Ethics news:
current news stories
Ethics News is regularly updated with links and introductions to ethics-related news stories gathered from all over the web. We regularly archive the stories collected.
Please note: ethics news is currently taking a break due to capacity being taken up by other Ethics Centre projects. Apologies for this - we hope to be back with more news stories in mid-August 2008.
When words aren't enough
There is no one simple angle to take on tomorrow's apology by Prime Minister Kevin Rudd to members of the Stolen Generations and their descendants and families on behalf of the Parliament of Australia. There are different angles, some of which are at odds with each other ... more.
The Australian - 12 February 2008
Harry puts the prince in principle
You don't have to be a monarchist to admire the courage of Prince Harry in demanding to serve with British forces on the front line in Afghanistan - until his cover was blown by sections of the international media ... more.
The Sydney Morning Herald - 4 March 2008
17 Danish papers print Muhammad cartoon
At least 17 Danish newspapers printed a controversial cartoon of Prophet Muhammad on Wednesday, vowing to defend freedom of expression a day after police foiled a murder plot against the cartoonist ... more.
The Sydney Morning Herald - 14 February 2008
One man's evil is another man's pop culture
Artist Sam Leach has romped to an 11-to-one favourite in online betting to win this year's Archibald Prize after his self-portrait as Adolf Hitler was revealed to the media at the end of last week ... more.
The Age - 4 March 2008
Holocaust survivors are not laughing
The controversy generated by Melbourne artist Sam Leach portraying himself as Hitler is another illustration that the cheapening, commercialising and commodifying of the Holocaust is all-pervasive ... more.
The Age - 1 March 2008
The bitter pills of drug trials
Successful tests on new drugs are trumpeted far and wide by a proud pharmaceutical industry, but its many failures are quietly swept under the carpet. This potentially dangerous secrecy can, and must, be stopped ... more.
The Age - 3 March 2008
The phony war over Harry of Afghanistan
While both bombastic defenders and shrill critics of the pact of silence are firing blanks, nobody wants to debate Britain’s real Afghan war. There has been an almighty furore ... more.
Spiked Online - 3 March 2008
Heart disease: we need medicine, not moralism
Fear of rising heart deaths is unfounded. And if we're serious about lowering the death rate even further, we need better treatment not lifestyle lectures. This week, a number of news headlines have highlighted the deadly threat of heart disease ... more.
Spiked Online - 28 February 2008
Pre-emptive censorship is a cross we all bear
London Underground has banned posters for the play Fat Christ, just in case they cause offence. This safety-first attitude is crucifying free speech. There is no undisputed depiction of Jesus ... more.
Spiked Online - 27 February 2008
Venturing into the pro-suicide pit
The most startling thing about the vile, venal websites that promote suicide is that their language and outlook appear entirely mainstream. 'I continuously want to kill myself. I have tried but have never been successful ... more.
Spiked Online - 25 February 2008
Burma's allure places travellers in an ethical dilemma
Activists say tourist dollars support the military junta, but many Burmese say they need the income. Out of the motorized canoe, through a bamboo grove, up wooden stairs to the jungle, and there they are ... more.
Christian Science Monitor - 28 February 2008
Recast prayer renews ancient strain between Jews and Vatican
Roman Catholics' altered wording of a missal widely offensive to Jews still takes 'conversionist' approach. Pope Benedict XVI's revision this month of a Good Friday prayer relating to conversion of the Jews has created some consternation within both Catholic and Jewish communities ... more.
Christian Science Monitor - 21 February 2007
Where voters are heroes
To call it a massive upset is to ignore the opinion polls, which for months had been recording the growing unpopularity of Pakistan's president, Pervez Musharraf ... more.
The Economist - 21 February 2008