Media Ethics: Cases and Moral Reasoning

Twelfth Edition

Home / Students / Part 3: Persuasion & Public Relations / Chapter 10: Public Communication

Chapter 10: Public Communication

The influence public relations practitioners exert in the public forum is critically examined in this chapter through five cases that detail practices in public communication, political campaigns, cause campaigns, and governmental communication, probing the ethical limitations of such practices within a democratic system. How has the role of a public relations practitioner shifted in political campaigns in light of deep fakes and the proliferation of misinformation and disinformation? How does a public health communicator balance a responsibility to communicate facts about science while navigating political pressures and growing public distrust? Is there such a need to enhance the communication capability of some voices in the public forum that public relations must be employed? The actions of contemporary politicians and public figures, from first ladies Melania Trump and Michelle Obama—and their husbands—to the activist students from Parkland, Florida, are assessed through a variety of philosophical and ethical principles.

Chapter 10 – Video Introduction

Transcript

Key questions for the chapter

  1. How has the role of a public relations practitioner shifted in political campaigns in light of deep fakes and the proliferation of misinformation and disinformation?
  2. How does a public health communicator balance a responsibility to communicate facts about science while navigating political pressures and growing public distrust?
  3. Is there such a need to enhance the communication capability of some voices in the public forum that public relations must be employed?

Case 41

Discussion Questions

  1. To whom is moral duty owed in this case?
  2. Is the “greater good” more important than the “golden mean” in this scenario?

Weblinks

  1. Video resource: Dr. Anthony Fauci discusses COVID-19 Origins and Lessons Learned 3 Years Later
    https://youtu.be/E9WvEP8OrL4?si=FoiO9eaQEdLlcwqT
  2. Article resource: Anthony Fauci Biography and Career Timeline
    https://youtu.be/E9WvEP8OrL4?si=FoiO9eaQEdLlcwqT
  3. Article resource: Loved or hated, Fauci’s Parting Advice: Stick to the Science
    https://apnews.com/article/health-d9ca855cbf3589e9443a710341129681

Case 42

Discussion Questions

  1. What role should generative AI play in political campaigns? Should deep fakes be regulated?
  2. How can public relations practitioners and campaign managers proactively champion transparency in the 2024 election?
  3. How can media literacy initiatives play a role in this context?

Weblinks

  1. Article resource: Poll: America’s believe AI will Hurt Elections
    https://www.axios.com/2023/09/11/poll-ai-elections-axios-morning-consult
  2. Article resource: How real is the threat of AI Deepfakes in the 2024 election?
    https://www.npr.org/2023/07/30/1190970436/how-real-is-the-threat-of-ai-deepfakes-in-the-2024-election
  3. Article resource: White House Secures AI Safeguard Agreements from Eight Additional Tech Companies
    https://www.cnn.com/2023/09/12/politics/white-house-artificial-intelligence-commitments/index.html

Case 43

Discussion Questions

  1. Why (or why not) should the government fund such campaigns targeted at children?
  2. Does the first lady (or man) position entitle a person to hold such national influence?
  3. How should the government evaluate which social causes to support?
  4. How should the government respond to criticisms about cause campaigns?

Weblinks

  1. Web resource: Office White House Be Best Website
    https://trumpwhitehouse.archives.gov/bebest/
  2. Web resource: Melania Trump’s Be Best Initiative
    https://melaniatrump.com/be-best
  3. Article resource: Melania Trump’s ‘Be Best’ Falls short of Goals at 2nd Year Mark
    https://www.cnn.com/2020/05/07/politics/melania-trump-be-best-anniversary/index.html
  4. Web resource: Office White House Reach Higher Website
    https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/reach-higher
  5. Article resource: Michelle Obama’s ‘Reach Higher’ Initiative Merges with the Common Application
    https://www.edweek.org/teaching-learning/michelle-obamas-reach-higher-initiative-merges-with-the-common-application/2018/09
  6. Video resource Go to College Music Video (with First Lady Michelle Obama)
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_1yAOK0nSb0

Case 44

Discussion Questions

  1. How do social media influence student-led campaigns?
  2. In what ways can student voices impact social change?
  3. How should student activists respond to criticisms on social media?
  4. Are the voices of student activists more or less persuasive than adult activists?
  5. How can student activists amplify their voices in a noisy social media environment?

Weblinks

  1. Web resource: Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Act
    https://www.fldoe.org/safe-schools/msdhs-psa.stml
  2. Article resource: What does the “Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Act” Mean for Students?
    https://www.aclufl.org/en/what-does-marjory-stoneman-douglas-high-school-public-safety-act-mean-students
  3. Video resource: 60 Minutes: Revisiting the Calls for Change After the Parkland Shooting
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=97p1W6xWlzM
  4. Article resource: Thousands of Students Walked Out of School Today in Nationwide Protests. Here’s Why
    https://time.com/5195960/national-school-walkout-march-14/
  5. Web resource: March for Our Lives Official Website
    https://marchforourlives.com/

Case 45

Discussion Questions

  1. How open to ridicule should White House communications directors be?
  2. What protocols should be in place to reduce the stress of working in the White House?
  3. What are the unique challenges of White House communications directors?
  4. How should practitioners respond to requests for “white lies” by their clients?

Weblinks

  1. Article resource: Trump’s Communications Director is Out as Larger Shakeup Looms
    https://www.politico.com/story/2017/05/30/mike-dubke-trumps-communications-director-has-resigned-238931
  2. Article resource: Public Relations Association Rebukes Trump’s White House on ‘Alternative Facts’
    https://www.politico.com/story/2017/01/trump-alternative-facts-234138
  3. Video resource: Sean Spicer’s Greatest Hits as White House Press Secretary to President Donald Trump
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9zfZrfKk9lY
  4. Video resource: Sarah Huckabee Sanders Reveals Why She Really Ditched Trump
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IxdBFf2Ba-8
  5. Article resource: Anthony Scaramucci: Fired from the White House after 10 Days
    https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-40684697
  6. Article resource: Top White House Adviser Hicks no Longer Works at the White House, a Previously Planned Departure
    https://www.cnn.com/2021/01/13/politics/hope-hicks-white-house-trump-riot/index.html
  7. Article resource: Stephanie Grisham Named as Next White House Press Secretary
    https://www.abc10.com/article/news/nation-world/stephanie-grisham-named-as-next-white-house-press-secretary/507-590cf5ed-e7a8-4dab-b811-2b892afa3d27