ethical conflicts and challenges faced by professional communicators

ethical conflicts and challenges faced by professional communicators

1 . Definition of Ethics and Professional Codes of Standards

To be a code of professional ethics , a code must be a morally permissible standard of conduct each member of the profession wants all others to follow even if their following it would mean he must do the same

Michael Davis "Thinking like an Engineer : The Place of a Code of Ethics in the Practice of a Profession " as published on the website of the Online Center for Ethics in Science and Engineering p

The Universalization Test asks whether we would be willing to have everyone act in this manner

Tom Regan , Research Ethics , An Introduction , Module 1 ,

. 22

In both statements we can see that the idea of having a duty or obligation to

behave in a particular way is important . Professional codes of conduct are in this

same spirit of setting down a consistent set of principles to guide us when faced

with dilemmas of what is the right thing to do

2 . Articles Problematic for Communication Industry Professionals

Professional communicators uphold the credibility and dignity of their profession by practicing honest , candid and timely communication and by fostering the free flow of essential information in accord with the public interest

Professional communicators disseminate accurate information and promptly correct any erroneous communication for which they may be responsible

Sometimes , working in the sphere of communication , you have tom deal with the data , which was provided to you from the sources , the reliability of which you cannot check . Or , you are in charge of distributing that information which originates from the sources unknown to you

Professional communicators understand and support the principles of free speech , freedom of assembly , and access to an open marketplace of ideas and , act accordingly

It is sometimes very complicated to draw the line between free speech freedom of assembly and human rights to the extent that freedom pf speech bs on personal tolerance to these or those statements . What is innocent for the communicator may be treated as offensive by the recipient or third person , resulting in lawsuits

Professional communicators give credit for unique expressions borrowed from others and identify the sources and purposes of all information disseminated to the public

Sometimes you cannot verify the source from which the information originates in other cases , you apply information which you believe to be your own brainchild however , it further on appears to be a quote which arouses disputes on plagiarism or disrespectful attitude towards the primary source

Professional communicators do not use confidential information gained as a result of professional activities for personal benefit and do not represent conflicting or competing interests without written consent of those involved

Sometimes there are cases when you are not able to inquire whether the person whose ideas are at stake wants them to be publicized , quoted or used in any other way . However , you need to make a prompt decision not having an opportunity to doubt - thus , without any written consent , such data is represented

3 . To change or not to change

Why , you might ask , did so many professional organizations , including PRSA , IABC , and SPJ , change their codes of ethics during the 1990 's

In part , it was because many of the codes were old and hadn 't been reviewed or revised in decades . Revisions were overdue

In part , it was because of legal concerns that grew out of a few high-pro lawsuits that disgruntled practitioners d against professional organizations which had publicly cited them or imposed sanctions on them for violating ethical standards . The professional organizations lost some of these cases and were held liable for damaging the individual 's professional reputation . The reasons for these courtroom losses were attributed to the belief that the then-existing codes of ethics were unenforceably vague and /or lacking in due process protection for alleged violators

To my personal opinion , no matter how much the Codes of Ethics and Standards are changed , it will not ever lead to the absence of whistleblowers and others criticizing the existing regulations and standards of work . Such is human nature , that it is never content with what it possesses . What is the way out ? - Certainly , pendulum swings and sometimes , old standards by-and-by get outdated : in that case they should be replaced by those adjusted to modern requirements . Otherwise experience should be respected , and , without any need , Codes of Ethics should remain the same serving for the good purpose of humanity

Reference

http /www .prsa .org /_About /ethics /preamble .asp ?ident eth3

http /www .e911 .com /exacts /EA064 .html

http /www .csuchico .edu /jour /iabc /rules .html ...