Introduction This paper is aimed at showing how various ethical theories can be applied to the situations related to the work of mass media. In particular, it is critical to examine the functioning of mass media in the United Arab Emirates. Furthermore, one should focus on such a phenomenon as censorship that can profoundly affect the work of media companies. Situation Definition The development of mass media in the UAE can be strongly influenced by the state (Benesh, 2008, p. 133). For example, one can mention the decision of the Dubai government to block such Pakistani channels as ARY One World and Geo News (Deibert, 2010, p. 590). It should be noted that this decision can be attributed to the demands of Persvez Musharraf, who leads the Pakistan’s military regime (Deibert, 2010, p. 590). Furthermore, the government was willing to censure the political reporting provided by these channels. However, the stated enabled them to broadcast their entertainment programs. One should bear in mind that these channels supported the political opponents of Persvez Musharraf. Furthermore, at present, the military regime of Musharraf maintains very close relationships with the UAE. These are some of the details that should be identified because they are important for understanding the conflict which the UAE government has to resolve. In this case, it is possible to apply the harm principle, according to which the task of the state is to minimize potential threats to the entire community. Moreover, one should speak about Kant’s categorical principle according to which the morality of an action can be accurately assessed if this choice becomes a universal law (Patterson & Wilkins, 2013, p. 11). Finally, it is important to speak about the concept of golden mean which implies that the morality of the same choice can be properly evaluated if one considers the context in which the choice is taken. In this case, one can speak about such values geopolitical interests of the county and the development of independent media in the country. The government of the UAE believes that these values are conflicting. One can identify the following ethical questions:  1. Should the government be able to affect the mass media?  2. Can the use of censorship be justified by geopolitical interests of the country? Analysis Overall, it is possible to possible to argue that the government should not limit the freedom of expression in the country because it is critical for social progress of the country and individual development of its citizens. In contrast, censorship can prevent the citizens of the country from understanding the complexity of the modern political or geopolitical issues. This is one of the details that can be singled out. However, at the same time, the state should not disregard its long-term international relations. For example, one can argue that the country may accept the request of its geopolitical allies. In both cases, the state has to think about the long-term interest of the entire UAE community. In this case, the major task of the government is to find a way of reconciling these two values. Secondly, one should focus on external factors that will continue to affect the decisions of policy-makers even after this case is resolved. For example, it is possible to say that the UAE and Pakistan can maintain close relations with one another, e