Questions from Chapter 12

1. In Chapter 12 Woodward and Denton quote Conrad Fink’s definition of ethics as “a system of principles, a morality or code of conduct. It is the values and rules of life recognized by an individual, group, or culture seeking guidelines to human conduct and what is good or bad, right or wrong.” They describe two behavioral dimensions to ethics-- the ability to discern right from wrong, and to make the commitment to do what is right, good or appropriate. This idea of making a commitment to doing what is right or good is one that is constant in communication. There are fine lines that constitute ethical communication and I think that just saying the “right” thing can be unethical depending on how you say it. For instance, I was thinking back to Chuck Rowling’s visit when he was explaining the power of language and how easily it can manipulated people. He gave us different examples of this; “used car” vs. “previously owned vehicle”, “late term abortion” vs. “partial birth abortion” and “global warming” vs. “climate change.” We word things differently in order to get a certain reaction or standard for what we are talking about. My question is, do you think that this is ethical? Although you are stating the truth, is it ethical to word something in a way that makes it sound more appealing than it might be?

2. Chapter 12 suggests the different sources that our attitudes and values come from. Louis day argues that the four most influential sources are our family, peer groups, role models, and societal institutions. I agree with this idea; I think that no matter what a person thinks, we are always, even if its subconscious, being influenced or persuaded of something. The book went a lot into celebrities using their fame to promote charities or benefits. Celebrity faces can be used to promote just about anything-- food, clothing, drinks, etc.-- do you think it is ethical to use a person to sell a product even if that person doesn’t necessarily stand for that product? For example, I remember watching a Dave Chapelle skit where he was talking about doing a Pepsi commercial and a Coke commercial. He says he can’t tell the difference between the tastes, the one he likes better is the one that’s paying him at the time.

3. I liked that Woodward and Denton covered not only the considerations that communicators should follow, but also considerations for the receiver; they suggest to be open minded, to listen critically in order to make a proper interpretation, the be prepared to provide a response, and to not be defensive or ego-involved. I think that ethical listening is just as important as communicating the message. This idea reminded me of Kelsey and Rochelle’s PDF presentation about the news and the sort of things that it covers. How responsible do you think the audience is for what is being broadcasted? Do you think that there are any unethical decisions involved in what is put on the news in order to make a station more successful?