CPW Ethics & Professional Standards 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A freelance writer is offered a free luxury trip by a tourism board in exchange for writing a favorable article. What is the most ethical course of action?
- Accept the trip and write an unbiased article regardless
- Decline the trip to avoid any appearance of bias or obligation
- Accept the trip and disclose the arrangement in the article (Correct answer)
- Accept only if the payment is below a defined threshold
Correct answer: Accept the trip and disclose the arrangement in the article
If accepting a sponsored trip, full disclosure of the arrangement to readers is the ethical minimum required to maintain transparency.
Question 2: Which of the following best defines the ethical principle of 'accuracy' for professional writers?
- Using spell-check tools to eliminate typographical errors
- Ensuring all facts, statistics, and attributions are verified and correct (Correct answer)
- Writing content that aligns with the client's desired narrative
- Avoiding the use of technical jargon that might confuse readers
Correct answer: Ensuring all facts, statistics, and attributions are verified and correct
Accuracy requires that writers verify facts, attribute information correctly, and present information that is truthful and not misleading.
Question 3: A writer is contracted to produce content that they believe is misleading to consumers. According to professional ethics, what should the writer do?
- Complete the contract since the client bears ethical responsibility
- Raise concerns with the client and, if unresolved, decline the work (Correct answer)
- Submit the work but add a personal disclaimer
- Report the client to authorities before completing the work
Correct answer: Raise concerns with the client and, if unresolved, decline the work
Professional writers share ethical responsibility for the content they produce and should refuse work that misleads consumers if the client will not address concerns.
Question 4: What is the purpose of a written contract between a freelance writer and a client?
- To ensure the writer cannot be paid less than minimum wage
- To protect both parties by clearly defining deliverables, rights, deadlines, and payment (Correct answer)
- To transfer all moral rights from the writer to the client permanently
- To satisfy IRS reporting requirements for self-employed individuals
Correct answer: To protect both parties by clearly defining deliverables, rights, deadlines, and payment
A written contract protects both the writer and client by establishing clear expectations for scope, compensation, rights, and deadlines.
Question 5: Under the FTC's Endorsement Guides, when must a blogger disclose a material connection to a brand?
- Only when the product was received for free, not when a discount was given
- Whenever there is any financial, employment, or gifting relationship that could affect endorsements (Correct answer)
- Only for products valued above $50
- Disclosure is voluntary and recommended but not required
Correct answer: Whenever there is any financial, employment, or gifting relationship that could affect endorsements
The FTC requires disclosure of any material connection—including free products, payments, or discounts—that could influence the credibility of an endorsement.
Question 6: A writer discovers mid-project that a client intends to use content for a purpose not specified in the contract. The most professionally appropriate response is to:
- Complete the work and let the client use it however they wish
- Renegotiate the contract to address the new use case before proceeding (Correct answer)
- Abandon the project immediately without notice
- Secretly document the client's intentions for future legal action
Correct answer: Renegotiate the contract to address the new use case before proceeding
When a client's intended use changes, renegotiating the contract ensures the writer's rights and the client's needs are properly addressed.
Question 7: Which practice is considered most ethically problematic in journalistic writing?
- Using anonymous sources when their identity must be protected
- Composite characters that blend multiple real people into one (Correct answer)
- Conducting pre-publication fact-checks with sources
- Including the writer's perspective in clearly labeled opinion pieces
Correct answer: Composite characters that blend multiple real people into one
Creating composite characters without disclosure blurs the line between fact and fiction, violating reader trust and journalistic integrity.
CPW Ethics & Professional Standards 3
A freelance writer is offered a free luxury trip by a tourism board in exchange for writing a favorable article.
What is the most ethical course of action?