Ethical Challenges Faced by Professional Communicators - Essay Example

? Assignment #2: Ethical Challenges Faced by Professional Communicators Number and Submitted Assignment #2: Ethical Challenges Faced by Professional Communicators Section I. Purpose of the Paper The purpose of the paper is to present ethical challenges faced by selected professional communicators through a closer analysis of three organizations’ code of ethics or standards of behavior. Likewise, the discourse also aims to provide an analysis of the rationale and appropriateness for the code of ethics for these organizations. Finally, through a comparative analysis, one finally aims to learn about diverse standards of approaches to professionalism in the communications industry. Section II. Background Information on Each of the Organizations II.1 The Society of Professional Journalists Background information gathered from the official website of the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) has identified its founding date in 1909 (Society of Professional Journalists, 2013). Its existence is embodied in the simple goal of working to “improve and protect journalism… (and is) dedicated to encouraging the free practice of journalism and stimulating high standards of ethical behavior” (Society of Professional Journalists, 2013, par. 1). It reveals a total of about 9,000 members globally and reportedly operates with an annual budget of about $1.7 million (Society of Professional Journalists, 2013). II.2 The International Association of Business Communicators The International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) was noted to have been founded in 1970 and was designed to provide “a professional network of about 15,000 business communication professionals in over 80 countries” (International Association of Business Communicators, 2013, par. 1). The organization has boasted of having been able to establish 100 chapters globally and expects the number to continue manifesting an increasing trend. II.3 American Marketing Association The American Marketing Association (AMA) was reported to have been established in 1937 and has consistently grown “with over 30,000 members who work, teach and study in the field of marketing across the globe” (American Marketing Association, 2013, par. 1). The organization’s mission was explicitly stipulated towards “leading the practice, teaching and development of marketing knowledge worldwide” (American Marketing Association: Our Mission, 2013, par. 1). Section III. Tabular Listing of Ethical Issues Ethical Issues SPJ IABC AMA Preamble (purpose of the code) For public enlightenment Because professional communicators affect the lives of people To act as stewards in promoting highest standards of ethics Honesty Through seeking the truth and reporting it “fostering the free flow of essential information in accord with the public interest” (IABC, 2013, par. 7) “– to be forthright in dealings with customers and stakeholders” (AMA, 2009, p. 2) Do No Harm “Ethical journalists treat sources, subjects and colleagues as human beings deserving of respect” (SPJ, 1996, p. 1) “refrain from taking part in any undertaking which the communicator considers to be unethical” (IABC: Articles, 2013, par. 5) “avoiding harmful actions or omissions by embodying high ethical standards and adhering to all applicable laws and regulations in the choices we make” (AMA, 2009, p. 2) Acting Independently Avoiding conflicts of interest (SPJ, 1996) “do not accept undisclosed gifts or payments” (IABC: Articles, 2013, par. 10) Through ethical values of fairness and transparency (AMA, 2009) Be Accountable Provide accurate information and solicit public’s response (SPJ, 1996) “disseminate accurate information and promptly correct any erroneous communication” (IABC: Articles, 2013, par. 2) Through the ethical value of citizenship, responsibility, and transparency (AMA, 2009) Other Ethical Values Credibility, Freedom of Speech, Cultural Sensitivity, Conformity to Legal Laws, Acknowledging the words of others, Confidentiality (IABC, 2013) Responsibility, Fairness, Respect, Transparency and Citizenship (AMA, 2009) Implementation “voluntarily embraced by thousands of writers, editors and other news professionals” (SPJ, 1996, p. 1) Encouragement of wide dissemination of code through web access “accessed through links on the AMA Web site” (AMA, 2009, p. 3) Section IV. Synopsis and Analysis of the Information Learned From the process of research and conducting a comparative analysis of the codes of ethics or standards of professional behavior for the three professional communicators identified, one realized that as guardians of truth in communication and in disseminating crucial information to the public and to their stakeholders, these organizations emphasized ethical principles and values that promote honesty, integrity, accountability, transparency, doing no harm to others, and acting responsibly in the most professional manner. From among the ethical issues identified with similarities, those that were enumerated in the above structured table were given due importance. Notwithstanding the presentation and structure of each of these three professional communicator’s ethical codes, there were similarities in emphasizing ethical values that were noted, as well as in designing the code in a form that is easily accessible and understandable across people from varied cultural orientations. The enumeration of guidelines for proper conduct of behavior are commendable for the three professional communicators in the ability to design and structure the code in a form that provides highlights to the ethical values and, but at the same time, offers detailed explanations on how each value is expected to be adhered to. The IABC Code of Ethics, for instance, differs in terms of enabling it to be accessed in French and Spanish, aside from the English language (IABC, 2013). Likewise, only the IABC expressly indicated a stipulation that in cases of violations of these ethical standards, “their professional activities may have their membership terminated by the IABC executive board following procedures set forth in the association's bylaws” (IABC, 2013, p. 1). Finally, it was observed that the SPJ’s code was last updated in 1996, which was fairly outdated. Although the same ethical values, principles, and ideals could still embody the organization’s code of professional behavior, one strongly believes that it needs to be revised or updated to conform to the needs of contemporary times. Likewise, from among the three organizations, the SPJ’s code does not have explicit contact information indicated in cases where members or the public need to make necessary clarifications and inquiries with regards to the information contained therein. Section V. Description of Learning While completing the assignment, one learned a lot of things, theoretical concepts on the subject of ethical codes and professional standards of behavior. An analysis of the respective organizations’ code made one realize through their organizational mission and through the preamble that these codes are relevant to provide members and the public who get to interact with them, to observe proper decorum and professionalism in the course of transactions and dealings with members and with the organizations’ stakeholders. Thus, this successfully achieved the second purpose of the paper, which was to analyze the rationale and appropriateness for the code of ethics for these organizations. Concurrently, the need to evaluate the appropriateness of the contents of each of the organization’s code made one discover that although pertinent ethical principles and values were noted, some could update the information, as evidently necessary and to include some information to make them more effective. The comparative analysis, therefore, made one recognize similarities in form, structure, content and information that should be embodied in a code of ethics for professional communicators. As such, one’s knowledge was vastly enhanced and the way these organizations have designed these codes enlightened one on the most common challenges or conflicts that they encounter (conflicts of interest, accountability, responsible broadcasting of information, transparency, etc.). By detailing principles, members were appropriately guided and directed towards decisions and behaviors that must be adhered to and manifested at all times. Overall, through the process, one successfully achieved the objectives stated in the preparation of the current discourse. The knowledge gained herein would be instrumental as guiding principles for dealing with professional organizations such as these in the future. References AMA. (2009, February 17). The American marketing association updates industry’s statement of ethics . Retrieved from marketingpower.com: http://www.marketingpower.com/AboutAMA/Documents/Ethics%20Code%20Update%20-%202%2017%2009%20-%20Final.pdf. American Marketing Association. (2013). About AMA. Retrieved from marketingpower.com: http://www.marketingpower.com/AboutAMA/Pages/default.aspx. IABC. (2013). IABC code of ethics for professional communicators. Retrieved from iabc.com: http://www.iabc.com/about/code.htm. International Association of Business Communicators. (2013). Overview of IABC. Retrieved from iabc.com: http://www.iabc.com/about/. Society of Professional Journalists. (2013). About the society. Retrieved from spj.org: http://www.spj.org/spjinfo.asp. SPJ. (1996). SPJ: Code of ethics. Retrieved from spj.org: http://www.spj.org/ethicscode.asp. Read More