Sheri Bleam, chair of the communications department, gave a lecture during the monthly Ethics Brown Bag lecture series last week. Her topic was ethical matters in the communication arts. The lecture took place in Knight Auditorium in Valade Hall. (Photo by Jon Wittkop)
Communications ethics was the topic of a Brown Bag presentation by Sheri Bleam, professor of communication arts and sciences and chair for the communication arts department.
The program was held last Thursday in Knight Auditorium and was sponsored by the Adrian College Institute for Ethics.
Bleam talked about how communications can be broken into two areas: content and method. She explained how content, or the “what,” shifts as a case develops. She also asked the audience to consider messages in context of a “touchstone of the human story.”
“We are a narrative species that likes connecting dots, speculating on dots, and inventing some dots,” said Bleam.
Bleam said the method, or “how,” the message is sent is a highly influential factor in communications ethics. Sending a message one way could make it seem frivolous, while another could make it important.
“How we do things influences the what,” said Bleam, “and the what influences how we do things. It’s reciprocal.”
As an example, Bleam discussed media relations and the priorities in Haiti. She asked the audience whether aid agencies such as the Red Cross should divert resources to media relations teams, as well as whether agencies should respond to online criticism during emergencies like the Haiti earthquake. She also questioned whether some agencies would possibly abuse the media for promotional purposes.
“I learned about the complications surrounding aid relief agencies and media representation,” said senior Cleary Murphy. “I hadn’t thought about the possibility of such agencies abusing media as a means of self-promotion at the cost of being [neglectful] of their duty: providing humanitarian relief. I enjoyed Dr. Bleam’s presentation on ethics and media. She did a great job of explaining the ethical analysis before turning to concrete cases for application.”