ABC Communication Ethics 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A PR practitioner discovers their client has been misrepresenting product safety data in press releases. What is the most ethical course of action?
- Continue issuing releases as directed to maintain the client relationship
- Advise the client to correct the misrepresentation and refuse to distribute false information (Correct answer)
- Issue a retraction without informing the client
- Notify the media directly without the client's knowledge
Correct answer: Advise the client to correct the misrepresentation and refuse to distribute false information
Ethical communicators must refuse to disseminate false information and counsel clients toward truthful communication, even at risk to the relationship.
Question 2: Which principle best describes the ethical obligation to proactively share information that stakeholders would want to know, even when not asked?
- Confidentiality
- Disclosure (Correct answer)
- Loyalty
- Autonomy
Correct answer: Disclosure
Disclosure requires communicators to proactively share information relevant to stakeholders' decisions, not merely respond to direct inquiries.
Question 3: An organization asks its communications team to suppress internal survey results showing low employee morale. Ethically, the team should:
- Comply because internal data is proprietary
- Recommend the organization address the issues and consider appropriate disclosure (Correct answer)
- Leak the results to the press to force action
- Resign immediately without explanation
Correct answer: Recommend the organization address the issues and consider appropriate disclosure
Ethical communicators advise organizations to address underlying problems and weigh disclosure obligations rather than simply suppressing unfavorable findings.
Question 4: When a communicator uses selective quotation to make a source appear to endorse a position they actually oppose, this violates which ethical standard?
- Loyalty to employer
- Accuracy and truthfulness (Correct answer)
- Confidentiality
- Competence
Correct answer: Accuracy and truthfulness
Selective quotation that misrepresents a source's actual position is a form of deception that violates the fundamental ethical standard of accuracy.
Question 5: A business communicator is offered a gift by a vendor seeking favorable coverage in the company newsletter. Accepting the gift would most directly conflict with:
- The principle of loyalty to the employer
- The principle of independence and avoiding conflicts of interest (Correct answer)
- The principle of competence
- The principle of confidentiality
Correct answer: The principle of independence and avoiding conflicts of interest
Accepting gifts from vendors seeking favorable coverage creates a conflict of interest that undermines the communicator's independence and objectivity.
Question 6: Which of the following best illustrates the ethical concept of 'stewardship' in communication?
- Maximizing the organization's media coverage at all costs
- Acting as a responsible trustee of the public trust and organizational reputation (Correct answer)
- Ensuring all communications are approved by legal before release
- Prioritizing shareholder interests over all other stakeholders
Correct answer: Acting as a responsible trustee of the public trust and organizational reputation
Stewardship means acting as a responsible trustee — protecting both the public trust and long-term organizational integrity, not just short-term interests.
Question 7: When an organization faces a crisis partly caused by ethical failures, the most important first step in crisis communication is:
- Immediately deflecting blame to external factors
- Acknowledging the situation honestly and outlining corrective actions (Correct answer)
- Delaying all statements until full legal review is complete
- Issuing a comprehensive denial to protect reputation
Correct answer: Acknowledging the situation honestly and outlining corrective actions
Honest acknowledgment paired with corrective action is the ethically sound and strategically effective crisis response, as denial typically worsens outcomes.
ABC Communication Ethics 2
A PR practitioner discovers their client has been misrepresenting product safety data in press releases.
What is the most ethical course of action?