"Remember, Jerry, it's not a lie if you believe it." - George Costanza
George Costanza, not the character you associate with ethics. Last week during the Principles of Public Relations class, the students were taught and discussed what is and is not ethical in a business environment. The reason why I included this quote from Seinfeld is because it correlates to our discussion and the "Code of Ethics" that was provided to us from the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) as well as the Canadian Public Relations Society (CPRS). In this paticular episode of Seinfeld, Jerry is being forced to take a polygraph test in order to prove that he watches the show Melrose Place (which he does, but does not want to admit to). Jerry has to find a way to fool the polygraph machine and enlists George's help. George says he cannot help Jerry but offers that quote as parting words. What George is saying is that Jerry can beat the machine if he believes his own lie to be true. Needless to say, this does not work for Jerry.
If we take this plot and adapt it for this purpose, what George is suggesting (and what Jerry is doing) is a violation of both ethical codes. For the IABC code, George and Jerry are violating Articles 1, 5 and 12. Article 1 states that "communicators uphold the credibility and dignity of their profession by practicing honest, candid and timely communication and by fostering the free flow of essential information in accord with the public interest." Therefore, George is suggesting that Jerry neither be honest, nor candid about the information Jerry is to provide. This also coincides with the CPRS code and their third rule (which pertains to honesty). Jerry is also in violation of article 5 because, well, George is unethical by nature. Finally, article 12 pertains to both of them, neither of them are being honest to themselves or others. When Jerry finally cracks and admits that he does watch Melrose Place he is being both truthful to himself and to others and is finally able to speak the truth.
All in all, if you have a lot of time on your hands, watch Seinfeld and break down all of the ethical codes they are breaking. There are a lot of them.
- Jordan K.
George Costanza, not the character you associate with ethics. Last week during the Principles of Public Relations class, the students were taught and discussed what is and is not ethical in a business environment. The reason why I included this quote from Seinfeld is because it correlates to our discussion and the "Code of Ethics" that was provided to us from the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) as well as the Canadian Public Relations Society (CPRS). In this paticular episode of Seinfeld, Jerry is being forced to take a polygraph test in order to prove that he watches the show Melrose Place (which he does, but does not want to admit to). Jerry has to find a way to fool the polygraph machine and enlists George's help. George says he cannot help Jerry but offers that quote as parting words. What George is saying is that Jerry can beat the machine if he believes his own lie to be true. Needless to say, this does not work for Jerry.If we take this plot and adapt it for this purpose, what George is suggesting (and what Jerry is doing) is a violation of both ethical codes. For the IABC code, George and Jerry are violating Articles 1, 5 and 12. Article 1 states that "communicators uphold the credibility and dignity of their profession by practicing honest, candid and timely communication and by fostering the free flow of essential information in accord with the public interest." Therefore, George is suggesting that Jerry neither be honest, nor candid about the information Jerry is to provide. This also coincides with the CPRS code and their third rule (which pertains to honesty). Jerry is also in violation of article 5 because, well, George is unethical by nature. Finally, article 12 pertains to both of them, neither of them are being honest to themselves or others. When Jerry finally cracks and admits that he does watch Melrose Place he is being both truthful to himself and to others and is finally able to speak the truth.
All in all, if you have a lot of time on your hands, watch Seinfeld and break down all of the ethical codes they are breaking. There are a lot of them.
- Jordan K.
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