Thursday, September 11, 2014

The Best Decision


Lauren McKinzie

Whether you are in the field of journalism or strategic communication, ethical dilemmas are going to occur and the best way to handle them is to be prepared. Poynter and PRSSA both have lists of questions that are designed to help assess appropriate ethical behavior. However, the key is not having these questions, but the answers. Some of these questions would be easy to answer, but others require more time and deeper thought. I went through both sets of questions and picked out a couple that I know would take more time and would definitely not be easy to answer.

Reversed Roles

Poynter’s question number seven is “What if the roles were reversed? How would I feel if I were in the shoes of one of the stake holders?” This question is at the core of ethical journalism, yet has to be one of the hardest to answer. Journalism Ethics Goes to the Movies is an article by Media Ethics Magazine that says the best way for anyone to learn ethics is to put yourself in the shoes of the journalist or reporter and really think about both parties involved in the dilemma to come to the best conclusion. Although that might be hard to do, a journalist needs to be unbiased and truthful to assess the moral elements of any situation.

Combatting Behaviors

In any ethical dilemma, there might not be a clear path of right or wrong. Or it might be your friend, boss or even yourself that is creating the problem. This seems to happen most when people find themselves under pressure. The best way to face this issue is to ask the question, “As an organization, are we prepared to combat the behaviors that lead to ethical compromises?” This means taking action and making consequences for yourself or others around you when an ethical issue arises.  Basically, holding yourself and others to high ethical standards.

Alternative Actions

In any ethical situation, there is more than one right or even wrong way. So it becomes important to ask yourself when facing these types of problems, “What alternative actions are available?” Compiling a list of any and all actions possible for the ethical dilemma might be the best way to choose the morally right thing to do.

I think the questions that Poytner and PRSSA have produced are important to answering any ethical dilemma, but the key is to really focus on what the question means and truthfully answering it. Sometimes the hardest part is finding the right answer and then realizing you or your choice is wrong and accepting that. But, by having those ethical questions as guidelines, you will become better at choosing the best possible situation in an ethical dilemma. 

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