Sugar Coated in Relation to the Responsibility of Public Relations Professionals
Watch sugar coated(or search about it to answer questions). Then answer 5 questions (see week3 dis), answer each question followed by the number.
Week 03 Stop and Notice: Problem Recognition Introduction and Objectives
Resources
• Ethics & Compliance Initiative. (2018). Global business ethics survey. Retrieved from http://www.ethics.org/ecihome/research/gbes (read all 13 pages)
- Public Relations Society of America. (2018). Code of ethics. Retrieved from https://www.prsa.org/ethics/code-of-ethics/ (read all 6 pages)
- American Association for Public Opinion Research. (2015). The code of professional ethics and practices. Retrieved from https://www.aapor.org/Standards-Ethics/AAPOR- Code-of-Ethics.aspx (read all 7 pages)
The following documentary discusses one kind of moral problem that has surfaced in the public relations field and serves as an invaluable case study. Part of your discussion will draw from the documentary, so I recommend that you review the discussion questions before watching the film.
• Hozer, M. (Producer and Director). (2015). Sugar coated [Online documentary]. Available from https://jhu.kanopy.com/video/sugarcoated (92:00)
Discussion: Week 03 Sugar Coated
Watch Sugar Coated.https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4425138/
SUGAR COATED examines the various public relations tactics that the food industry has employed over the years to beat back accelerating concerns about the toxicity of sugar. Its starting point is a secret PR campaign the industry devised in the 1970s to deflect attention away from developing health concerns about sugar. It then traces how in the years since the industry has honed its PR tactics to counter mounting scientific evidence about the dangers of sugar.
In the end, SUGAR COATED leaves us with two crucial questions: Will the PR specialists of the multibillion-dollar food industry continue their amazing run of success and allow Big Sugar to keep sweetening the world's food supply? Or will today's heightened level of public awareness about the relationship between sugar consumption and skyrocketing rates of obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and fatty liver disease in children prove to be too much for industry spin to handle -- ultimately forcing the same kind of reckoning we saw with Big Tobacco?
Then go to the left side of Blackboard and click on Discussions and then this week’s forum. (The link above is a shortcut.)
Create a post and answer the questions below.
- Were you aware of this case study before the start of the Communication Ethics in Action course? If so, how did you find out about it?
- Review the codes of conduct from the Public Relations Society of America and American Association for Public Opinion Research. Then identify at least 1 value or principle from each document that has not been observed in this case study (thus you should discuss a minimum of 2 values). Cite as appropriate.
- How likely is a similar situation to happen in the communication profession again? For
what reasons?
- How likely is a similar situation to happen in your organization in the future? For what
reasons?
- How likely are you to encounter a similar situation as a communication professional? For what reasons?
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* The case study is new knowledge to me that I’ve discovered in the Communication Ethics in Action course.
* The Public Relations Society of America did not observe fairness towards the general public and even used their trusted organization to mislead the public regarding the gravity of the issues in the food industry (Public Relations Society of America, 2018). The American Association for Public Opinion Research also did not observe their own set of values and principles. One of these is transparency which led to misinformation and further promotion of the unhealthy effects and the crime that is happening (American Association for Public Opinion Research, 2015).
* As mentioned in the documentary, the fight against sugar and the big organizations behind it is very similar to that of the tobacco industry before and its ill effects on the body. The focus shifts but it is likely to happen again with profitability as the main reason, which ...