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Ethics in Human Communication

Sixth Edition

Richard L. Johannesen, Kathleen S. Valde, and Karen E. Whedbee

Broad in scope, yet precise in exposition, the Sixth Edition of this highly acclaimed ethics text has been infused with new insights and updated material. Richard Johannesen and new coauthors Kathleen Valde and Karen Whedbee provide a thorough, comprehensive overview of philosophical perspectives and communication contexts, pinpointing and explicating ethical issues unique to human communication.

Chief among the authors’ objectives are to: provide classic and contemporary perspectives for making ethical judgments about human communication; sensitize communication participants to essential ethical issues in the human communication process; illuminate complexities and challenges involved in making evaluations of communication ethics; and offer ideas for becoming more discerning evaluators of others’ communication. Provocative questions and illustrative case studies stimulate reflexive thinking and aid readers in developing their own approach to communication ethics. A comprehensive list of resources spotlights books, scholarly articles, videos, and Web sites useful for further research or personal exploration.

$29.95 list, 347 pages

10-digit ISBN: 1-57766-555-4

13-digit ISBN: 978-1-57766-555-7

© 2008

Table of Contents

1. Ethical Responsibility in Human Communication

Inherency of Potential Ethical Issues / Adaptation to the Audience / The Importance of Ethics / Freedom and Responsibility / The Intentional and the Sincere / Components of Morality and Integrity / Ethics and Personal Character / Implied Ethics Contracts / Approaches to Ethical Judgment / Forecast

2. Political Perspectives

Four Moralities / Degree of Rationality / Significant Choice / Ground Rules for Political Controversy / A Synthesis of Textbook Standards / Public Confidence in Truthfulness of Public Communication / Other Political Systems / Some Twenty-First Century Proposals

3. Human Nature Perspectives

Human Rational Capacity / Human Symbol-Using Capacity / Kant's Categorical Imperative / Human as Persuaders / Communicative Competence and the Ideal Speech Situation / An Epistemic Ethic / Human Capacity for Value Judgment / A Humanistic Ethic for Rhetoric / Natural and Social Science Contributions / The Machine Question

4. Dialogical Perspectives

Focus of Dialogical Perspectives / Dialogue versus Expressive Communication / Characteristics of Dialogue / Characteristics of Monologue / Humans as Persons and Objects / Dialogue and Persuasion / Conditions and Contexts for Dialogue / Dialogical Attitudes in Public and Written Communication / Toward an Ethic for Rhetoric / Dialogical Ethics and Significant Choice / Guidelines for Applying Dialogical Standards

5. Situational Perspectives

Situational Ethics and Public Relations Professionals / Digs's Situational Perspective / Fletcher's Christian Situation Ethics / Alinsky's Situational Perspective / Ethical Issues in Social Protest Situations

6. Religious, Utilitarian, and Legalistic Perspectives

Religious Perspectives: General Nature / A Christian Ethic for Persuasion / The Mass Media and Christian Morality / An Ethic for Christian Evangelism / Oral Roberts's Controversial Fund-Raising Appeal / Several Asiatic Religious Perspectives / Shared Perspectives / Utilitarian Perspectives: General Nature / Levels of Moral Thinking / The Social Utility Approach / Legalistic Perspectives: General Nature / Politics and Advertising / Problems with Legalistic Perspectives

7. Some Basic Issues

Absolute and Relative Standards / Maximum or Minimum Standards / The End as Justification of Means / The Ethics of Lying / The Ethics of Intentional Ambiguity and Vagueness / Ethics, Emotional Appeals, and Rationality / The Truth Standard in Commercial Advertising / Ethics and Propaganda / Ethics and the Demagogue / Ethics and Nonverbal Communication / Ethics and Ghostwriting / Secrecy / Ethical Responsibilities of Receivers / Postmodernism and the Self as an Ethical Agent / Internet Ethics

8. Interpersonal Communication and Small Group Discussion

Condon's Interpersonal Ethic / A Contextual Interpersonal Ethic / An Ethic for Interpersonal Trust / An Ethic for Everyday Conversation / Unfair Tactics in Verbal Conflict / Individual Responsibility in Relational Communication / Keeping the Conversation Going / Ethical Responsibility and Interpersonal Influence / Ross's Prima Facie Duties / Examples of Potential Ethical Problems in Interpersonal Communication / A Political Perspective for Small Group Discussion / Respect for the Worth of Others / Ethical Sensitivity / A "Groupthink" Ethic

9. Communication in Organizations

Employee Perceptions of Workplace Ethics / Assessing Ethical Responsibility / Organizations as Cultures / Character and Virtue Ethics / A Model of Organizational Integrity / A Typology for Analyzing Communication Ethics / Ethical Standards for Communication in Organizations / Moral Silence, Deafness, and Blindness / Confronting Ethical Transgressions / Whistle-Blowing / Ethics for Communication Consulting and Training / Ethics in Public Relations / Examples of Ethical Problems / Cynicism and Relevance

10. Formal Codes of Ethics

Objections to Formal Codes / Developing a Sound Formal Code / Useful Functions / Advertising Association Codes / International Association of Business Communicators / Public Relations Society of America Code / Codes for Political Campaign Communication / A Journalism Code / National Communication Association

11. Feminist Contributions

An Ethic of Care / "Telling It Slant": Women and Lying / Rhetoric, Persuasion, Communication, and Mass Communication / Additional Communication Issues

12. Intercultural and Multicultural Communication

The Search for Transcultural Ethics / The Golden Rule / Chen and Starosta's Reciprocity Ethic / Kale's Human Nature Ethic / Multicultural Communication / Ethnic Ethics / Modified Universalism / Moral Exclusion / Racist/Sexist Language and Hate Speech / Communicating about Ethics across Cultural Differences / Discarding Rigidity

Appendix: Case Studies of Theory and Practice