tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20492229.post8168770500690226876..comments2021-08-27T11:45:23.115-06:00Comments on Media Ethics: Into the pot, already boiling...: A Perplexing Ethical ConundrumNancy Williamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05201440673240187754noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20492229.post-8595914498896263282008-08-17T22:48:00.000-06:002008-08-17T22:48:00.000-06:00Yes, Alison had recommended bcc.I learned from a w...Yes, Alison had recommended bcc.<BR/><BR/>I learned from a workshop many years ago that almost any action or remark can be spun to make it look bad (or good). What's important is to recognize spin (positive or negative) relative to a neutral or objective view.<BR/><BR/>I was not surprised the negotiation failed, as Jimbo didn't come to the table with the attitude, "I'll scratch your back if you'll scratch mine." He wanted me to do him a favor without offering anything in return.Moultonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14800784950094043498noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20492229.post-18013350834972398902008-08-17T21:42:00.000-06:002008-08-17T21:42:00.000-06:00I generally find it's risky to base actions heavil...I generally find it's risky to base actions heavily on what you think others do. I would agree that you absolutely have the right to seek advice, and were under no obligation to abide by Jimbo's privacy restriction, but I also think it's still better to be up-front about both of those decisions.<BR/><BR/>I, by chance, just ran across a message Alison (if I remember correctly) had posted to you recommending you use bcc, so I can see why you did it that way. However, it looks bad from a certain perspective, so I still think it would have been better to disclose that early on. You would have had a better chance of getting somewhere with your negotiation if he hadn't felt (wrongly or not) that you were violating the terms of the discussion.Matthewhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03416090587866834429noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20492229.post-41741638967241837122008-08-15T23:54:00.000-06:002008-08-15T23:54:00.000-06:00I had no intention of publishing them until the la...I had no intention of publishing them until the last message featuring the <A HREF="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anankastic_conditional" REL="nofollow">anankastic conditional</A> with the express threat. Even when I agree to confidentiality, I have no obligation to keep bullying a secret. As soon as he flipped into bullying, that obliged me to go to public. That's my policy. I was actually on live Skype voice with Alison the whole time. She helped me craft the language, since I am not used to doing delicate negotiations with powerful people.<BR/><BR/>I routinely assume that people like Cary and Jimbo run their messages by Mike Godwin when appropriate.<BR/><BR/>In any event, I didn't acceded to Jimbo's privacy request, as he has no right to impose that. I have an unalienable right to counsel, full stop.Moultonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14800784950094043498noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20492229.post-36588387008981427042008-08-15T17:45:00.000-06:002008-08-15T17:45:00.000-06:00Using bcc: in that way may not have been the best ...Using bcc: in that way may not have been the best choice, though. It does suggest that you intended to hide that someone else was seeing those emails. You probably would have been better off disclosing from the start that you were copying someone who's advice you were seeking, if you didn't want to disclose who it was. If you didn't, it would also have been wise to disclose at some point that you were going to publish the emails to your blog, before doing so.<BR/><BR/>From an ethical standpoint, what you are doing is pretty iffy. As I'm sure you know, some people feel email is private communication, not to be disclosed without consent, while others don't see it that way. To share an email without disclosing that you will do so could violate their expectations that they are engaging in private communication. If you don't have a really good reason for doing so, it could be considered unethical.Matthewhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03416090587866834429noreply@blogger.com