ETHICS AND OPINION WRITERS:Minah and Edna

March 24, 2009

ETHICS AND OPINION WRITERS:Minah and Edna

INTRODUCTION
According to Velasquez, Andre, Shanks and Meyer (1987), ethics is well base standards of right and wrong that prescribe what humans (opinion writers) ought to do, usually in terms of rights, obligations, benefits to society, fairness or specific virtues. The Longman Advanced American Dictionary (2000) defines ethics as moral rules or principles of behaviour for deciding what is right or wrong.
Ethics also refers to those proscriptions and guidelines that involve concerns larger than effectiveness of persuasive efforts. Ethical standards look toward the needs of others and the greater good of the society in which persuasion takes place. (Dr. Lee McGaan, Monmouth University)
Opinion writing is the action of putting one’s point of view or convictions on an issue in writing. Ethics apply to both behaviour and writing.

Issues in Opinion Writing
All writers, including opinion writers face challenges. As opinion writers play the roles of echoing public opinion and acts as change agents, they have to deal with negatives such as libel, plagiarism, obscenity, sedition and propaganda.
Libel: According to Brooks, Kennedy, Moen & Ranly (2002), libel is defined as damage to a person’s reputation caused by exposing a person to public hatred, contempt or ridicule through writing or broadcast. In an effort to pass his own opinion on an issue or public figure, an opinion writer may write something that damages another’s reputation. This can lead to a legal suit.
Plagiarism: the same authors define plagiarism as copying someone’s work and presenting it as your own. Since opinion writing involves expressing one’s own view, plagiarism is not common. However, it is possible that a writer may use someone else’s work verbatim without acknowledging the source of the information. It is ethical to acknowledge any information that appears on one’s article if it is not an original idea.
All of the following are considered plagiarism:
• Turning in someone else’s work as your own
• Copying words or ideas from someone else without giving credit
• Failing to put a quotation in quotation marks
• Giving incorrect information about the source of a quotation
• Changing words but copying the sentence structure of a source without giving credit
• Copying so many words or ideas from a source that it makes up the majority of your work, whether you give credit or not.
Use of offensive language: This does not necessarily mean use of obscene words. It could be an article that is offensive to a particular tribe, social class, gender, religion or group of people. It is possible for an opinion writer to be offensive in his effort to pass on his message or persuade others.
Propaganda: This is the deliberate and systematic attempt to shape perceptions, manipulate cognitions and direct behaviour to achieve a response that furthers the desired intent of the propagandist. (Class handout). It connotes falsehood, lies, deceit and disinformation. With the knowledge that they are in a position to influence public opinion, some opinion writers may manipulate their readers using false or lopsided information.
Card stacking: This is the selection of facts and data to build an overwhelming case on one side of an issue while concealing the other side. Ethics in persuasive opinion writing dictate that both sides of an issue are presented for the readers to make a logical choice.
Sedition: According to the web dictionary, sedition is any action, especially in speech or writing, promoting discontent or rebellion against a government. Though uncommon, it is possible for one to abuse a publication by covertly writing a seditious piece.

Ethics of Opinion Writing
• Do not use false, fabricated, misrepresented, distorted or irrelevant evidence to support arguments or claims.
• Do not intentionally use unsupported or illogical reasoning.
• Do not represent yourself as informed or as an expert on a subject when you are not.
• Do not use irrelevant appeals to divert attention or scrutiny from the issue at hand.
• Do not ask your readers to link your idea to emotional laden values, motives or goals to which it is not related.
• Do not deceive your audience by concealing your real purpose, your self interest or your position as an advocate of a viewpoint.
• Do not hide, distort or misrepresent the intensity, scope or features of a consequence.
• Do not oversimplify complex situation into simplistic, two valued, either/or polar views or choices.
• Do not pretend certainty when tentativeness and degrees of probability would be more accurate.
• Do not advocate something in which you do not believe yourself.
• Acknowledge any information borrowed from other sources.

Communication Values Relevant to Opinion Writing and Persuasion.
Truthful information (which makes rational choice possible). Lying undermines persuasion and all communication and, thus, all human sociality. It promotes mistrust. Truth constitutes:
o factual accuracy
o completeness
o appropriate context
o honest disclosure of their motives
Allowing receivers a range of choices that make freedom actual and moral action possible. Do not use coercion.
Presenting and discussing the best reasons for action, not just those most favorable to the advocate or those which work for you (i.e. get you what you want).
Respecting the (adult) audience as capable of rational decision-making.
Readers’ responsibility
The readers of opinions have the responsibility to be active, critical listeners – not passive receivers.
They also have the responsibility to respond to persuasion using their own ethical standards.

Conclusion
With different existing worldviews, one may argue that ethics are subjective and personal. However when acting in public interest, it is paramount that opinion writers subscribe to an agreed set of values.

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