Communication Ethics Flashcards

A communicator learns that a colleague is inflating media impression statistics in client reports. The most ethical response is to:

Answer: Address it directly with the colleague and escalate if the behavior continues

Ethical professionals address known misconduct first through internal channels, giving colleagues the opportunity to correct behavior before external escalation.

Which scenario most clearly violates the ethical principle of 'separating personal and professional interests'?

Answer: A communicator directs business to a family member's firm without disclosing the relationship

Directing business to a family member's firm without disclosure creates an undisclosed conflict of interest that puts personal gain ahead of the organization's interests.

The practice of 'spin' in public relations is ethically problematic primarily when it involves:

Answer: Misleading the audience through selective emphasis or distortion of facts

Strategic framing of accurate information is legitimate; spin becomes unethical when it involves distortion, omission of material facts, or misrepresentation.

A communicator is asked to prepare materials for a campaign that targets vulnerable populations using pressure tactics. Ethical analysis of this request should focus on:

Answer: Whether the tactics exploit vulnerabilities in ways that undermine informed decision-making

Ethics requires scrutiny of whether communication tactics exploit vulnerabilities to bypass rational agency, which is inherently manipulative regardless of legality.

Which of the following practices in media relations most directly upholds ethical standards?

Answer: Providing journalists with accurate, timely information and respecting their editorial independence

Ethical media relations is built on providing accurate information while respecting journalists' independence, not transactional arrangements that compromise editorial integrity.

When organizational values conflict with short-term financial pressures, ethical business communicators should:

Answer: Counsel leadership to consider long-term reputational costs of compromising stated values

Ethical communicators serve as organizational conscience, counseling leadership to weigh long-term reputational and trust consequences against short-term financial pressures.

A communicator discovers that company-released research was funded by an organization with a financial stake in the findings. Ethics requires that communications about the research:

Answer: Disclose the funding source and potential conflict of interest

Disclosing funding sources and potential conflicts of interest is an ethical requirement that allows audiences to properly evaluate the research's credibility.