This semester in Ethics, Law and Diversity in Strategic Communications I learned to look at situations not only from a moral and business standpoint but an ethical and legal standpoint as well. More often than not, when people look at an issue they are only concerned with the legalities of the situation. I now know that just because something is legal doesn’t make it ethical. There are many instances when something is legal but is not ethical such as the instance with Cracker Barrel. Cracker Barrel not only refused to hire homosexual employees they fired those on staff that were “out” and/or that they assumed to be homosexual. Although this was a legal act it was unquestionably unethical.
Before taking this class I assumed that if something was illegal it had to be unethical as well but this is not always the case. Something can be deemed illegal from a utilitarian standpoint but still be ethical for the most part. The different case studies we presented in class showed both sides to this. Whether it was the Dove Real Beauty Campaign, the PETA Holocaust Campaign or the Toyota Runaway Prius case they all opened our eyes to a different outlook on the situation.
This class also gave me a clear position on the different Codes of Ethics in the industry: public relations, marketing, WOM, advertising, everything journalism related. I feel I am walking away with a better understand of advertising and the codes of ethics associated with the field. Before I enrolled in the class I never considered advertising to be the most ethical field of journalism and it didn’t cross my mind that they might have a code of ethics as well. I now find myself looking at situations from an ethical standpoint and considering the different ethical dimensions and theories. I now have the hedonic calculus bouncing in my head or was that a utilitarian thought?
-Alisha Mychele
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