Brief Overview of Ethics with feedback

Ethical Issues of Risk Communication

Issues that dictate the ethical components:

Social Ethics

Social ethics comprise the code of conduct by which society can judge our behavior. (L&M 74)

Sociopolitical Environment’s Influence

Society’s social political environment changes and so does the ethics that govern the field of risk communications.

The Use of the Risk Idiom

Important “gate keeping” issues come into play when identifying what a risk is, or to whom the risk will be communicated to (L&M 76)

Involving the Public

Advantages
Public participation will ensure decision will last concerning risk
Can increase organization’s credibility

Disadvantages
Risk managers may resist because of the fear of loss of control
Requires more time at the beginning of the process.

Fairness of the Risk

Another social ethical issue is whether the risks are spread equitably over all ethnic and social groups. (L&M pg 79)

~Feedback on material~

One of the most important questions posed in this week’s material on ethics, is “What should the role be of the communicator in the risk information process?” (L&M pg 90)

Questions like these seem to encompass the arena of ethics in risk communications. It is important for a risk communicator to understand the nature of the communication as well as the messages that are being relayed from them to their intended audience.

In order to maintain organization or even source credibility it is very important that risk communicators do not try to “sell” (L&M 90) the audience on a risk decision.

It seems that most risk communication is designed by theentity that wishes to expose people to the risk or, occasionally, mandatedby a government agency with intense participation by the regulated industry. Thus the choice to make ethical decisions lies ultimately with the risk communicator.

The true test lies also when organizational ethics conflicts with that of the personal ethics of a risk communicator, creating an interesting dilemma.