ETHICS MID-TERM
Name:____________________________
[Each answer is worth 10 points; correct answers in red]
1. This part of the exam features a
different
type of True-False question. Below you will find two-part statements
with one
part more significant than the other. Analyzing such questions and
ascertaining
which parts are true, false or more significant than others is an
important
component of ethical decision-making. Read each statement carefully,
identify
the significance of the components, and circle the appropriate
abbreviation. If
a statement is entirely true, circle (T);
mostly true (MT); mostly false (MF);
and entirely false (F).
Examples: The
North won the Civil War, 1861-65 [both the winning side and
the date are
accurate; thus, (T)]; the North won the
Civil War, 1860-1865
[knowing the winning side is more important than knowing the date;
thus, (MT)]; the South won the Civil War,
1861-1865 [the date is correct but the
winning side is wrong; thus, (MF)]; the
South won the Civil War, 1860-1865
[both the winning side and date are wrong; thus, (F)].
I. An ethical
journalist bases workplace decisions on outcomes of "good and bad"
rather
than on the concepts of "right and wrong" (over which a person
has
little
control):
T
MT MF F.
II. Truth is elusive. Often it is
relative.
Occasionally is it absolute. T MT
MF F.
III. Perception, or how one interprets
the
outside world, is perhaps the least important element in any journalism
job. T
MT MF F.
IV. Three main categories represent the
spectra
of photographs: illustration, digit, documentary. T MT MF F.
V. Members of the
2. Put a check mark (one check only,
please)
next to the phrase that identifies the key ethical
difference between a "role model" and an "idol":
_X_
transferable values
___ civil
judgments
___ celebrity recognition
___ summary
judgments
___ value-added judgments ___ legal judgments
3. Put a check mark in the space provided
to
identify the seven civic values studied in ethics class. (Note: Each correct check mark worth 10
points and, of course, you
are only allowed seven check marks.)
___Respect
for the views of elders.
_X_Concern
for those who come after us.
___Desire
for the upward mobility.
___Knowledge
that the "Elect" in society will be known by their prosperity.
___Support
for the first 10 amendments of the Emancipation Proclamation.
_X_Respect
for the views of others.
___The
conviction that the government's interests exceed the citizens'
interests.
___The
belief that individual rights and privileges are to be exercised
without restraint.
_X_The
conviction that no one is above the law.
_X_The
belief that our common interests are greater than our individual
differences.
___The
conviction that the President is above the law
___Support
for the freedoms in the Magna Carta.
_X_
The
belief that individual rights and privileges are to be exercised
responsibly
especially with respect to others.
___Respect
for the individual and commitment to means as ends.
___The
conviction that our individual differences are greater than our common
interests.
_X_Support
for the freedoms in the Bill of Rights.
_X_Respect
for the individual and commitment to equal opportunity.
4. Note:
Circle the correct answer. Complete this statement so that it
reflects
the ethical lesson we learned in class about perception: It
is important to acknowledge "trigger words" because ...
(a) they attract the attention of advertisers, readers, viewers, listeners and clients.
(b) they cloud perception and cause us to react in ways we normally wouldn't.
(c) they enhance perception and cause us to react assertively.
5. Put a check next to the statement that most reflects what we learned about principles and values in ethics class:
___Values
are moral and universal whereas principles are amoral and personal.
_X_Values
are relative and personal whereas principles are moral and universal.
___
Values are amoral and universal whereas principles are moral and
personal.
___ Values are relative and universal whereas principles are amoral and personal.
6. Match terms and definitions by putting the appropriate letter next to the proper term:
[Worth 10 points
each]
__E__Peak Experience __B__Inappropriate
Disclosure _c_Social Mores __B__Moral Absolutes __D__Moral
Relativism
A.
A
concept stating that divulging truth on certain occasions and to
certain people
may violate privacy or social norms.
B.
A
concept stating that some things are clearly right or wrong and not
subject to
ethical debate.
C.
A
concept stating that certain commonly held values are rooted in the
national
experience.
D.
A
concept stating that nothing is clearly right or wrong and everything
open to
debate.
E.
A
concept stating that certain truths are physical and universally
present in our
psyches.
7. Circle the correct answser. For satire ti be
ethical, it must:
(a) Contain sarcasm and a grain of truth and make its points at anyone's expense.
(b) Contain a grain of truth and mandatory humor and make its points at anyone's expense.
(c) Contain a grain of truth and an unreliable persona but not make points at the expense of people or groups unassociated with the satire.
(d) Contain an unreliable persona and mandatory humor but not make points at the expense of people or groups unassociated with the satire.
8. Jared Lazarus, former photojournalism intern, did the following while searching for a feature shot for the July 4 issue of The Tennessean:
(a) Used appropriate discourse to argue about the cropping of his front-page lakeside photo.
(b) Took pictures of a boating accident that involved alcohol consumption.
(c) Put down his camera to rescue a drowning woman.
(d) Helped in the rescue of a drowning child and then took a picture of the child held by his father.
9. Complete this sentence so it is ethically
accurate: A lie can be a responsible act
providing ...
(a) it is a white lie that spares someone embarrassment or pain.
(b) it implicates another person and cannot be traced back to you.
(c) it achieves a very important moral goal which cannot be achieved without the lie.
10. Match terms and definitions by putting the
appropriate
letter to the left of the correct term:
_B_ Conscience _C_ Consciousness _B_ Boundary _A_ Applied Ethics
A. Practical strategies that enhance problem-solving at home and at work.
B. An inner knowing of right and wrong.
C. An awareness of how one’s actions affect one’s self and others.
D.
An
ethical concept that fixes a metaphorical line symbolizing the
“non-negotiable.”
11. Circle "True" or "False" to indicate the correct answer for each of the three general statements below (worth 10 points each):