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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