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Ethics film and lecture upcomingMarch 18, 2009 KALAMAZOO--The showing of a Roman Polanski film dealing with torture and a talk on whether those in the entertainment field should observe basic journalistic practices are on tap in separate events sponsored by the Western Michigan University Center for the Study of Ethics in Society. Monday, March 23, the film "Death of the Maiden" will be presented at 6:30 p.m. in Room 1025 of Brown Hall. The film is a psychological thriller in which a woman in South America, played by Sigourney Weaver, finds herself playing host to a doctor who may have tortured her years ago when she was held as a political prisoner. The doctor, played by Ben Kingsley, denies the accusation. Dr. Shirley Bach, WMU professor emeritus of philosophy and the center's associate director, and Dr. Roberto Flachier, who earned a doctoral degree in psychology from WMU and is a member of the psychiatry department at Kalamazoo Center for Medical Studies, will lead an after-film discussion beginning at 8 p.m. In a separate event at 4 p.m. Thursday, March 26, in Room 204 of the Bernhard Center, WMU philosophy graduate student David Charlton will make a presentation on "Should Jon Stewart Do Hard-Hitting Interviews? Moral Obligations and Constraints of Non-Journalists." Charlton argues that though they are not bound to the same moral commitments as journalists, non-journalists do have certain obligations and constraints that govern their activities when they engage in traditionally journalistic practices, such as conducting interviews. Stewart has come under fire in the past for going soft on high-ranking government officials who have appeared on his Comedy Central program, "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart." Media contact: Mark Schwerin, (269) 387-8400, mark.schwerin@wmich.edu WMU News |
