Ethics - Introduction

The following article from a Time Magazine Internet Publication is a very well written (with the exception of a few grammar problems and a writing style that is far too informal) editorial. The presentation of this article on pro1040 is neither for the purpose of making a political statement nor is it presented as a patriotic statement, but to create critical thinking of the actions and decisions each of us is confronted with on a daily basis.

Rotary International suggests that all members of Rotary subscribe to a test of the conduct of business and personal decisions. My purpose in presenting to you the following article can be emphasized by the reciting of the "Four Way Test":

Of the things we think, say or do:

Is it the Truth?

Is it Fair to all concerned?

Will it build goodwill and better friendships?

Will it be beneficial to all concerned?"

To describe my focus for presenting this article, I shall quote the single most important thought from the article:

"And although you may not feel like it right now, you're in an enviable position: Over the next week or so you have the opportunity to shape not only the way history will remember you, but the way the future will treat you as well."

Each person has the choice - "... the opportunity to shape not only the way history will remember you, but the way the future will treat you as well."

I have added a few comments after the presentation of the article written by Jessica Reaves.

BY JESSICA REAVES

To: Vice President Gore

Re: The Election

Dear Mr. Gore:

History remembers the strangest things: Ronald Reagan's jellybean fetish, Nixon's penchant for tape recorders, Johnson's inexplicable urge to pick his dogs up by their ears. And although you may not feel like it right now, you're in an enviable position: Over the next week or so you have the opportunity to shape not only the way history will remember you, but the way the future will treat you as well.

Next Friday, when the official recount has come in and all the absentee ballots have returned from overseas, you'll know whether Floridians chose you or your opponent on November 7. And if you've come up short in the tally, you should gracefully step aside and let Bush take up the presidency.

It sounds outrageous, I know, especially when there are so many questions remaining: What about those Buchanan votes? Those discarded ballots? The sheer unfairness of it all? The easy road in a situation like this is paved with temper tantrums and legal maneuvering.

So take the hard road. Be the bigger man. Get out of the way of the Bush steamroller and let Americans see that you are, in fact, a guy who's capable of behaving like a president. We'll remember that in four years, I can promise you that.

The legal challenges your team keeps threatening represent a singularly bad political logic. I know you're not challenging the voters, but in a way, that's what it sounds like. To many it seems that you're not happy with the outcome of the election, and so you're challenging the results. And while you may have grounds for some well-placed anger, you've also got the opportunity to do something truly historic: Walk away.

It will show people that you put the welfare of the nation before your own ambition. It will show that you have an uncommon devotion to the common good. It will show that you can rise above the messiness and unruliness and see what's best for the country, not the Gore family. It will show people that you are that rare thing, a statesman.

It's not impossible. Dick Nixon did it back in 1960, even when he was fairly certain there had been a little hanky-panky back in the ballot boxes of Texas and Illinois. He did grudgingly and reluctantly, but he did it. And then he ran successfully just eight years later. Assuming that Bush survives his first term and performs in an unspectacular fashion, you could conceivably be ensconced in the Oval Office by January 2005.

Spend the interim four years getting to know all of us a bit better, and, more importantly, letting us get to know you. We've heard about your decidedly un-robotic behind-the-scenes persona, and now that the pressure's off, maybe we could witness your purported grooviness firsthand.

Take up golf. (Well, scratch that.) Get some empathy tips from Clinton. Mow the lawn. Help Albert III with his college applications.

It's a gift, really, all this time. You're young, and you're smart. You've got the rest of your political life spreading out before you like a giant, blue-coded electoral map. It'll be tough at first, of course, those initial weeks after the decision. You'll probably feel an inexplicable urge to shake strangers' hands, drink bad coffee, sleep for three hours a night. And you might need to wear ties for a few weeks — you'll feel naked without one. Just take it one day at a time. Coming off a campaign is kind of like detox, hopefully without the tremors.

In the meantime, take Tipper and the kids and Bill Daley on a nice long vacation, far away from Washington. And for heaven's sake stay away from those swing states. The weather in Ohio is horrible this time of year.

Some Comments from Bob Parrish

The news media and those involved in making the presentations have the potential to shape the logic, the reasoning, the knowledge, the perception and participation of the viewers.

Video journalism possesses the potential for misinformation and emotion above logic more than any other communication method. In my opinion, the presenters have lost sight of the news as the center of attention and have placed themselves in the center of attention. Attention/Ratings seem to have replaced factual and quantitative content. (I shall discuss some of the tools the multi-media presenters use to fool the viewer in the next paragraph.) The news content has become related to advertising content and political content. There is an old adage used by advertising executives -"Sell the sizzle, not the steak". Today, news is selling sizzle. We are confronted daily with Sizzle Sellers. In other words, the news sells issues. It does not sell unbiased facts. Both quantitative and objective content is omitted. Half-truth's seem to be rampant. Please note that I have refrained from using the word truth. The word "Truth" itself sometimes can be misleading. What appears to be true to one, may not be true to another. Seeking the "Truth" is, or can be, a journey which may have no departure and no destination or no arrival. Departing on a journey for the truth may be an endless journey for mankind. The news media should have a higher goal than to sell the sizzle. Our country is founded on a premise that the search for truth by one is not the same search as for another. Our country has been founded on that premise which provides that each of us should have the right to that journey - on our own road, with our own turns, stops and "under construction" problems. The mass media should have the responsibility and maturity to recognize the inherent and fundamental rights of all mankind. When the news Sells Sizzle, that is presents bias by any method, it is thwarting the rights of the common man. Presentation of factual, unbiased, subjective and verifiable information should be the mission - not ratings, self-indulgence or self-justification. To this higher calling I shall next cover techniques, methods and strategies video journalism can use to make you a slave to its own self-destructive folly.

Both recorded and live productions can be staged to thwart dissemination of factual material and sell sizzle. I am not a journalist, a videographer or news anchor person. I am aware of the techniques used by these professions. First, if you see one person while another is speaking you can be put on notice the presentation has been edited for both voice and video. You are not informed what has been omitted, or what has been added. You are not told what the immediately preceding or following comments were. You can be placed on notice, the audio portion and comments are taken out of context. Second, when you observe any segment you do not know whether there were any qualifications to the message. Third, the lead news moderator will normally control the questioning. Notice that many times the same side is asked a particularly uncomfortable or difficult question first and a response is presented. This technique will nearly always place the second to respond on the defensive. Thereby the news media can always claim that both sides are presented and the same questions are asked of each. HOWEVER, THE TECHNIQUES OF QUESTIONING THE PERSONALLY FAVORED SIDE FIRST WILL ALWAYS PLACE THE OTHER SIDE ON THE DEFENSIVE AND MAKE THAT SECOND SIDE APPEAR DISCREDITED. These are only a few of the methods used to enslave the mind of the common man.

The viewer is made a slave to the fancies and whims of the media. The only method to break the shackles of this slavery is for the viewers to be made aware of the techniques used to lock the facts from their minds.