There are many reasons why practices involving breaches of copyright can be defended on ethical grounds. Educators and journalists can contribute greatly to citizen's understandings of their immediate and global surroundings by using copyrighted materials in their work. Additionally, entertaining cultural products such as television shows also help us understand aspects of life, and the simultaneous viewing of a text through online and illegal means can create a sense of community between nation states. People can then go onto media sharing sites such as Twitter and Tumblr in order to discuss a media product that they enjoyed, or otherwise wish to critique, participating in a discourse that can become beneficial for both consumers and creators. One major concern felt by media corporations is that illegal access to content will affect the economic success of the product, and the producers will not gain the rewards that they deserve for their efforts. Many challenge this notion, arguing that true fans of a cultural product will contribute time and revenue to the creators in appreciation for their work. It is also important to note that in some cases, it is in-fact a positive ethical decision to view content through alternative avenues, as a protest to creators or texts that may be morally questionable. .
The use of copyrighted material by journalists in order to inform the public about news and events is an an ethical reason to justify infringement. In a traditional sense, a journalist's role is to inform the public about civil matters, in order for them to make informed decisions in the political realm. Yet journalists go beyond the simple retelling of events in an objective manner, and through both 'hard hitting investigative reporting of government malfeasance', alongside cultural criticism and "softer" news, they are 'a key part of generating and circulating the self-understanding of their society' (Aufderheide et al, 876).
