For these guidelines to be taken seriously, people must be convinced that animals and their media representation matters. To make that point, this section profiles the animal cognition research that shows nonhuman animals are individuals with personalities, thoughts, and preferences, yet they are vulnerable to exploitation, neglect, and cruelty due to lack of strong legal protection. We explain animals rights viewpoints that challenge human entitlement to routinely use other animals for our own purposes and instead let them live freely in coexistence with humanity. Coexistence is also necessary based on ecological principles of interdependence and shared habitats. Finally, we explore how animals’ lives are impacted by the cultural values and information shared (or ignored) by the media and why media-makers have a responsibility to reduce harm and be more inclusive of the animals with whom we share the planet.