media philosophical Academic Help

I’m trying to learn for my Philosophy class and I’m stuck. Can you help?

As you may know, a large portion (if not the majority) of public broadcasting (NPR, PBS, etc.) funds are raised through tax-deductable, charitable contributions. This means that contributions to public broadcasting are on the same plane as contributions to one’s religious organization, the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund, Save the Children, UNCF, Autism Speaks, cancer research, MDA (Jerry’s Kids), etc., etc, etc.

The question for you to discuss is the ethical viability of an individual’s making charitable contributions to media enterprises.

Things to consider are the fact that individuals have limited funds, meaning they have to choose which charitable organizations to support – They can’t support them all. This means that every charitable dollar that goes to public broadcasting is a dollar that doesn’t go to some other cause.

So, the ethical question is: Should a media enterprise be among the charitable organizations one supports? Specifically, assume you are my ethical adviser and I have come to you with this question. What advice would you give me?

In your answer, you may cite any of the philosophies or philosophers we have covered this semester.

Note: Your answer to my dilemma may not include a discussion of any political orientation that public broadcasting may or may not have. Your answer should be a purely ethical discussion that helps me decide what sort of charitable organization(s) I should support with my limited funds. Tell me how I should decide.