Ethics & Professional Standards Flashcards
7 cards from real CPW practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Ethics & Professional Standards flashcards as text
A freelance writer is offered a free luxury trip by a tourism board in exchange for writing a favorable article. What is the most ethical course of action?
Answer: Accept the trip and disclose the arrangement in the article
If accepting a sponsored trip, full disclosure of the arrangement to readers is the ethical minimum required to maintain transparency.
Which of the following best defines the ethical principle of 'accuracy' for professional writers?
Answer: Ensuring all facts, statistics, and attributions are verified and correct
Accuracy requires that writers verify facts, attribute information correctly, and present information that is truthful and not misleading.
A writer is contracted to produce content that they believe is misleading to consumers. According to professional ethics, what should the writer do?
Answer: Raise concerns with the client and, if unresolved, decline the work
Professional writers share ethical responsibility for the content they produce and should refuse work that misleads consumers if the client will not address concerns.
What is the purpose of a written contract between a freelance writer and a client?
Answer: To protect both parties by clearly defining deliverables, rights, deadlines, and payment
A written contract protects both the writer and client by establishing clear expectations for scope, compensation, rights, and deadlines.
Under the FTC's Endorsement Guides, when must a blogger disclose a material connection to a brand?
Answer: Whenever there is any financial, employment, or gifting relationship that could affect endorsements
The FTC requires disclosure of any material connection—including free products, payments, or discounts—that could influence the credibility of an endorsement.
A writer discovers mid-project that a client intends to use content for a purpose not specified in the contract. The most professionally appropriate response is to:
Answer: Renegotiate the contract to address the new use case before proceeding
When a client's intended use changes, renegotiating the contract ensures the writer's rights and the client's needs are properly addressed.
Which practice is considered most ethically problematic in journalistic writing?
Answer: Composite characters that blend multiple real people into one
Creating composite characters without disclosure blurs the line between fact and fiction, violating reader trust and journalistic integrity.