Access to information is available 24-7. Figuratively, you
can go anywhere in the world at any
time of the day or night to find out what is going on. Would you like to see
the Milan Cathedral in Italy? How about Times Square in New York? No problem.
There are web cams positioned there to satisfy your curiosity.
We search and surf for information that fulfills our needs
and desires. With the ability to seek and find just about anything we can dream
up, we are thrilled with this capability and freedom to access information at
our pleasure.
With this level of access to all ends of the earth, can we
expect anyone pushing information on
to the internet to follow ethical codes of conduct with the intention of
watching out for public interest? Obviously, the answer is no because we know
there is a very dark side to the internet that exploits and destroys lives. So,
if anyone can publish news on the internet, why doesn’t everyone have to abide
by ethical codes of conduct? Because everyone is not a journalist. There is a
difference between just anyone and
the journalist as explained by Aiden White, Director of the Ethical Journalism
Network in this video:
As Mr. White explains, there is a difference between freedom
of expression, in which we give people the free will to say anything they want,
and journalism. When we open up the world with our fingertips, we are welcoming
freedom of expression. We have a choice to access content or not. We accept
that any organization, company or government entity can provide information
directly to consumers, whether it be by digital media, print, or face-to-face
communication. In all accounts, we have a choice to accept it or not. We can also
choose to access information only from reputable, ethical media organizations.
In other words, we are not forced to watch, listen, or read anything that we do
not want to.
To answer the question of what we think about the codes that
guide advertisers and public relations professionals, I present the likely
possibility that we, as consumers, generally do not give it much thought.
A more appropriate response for the class assignment includes
my own thoughts and reflections on the ethical codes of conduct from the American Advertising Federation (AAF)
and the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA). The two-part answer is yes, I think the codes that guide advertisers
and public relations professionals are more than sufficient, and yes, they do
work when they are followed. The
problem is that too many organizations, in their attempt to creatively seize
the consumer’s attention, go too far. And, my opinion is that people have
become de-sensitized to outlandish and even obscene content. In other words, we
are so accustomed to the constant noise in our lives and the overwhelming
images and auditory content we experience, that it takes a bigger stimulus to
get our attention. So, it goes almost unnoticed when media professionals
operate just outside of the boundaries of ethical values.
The PRSA provides a
comprehensive explanation of code provisions of conduct for public relations
practitioners. In addition, the code of ethics also includes examples of
improper conduct within each code provision. The PRSA goes beyond the minimum
standard of explaining what to do and further explains what not to do. Finally,
after a few simple pages of clearly explained concepts, members are guided to
sign the PRSA member code of ethics pledge, where they acknowledge their
responsibility to serve the public.
The AAF presents an extensive document describing the
principles and practices for advertising ethics. There are nine principles
defining the terms of ethical standards for serving the public. Any advertising
professional who reads these principles would receive clear direction for ethical
conduct. All that it takes is for the professional to read it and abide by it.
They will learn that “truth never changes.” This is so profound, yet simple. If
a truth changes, it was never the truth to begin with. Genius!
Hi Barb,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed your post. We do have access to so much information and so much power to utilize it because of the Internet.
You said, "The problem is that too many organizations, in their attempt to creatively seize the consumer’s attention, go too far. And, my opinion is that people have become de-sensitized to outlandish and even obscene content. In other words, we are so accustomed to the constant noise in our lives and the overwhelming images and auditory content we experience, that it takes a bigger stimulus to get our attention."
I agree with that. We've trained our eyes to focus on what we need to online. There's just too much coming at us.
This got me thinking. You know I work with little kids because of our previous classes. Well in my experience with them, yelling across the room or another big stimulus isn't the most effective way to talk to kiddos who aren't paying attention. A level, firm voice with a hand on the shoulder usually brings a lot more focus. The Internet is becoming more like interpersonal communication everyday with how we socialize and are looked at as individual users. I'd like to see interpersonal communication techniques and theories used online. Thanks, Barb.
Christy | ch629717@ohio.edu