Scribd
Upload
46 views2 pages

Purposive Lesson 2

The document discusses the four ethical principles of communication put forth by the US National Communication Association (NCA). First, communication should be truthful, accurate, honest, and based on reason. Second, it should promote freedom of expression, diverse perspectives, and tolerance of dissent. Third, it should condemn degrading, intimidating, coercive, violent, intolerant or hateful communication. Fourth, communicators should accept responsibility for the short and long term consequences of their communication. Adhering to these principles helps ensure ethical communication and avoid threats to well-being.

Uploaded by

Gio Hensjsksk
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
46 views2 pages

Purposive Lesson 2

The document discusses the four ethical principles of communication put forth by the US National Communication Association (NCA). First, communication should be truthful, accurate, honest, and based on reason. Second, it should promote freedom of expression, diverse perspectives, and tolerance of dissent. Third, it should condemn degrading, intimidating, coercive, violent, intolerant or hateful communication. Fourth, communicators should accept responsibility for the short and long term consequences of their communication. Adhering to these principles helps ensure ethical communication and avoid threats to well-being.

Uploaded by

Gio Hensjsksk
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 2

It is important to understand that whatever we communicate should be guided by certain ethical

principles. The US national Communication Association (NCA, 1999) discusses this in their Credo for
Ethical Communication, stating that, “Ethical communication is fundamental to responsible thinking,
decision-making, and the development of relationships and communities within and across contexts,
cultures, channels, and media. Moreover, ethical communication enhances human worth and dignity by
fostering truthfulness, fairness, responsibility, personal integrity, and respect for self and others. We
believe that unethical communication threatens the quality of all communication and consequently the
well-being of individuals and the society in which we live.

In their Credo, there are four ethical principles of communication that are especially relevant for
students today.

Firstly, they “advocate truthfulness, accuracy, honesty, and reason as essential to the integrity of
communication” (NCA, 1999). Nowadays, social media and speeches in public have been so filled with
black propaganda and whitewashing that there is a call to reiterate the need for truth and honesty. It is
important to be accurate when we communicate, and to have facts and figures to prove our assertions.
It is important to be reasonable, rather than to be too emotional or threatening when we communicate.

Secondly, the NCA also endorses “freedom of expression, diversity of perspective, and tolerance of
dissent to achieve the informed and in certain political climates, people may feel threatened to the point
that they no longer feel that it is safe to express what they feel or think. This is not a good environment
to live in. We fully agree with the NCA that to have a vibrant democracy, we must be able to hear
different perspective and have a high tolerance for views that are different from ours. It is important to
foster an environment where people feel safe enough to express what they think and feel, and for these
expression to be met with reasonable dialogue and debate, rather than outright censure and violence.

Thirdly, the NCA (1999) states that they “condemn communication that degrades individuals and
humanity through distortion, intimidation, coercion, and violence, and through the expression of
intolerance and hatred” (1999). This condemnation is important because it safeguards society from
racism, sexism, and violence against oppressed people. History has shown us that a tolerance for hate
speech, as well as speeches that incite violence and the act of killing, have often instituted such violence
in society, whether this is in the context of slavery, colonialism, or misogyny.

Lastly, the NCA (1999) states that communicators should “accept responsibility for the short and long
term consequences of our own communication and expect the same of others.” All too often, there
have been people who do not feel accountable for their actions. Therefore, if one risks to communicate
maliciously, spread false news, or incite hatred or violence, he or she should be ready to face the
consequences of such actions. States are beginning to realize this, especially in the porous medium of
social media.
Everytime we communicate, we should consider the consequences of our actions. If people were
more responsible in their use of communication, there would be less conflict in this world. Even though
the four principles above are short and concise, they are important, because they help us discern the
difference between ethical and unethical communicators.

You might also like