Ethically Speaking Asking the right questions at the right time

What do we mean by ethics? Personal values in a professional situation Doing the right thing when it counts Doing the right thing when it hurts

How do you know what to do? The questions is less of “what” than it is of “when” Recognizing the situation Circumstances All possible ramifications Appearances

How do you recognize “when.” Empathy Your source Your publisher Other stakeholders Competitors Customers Take the “big picture” into account

Evaluating the situation Who might benefit from my action? Who might be hurt by my action? How will my action be viewed by stakeholders? How will my inaction be viewed?

Ethics practice Thinking about your decision making process Talking with others about your options and potential decisions Putting your self in others’ shoes.

Conundrums Your Web site is dependent on advertising revenue and a small percent from products sold via click throughs. A big advertiser offers to increase your percentage the sales if your site will run a feature article touting his products.

Conundrums The magazine you work for is preparing to run an article on a new technology developed at a land-grant university. The technology will eventually reduce the cost of production for growers in your audience, but it will eventually mean significantly lower revenue to some of your biggest advertisers. Your advertising director has come to you asking you not to run the article.

Conundrums The communications agency that employs you does projects for its clients by providing them with an estimate for the project and then billing the clients for what each project costs with a 10 percent overage option. Your supervisor comes to you and tells you that the company has a new policy of billing to the full estimate, whether the projects cost that much or not. Do you tell the client?