Chapter 2
Codes of Ethics and Justification Models
Fill-in-the-Blank Questions
1. The item in the “W’s and H” justification model that asks you to think about ethics
codes and law is: “Why not ____________ ________ ________?”
2. The ____________ ___________ was a four-stage justification model created by a
Harvard professor seeking to work through an ethical quandary.
3. The TARES test is often used by people in __________________ disciplines of mass
communication to make ethical choices.
4. If law is about choosing between right vs. wrong, then ethics is often about choosing
between right vs _________.
Answers to fill-in-the-blank questions
1. People who break aspirational items in a code of ethics are more likely to be
disciplined than someone who breaks a minimal item in a code.
2. Codes of ethics are sufficient to solve most moral dilemmas.
3. The best codes of ethics are written by management and given to employees to
follow.
4. Codes such as those offered by the Society of Professional Journalists, Public
Relations Society of America, and American Association of Advertising Agencies are
legally enforceable.
5. The goal of justification models such as “The W’s and H” list or the Potter Box is not
to force decisions, but to help a decision maker understand and ethically justify a
decision.
6. Law is similar to minimalistic ethics in that it outlines a bottom line below which we
should not fall, but it does not elevate us to a higher level of moral development.
7. The Society of Professional Journalists’ code of ethics says journalists should “actively
censure” journalists who violate the code.
Answers to true/false questions
1. An example of __________ in a media code of ethics would be a line telling
practitioners not to commit plagiarism.
A. an aspirational statement
B. a minimal expectation
C. a relativist statement
D. a maxim
E. a firing offense
2. Examples of justification models include all of the following EXCEPT:
A. Bok’s Test of Veracity.
B. the Rotary Club’s Four-Way Test.
C. the “W’s and H” list.
D. federal copyright law.
E. The Potter Box.
3. People who use a justification model such as the “W’s and H” may reach
_________________ conclusion(s).
A. the same
B. different
4. Which of these principles is NOT in the Society of Professional Journalists’ code of
ethics?
A. Seek truth and report it.
B. Minimize harm.
C. Censure members who break ethical standards.
D. Act independently.
E. Be accountable.
Answers to multiple choice questions
1. The textbook offers several reasons why organizations have codes of ethics. Describe
those reasons, and explain which reason you think is most important.
2. People who carefully use a justification model such as the “W’s and H” list on the
same ethical problem may reach different conclusions. Why? What specific questions on
the “W’s and H” list might be more likely to lead to these differing conclusions?