|
Porfolio II.B: The Insider
Read Section II, Chapter 8, pp. 436ff. in your textbook.
Write a one (or two) page response to the movie "The Insider", considering the three ethical main ethical issues it covers. See the comments/questions below as a guideline for writing your response.
Integrity of the Business Itself
Discuss the decisions that the Brown & Williamson Tobacco company made to profit at the public's expense; compare with Jeffrey Wigand's experience with his former employer, Johson & Johnson. (See the Johnson & Johnson Credo for greater examination of the company ethic.) Can a profitable company be run with a greater adherence to ethics and consumer well-being?
Whistleblowing
Discuss the sacrifices that Jeffrey Wigand made to follow his ethical instincts. He is asked by Mike Wallace in the Sixty Minutes interview, "Would you do it again?" and answers "Yes," just as Jan Schlichtman feels in "A Civil Action." Do you feel it is "worth it"? Discuss the conflicting values of loyalty and security vs. justice and rights of the individual.
Media Ethics
Discuss the decisions that the producers of Sixty Minutes made to protect themselves and profit at Wigand's expense and the public's loss of information. How much do you think similar situations influence the media and the information that we receive every day? How much do you think such decisions shape and affect public policy and lawmakers, for better or worse, considering the influence that the media has (or the extent that you perceive it to have)?
|
|