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MORAL LEADERSHIP
Constructing ethical
frameworks in a morally
challenged America
Presented by Mitch Land, PhD, director
Voltaire
“Virtue has escaped
our hearts and taken
refuge on our lips”
Histoire de Louis XIV
"No legacy is so
rich as honesty."
William Shakespeare
"Oh, what a tangled web we weave,
When first we practice to deceive!"
-Sir Walter Scott,
Marmion
"Honesty is the first chapter in
the book of wisdom."
-Thomas Jefferson
“Men occasionally stumble over the
truth, but most of them pick
themselves up and hurry off as if
nothing had happened.”
Winston Churchill
Moral Dilemmas


Robert Dilenschneider
Richard Kosmicki
“Spin is bad for you, it’s bad for your
company and it’s bad for your
clients.”
Conflicts of Interest

Janet Cooke’s 1980 Pulitzer Prize
withdrawn because of composite story
On April 13, 1981, Washington Post
reporter Janet Cooke was awarded the
Pulitzer Prize for a story titled "Jimmy's
World" about an 8-year-old heroin addict.
On April 15 she confessed that there really
was no "Jimmy," that he represented a
composite of child addicts and that her
story was, in fact, fiction. She returned the
prize and resigned.
Corporate and Government Spin



Johnson presidency using “spin” to
justify Vietnam War: Gulf of Tonkin
Clinton administration casts
doubts on female accusers
Redefining sexual relations
Tabloid Journalism

ABC PrimeTime Live uses deception to
obtain sensational video images of
Food Lion


NBC rigs trucks to explode
CNN reports serin gas accusation
against the Pentagon
MEDIA ETHICS
“Why, that’s an oxymoron!”
Defining Ethics

Derived from ethos

Ethos = spirit of a culture

Moral standards of right and wrong
FRAMEWORKS FOR ETHICAL
DECISION-MAKING

Utilitarianism

Deontological

Or somewhere in the middle?
THE CASE FOR
COMMUNITARIANISM
Utilitarianism

Jeremy Bentham
1781

John Stuart Mill
1863
Utilitarianism

Greatest Good for the Greatest Number

The End Justifies the Means
Deontological Perspective

Immanuel Kant
1798
DEONTOLOGY



Study of necessity, duty or obligation
Moral worth is an intrinsic feature of
human actions, determined by formal
rules of conduct
Moral obligation rests solely upon duty,
without reference to the consequences.
The Basic Tenets of
Utilitarianism

Greatest Good for the Greatest
Number
– moral relativism
– the end justifies the means
– interpretation subjective
– principles are negotiable and
disposable

End Justifies the Means
The Basic Tenets of
Utilitarianism

It regards "utility as the ultimate
appeal on all ethical questions –
COMMON SENSE

Rightness or wrongness is
determined by the overall value of
the consequences

End Justifies the Means
Subtle Weaknesses in Utilitarianism
•
Utilitarianism depends upon an accurate
assessment of the consequences– both
long term and short term
•
Consequences-dependent theory lacks
sufficient guidelines for long-term
assessment
•
Its individualist bias oversimplifies complex
relationships of family, neighbors,
community
Subtle Weaknesses in Utilitarianism
Utilitarianism’s singular focus neglects
competing principles
•
•
Utilitarianism privileges possible
consequences over past responsibilities
•
Utilitarianism confuses an aggregate of
individual goods with the common good
•
Individual liberty has priority over the
moral order, and therefore ethics is
exterior
Moral Relativism

Hitler’s Final Solution

Separate but Equal: Segregation in
America 1600-1964

Milosevic’s Ethnic Cleansing
Problematic of Deontology

If a precept is true for one, it is true for
all.

Kant’s Categorical Imperative leaves little
room for Consequential Imperative.

Principles dominate Consequences.
Principles
Or
Consequences ?
Or somewhere between:
COMMUNITARIANISM
Communitarianism

Individuality exists in a context of
social reality—not in isolation

Human identities are constituted
within a social conception of the
good

Individual rights are NOT the
cornerstone of the political order
Communitarianism
•
The communal, our commonness,
communitas is the context in which
the nature of persons is understood
•
Morally appropriate action assumes
community
Critique of Communitarianism
•
Utilitarianism also considers the group,
collective or society generally.
- Good conduct is that which results in the greatest good
for the greatest number.
•
Communitarianism is a smoke
screen for collectivism—a socialist
agenda.
•
Communitarianism threatens the
primacy of the “sacred” individual.
-
Mill/Kant see individual as the measure of value against
the collective of state and society.
Critique of Communitarianism
•
Communitarianism is a disguise for
theological mishmash.
- An attempt to force universal principles derived from
theological belief systems upon others.
•
Communitarianism would shift the
objective of news from unbiased
information transmission to an agent
of community transformation.
Critique of Communitarianism
•
Communitarianism seeks to foster a
common philosophy, which would result in
deep psychological turmoil and public
sadness.
•
Such like-mindedness would lead to
social destruction, psychological
alienation and personal immorality.
Principles
 Truth
 Justice
 Freedom
 Humaneness
 Stewardship
Values
Varied expressions of principles

Truth = integrity, honesty, trustworthy

Humaneness = kind, gentle, caring

Stewardship = generous, frugal, good
managing

Justice = fairness, equality

Freedom = liberty, self-expression
The Potter Box
FACTS
PRINCIPLES
VALUES
STAKEHOLDERS
Two-Dimensional Analysis

Analysis always builds on assumptions

Even though assumptions often hide

Or they lie buried beneath social
pressures
Three-Dimensional Analysis

Moral reasoning is always built upon a
philosophical foundation whether or not
the decision maker is aware of it.

3-D Analysis builds upon a
philosophical foundation
3-D Analysis
The base of the pyramid of moral
reasoning represents the
philosophical foundation.
The pyramid of our moral
reasoning is always constructed
upon this philosophical base.
From our mental arrangement of
the case facts through the
prioritizing of the principles and
values to the eventual list of
stakeholders we move to a point
of decision.
FOUNDATION BASED ANALYSIS
Utilitarianism
Communitarianism
PRINCIPLES
FACTS
VALUES
Bullet the case facts
that give rise to the
ethical dilemma.
Cut through the fat
of details to expose
the raw nerves of
moral crisis.
FACTS
Just as the surgeon’s scalpel
exposes unprotected and
unsedated nerve tissue to air
and light results in pain,
The gradual exposure of
essential facts results in the
angst of conflicting moral
principles.
This triangular panel should
list in order of priority the
principles at stake.
PRINCIPLES
Principles and values
are closely related.
Principles can be
understood as the
major nouns that
organize the nouns
and verbs of values.
Moral values can
always be linked to
five major
principles: truth,
justice, liberty,
humaneness and
stewardship.
VALUES
The principle of
truth informs my
honest behavior,
trustworthy actions,
my decisions of
integrity and so on.
The principle of humaneness
should prompt merciful acts,
kind behavior toward my
neighbors, and the gentle
treatment of children, animals,
the weak and so on.
This triangular
panel should list in
order of priority
the principles that
emerge from an
elaboration of the
essential facts.
VALUES
The fourth triangular
panel lists the
stakeholders in order of
priority.
Analyzing the facts
and the competing
principles and
values will evoke
the following
questions:
Who has the most to
gain and who has the
least to gain as we
move toward the
point of decision.
Conversely, who has
the most and least to
lose?
STAKEHOLDERS
POINT OF DECISION
STAKEHOLDERS
VALUES
FACTS
FOUNDATION
PRINCIPLES
Establish the facts

Texaco involved in litigation over racial
discrimination.

Texaco executives are recorded using
racial slurs.
Jesse Jackson calls for nationwide
boycott.
 Peter Bijur addresses Texaco
employees.

Facts

Peter Bijur dismisses three executives.

Bijur announces Texaco’s intolerance
for racial discrimination.

Bijur announces steps for re-education.

Jesse Jackson calls off the boycott.
Principles
 Truth
telling
 Justice
 Humaneness
 Freedom
 Stewardship
Moral Values & Non-moral
values





Fairness
Full Disclosure
Honesty
Frugality
Professionalism
Stakeholders & Loyalties





Texaco Employees
Stockholders
Texaco CEO
Customers
The three guilty executives
Which Framework for Bijur?


Utilitarianism
Alternatives
Communitarianism
– Rawl’s Veil of Ignorance
– Aristotle’s Golden Mean
– Judeo-Christian Agapism
Communitarianism Applied




All principles were involved in the
Texaco Case.
Principle of Humaneness clashed with
other principles
No possibility of “redemption” or
“rehabilitation” for Texaco Executives.
Texaco Executives didn’t “Apologize”
Possible Alternative Steps framed
in Communitarianism
•
Reprimand Executives who used racial slurs
•
Have Executives publicly apologize and ask
forgiveness from offended parties
•
•
Demote Executives
Require sensitivity training on the part
of Executives
ABC PrimeTime Live Vs. Food Lion
Establish Facts
Prioritize Values
Prioritize Stakeholders
and Loyalties
Prioritize Principles
Establish the Facts






ABC goes undercover to investigate
food-handling abuses
Cameras record alleged abuses
PrimeTime Live broadcasts sensational
story
Food Lion suffers great financial loss
Food Lion sues ABC
Jury finds in favor of Food Lion
Moral Values




Non-Moral Values
Telling an accurate 
story (TRUTH)

Protecting the public 
health (HUMANENESS)

Holding Grocer
accountable
(STEWARDSHIP)

Punishing wrongdoing (JUSTICE)

Making a profit
Satisfying ratings
Telling visual story
Telling a compelling
story
Betting both sides of
an issue
Obtaining
authoritative
sources
VALUES : MORAL Vs
NON-MORAL
NON-MORAL
Obtaining authoritative sources
• Getting both sides of an issue
• Telling a compelling story
• Telling visual story
• Satisfying ratings
• Making a profit
•
Moral Values
Telling an accurate story
(TRUTH)
•
Obtaining the truth with
integrity (TRUTH & JUSTICE)
•
Protecting the public health
(HUMANENESS)
•
Holding the grocer
accountable (STEWARDSHIP)
•
MORAL VALUES
Telling an accurate story
(TRUTH)
•
Obtaining the truth with
integrity (TRUTH & JUSTICE)
•
Protecting the public health
(HUMANENESS)
•
Holding the grocer
accountable (STEWARDSHIP)
•
• Obtaining authoritative sources
• Getting both sides of an issue
• Telling a compelling story
• Telling visual story
• Satisfying ratings
• Making a profit
NON-MORAL VALUES
PRIORITIZE STAKEHOLDERS
FOOD LION
ABC News






Stockholders
Advertisers
Viewers
Producers
Management
Other Employees






Stockholders
Suppliers
Customers
Management
Food & Drug
Administration
Legal System
Identifying loyalties

Who has the most to lose?

Who has the most to gain?
PRIORITIZE PRINCIPLES

Truth Telling

Humaneness

Justice

Stewardship
Philosophical Framework?

Utilitarianism Perspective

Moral Imagination in search of
Alternatives -- Communitarianism
Alternative Scenario




Enter Food Lion without lying
Consensus decision making on the
outtakes
Invite independent examination of food
after it leaves the store
Other?