pacific communities.
An important panel, entitled “What Makes A Difference: The Impact of ICTS on Development,” addressed related implications and issues. Panelists included:
Heather Hudson, Professor Emerita; Former Director, University of San Francisco; ISER, University of Alaska Anchorage, USA
Nir Kshetri, Professor, Bryan School of Business and Economics, University of North Carolina-Greensboro, USA
Diana Rojas-Torres, Associate Professor, Entrepreneurship & Innovation, Universidad de La Sabana, Colombia (PANELIST)
Richard Canevez, Postdoctoral Scholar, School of Communication and Information, University of Hawaii At Manoa, USA (MODERATOR)
Since Kshertri and Rojas-Torres could not attend in person, Hudson expanded upon her paper and relayed how early telemedicine, telecenters, and rural telephony were examples of humanitarian applications of development within what has been called “green light” (pro-social) ethics.
A later panel, entitled “Environmental, Social, and Governance,” also addressed the largest ethical issue of all – sustainability-- as well as issues of fairness, equity, and discrimination. The panelists and moderator were:
Elizabeth Adams, Affiliate Fellow, Stanford Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence (HAI), USA (PANELIST)
Mark Gilmour, Chief Technology Officer, ConnectiviTree (Europe) AG, United Kingdom (PANELIST)
John Giusti, Chief Regulatory Officer, GSMA, United Kingdom (PANELIST)
Joley Michaelson, CEO & Founder, The Sun Company, USA (PANELIST)
Tara Giunta, Partner; Co-Chair, ESG Risk, Strategy, and Compliance Group, Paul Hastings LLP, USA (MODERATOR)
A major issue of discussion at PTC has always been the tension between security and privacy. Panelists and moderator within the 2023 “Security” discussion were:
Richard Canevez, Postdoctoral Scholar, School of Communication and Information, University of Hawaii At Manoa, USA (PANELIST)
Trisha T. C. Lin, Professor, National Chengchi University, Chinese Taipei (PANELIST)
Monica Nila Sari, Phd Candidate, Keio University, Japan (PANELIST)
Jenifer Winter, Professor, School of Communication and Information, University of Hawaii, USA (PANELIST)
Richard Taylor, Palmer Chair & Professor, Telecommunications Studies Emeritus, The Pennsylvania State University, USA (MODERATOR)
One of the most important ethical issues throughout telecommunication history has pertained to fair recruitment, promotion, and hiring. A key panel addressing the need for greater diversity in the talent pipeline included:
Shirley Brown, Senior Infrastructure Technical Business Developer, Amazon Web Services, USA (PANELIST)
Lauren Deloatch, Project Manager, Sumitomo Electric U.S.A., USA (PANELIST)
Keila Louzada, Director of Student and Program Support, Northern Virginia Community College, USA (PANELIST)
Craig Mathes, VP Safety and Human Resources, Team Fishel, USA (PANELIST)
Quin Jernigan, Manager, Workforce Development, Amazon Web Services, USA (MODERATOR)
Discussions about democracy seem at first to be political but quickly reveal ethical issues as well. “Democratizing” access to wireless was a key panel at PTC ’23. Participants included:
Justen Burdette, Chief Executive Officer, Mobi, Inc., USA (PRESENTER)
Brad Coates, VP, Product + Egineering, Mobi, Inc., USA (PRESENTER)
Meredith Mawhar, VP, Finance + Administration, Mobi, Inc., USA (PRESENTER)
Chi Nguyen, Chief Operating Officer, Mobi, Inc., USA (PRESENTER)
Toni Paracuelles, Chief Strategy Officer, Mobi, Inc., USA (PRESENTER)
Erlend Prestgard, Chief Executive Officer, WG2, Norway (PRESENTER)
Cassandra Sabado-Evans, VP, Stores, Mobi, Inc., USA (PRESENTER)
All of the issues discussed at PTC ‘23 have become quite complicated given their international, intercultural, and pandemic contexts. One must consider the multitude of differing cultural traditions, governments, policies, COVID protocols, legal systems, innovation, adoption rates, and “consumer rights” within each country. Security and privacy have become super-sized international concerns as witnessed by the scandals surrounding Facebook, Google, Equifax, and the hacking of the 2016 U.S. presidential elections.
PTC has taken a strong stand on ethics and has so indicated in the mission statement. Within its own governance, PTC has also created an Appeals Committee for members who feel there may have been process or ethics violations.
PTC ’24 will also be anchored in Honolulu from January 21-24 and will continue to include dialogue about many of these topics as they are expanded by new corporate and institutional players and by evolving technologies.
Further information about PTC ’23 and other PTC events and materials may be obtained at www.ptc.org, via e-mail at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., and by writing the Pacific Telecommunications Council, 914 Coolidge Street, Honolulu, HI 96826-3085.
Tom Cooper, Professor Emeritus,
Emerson College and Advisory
Council within PTC,
January 19, 2023
