Interactive Ethics Challenge April 12 at Cleveland IABC's Lunch Program

CLEVELAND, April 5, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --

Ethics Shmethics?

What's the big deal about ethics anyway?

Well, consider these items in the public eye recently:

• NBC News gets called out for selective editing of the Zimmerman 911 calls.
• Rupert Murdoch's publishing empire is dented due to reporters hacking voicemails of private and public individuals.
• Teachers and entire school districts are found to be altering students' test scores.
• Online content aggregators and curators are being accused of flaunting copyright rules.
• A small airline settles with the U.S. Department of Justice over bribery charges.
• Potential employees are being required to share their Facebook logins and passwords as a condition of employment.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120319/CL72271LOGO )

Professional communicators possess super powers!

Being a professional communicator, whether in business or the media, is kind of like having a super power: We are in positions to have great influence, for better or for worse, over our audiences.

As all ethical super-heroes know, "With great power comes great responsibility."

In fact, the IABC Code of Ethics was developed,

"Because hundreds of thousands of business communicators worldwide engage in activities that affect the lives of millions of people, and because this power carries with it significant social responsibilities…."

The full code of ethics, which are the rules and standards governing the conduct of IABC members, is structured around the three principles that what we do is legal, ethical, and in good taste.

Ethics is serious business, especially in this age of social media. Today, corporate or media ethical faux pas are pounced on hard and fast through, Facebook, Twitter, blogs, and more.

Operating in stealth mode when it comes to ethical issues is no longer possible.

Sharpen your ethical "Spidey" sense!

So how can you hone your communication super-powers and become better attuned to ethical issues in your day-to-day work?

By sitting in a stuffy lecture hall? Attending another dull webinar? Paying hundreds of dollars to attend an iffy seminar?

Au contraire, no!

Come out and have a little fun with this very serious topic in a highly interactive format at a very reasonable cost!

And enjoy the included tasty buffet lunch, of course.

Business super-heroes face off with journalists/media super-heroes

On Thursday, April 12th, the Cleveland IABC, with the Cleveland SPJ, is presenting the "Ethics Feud!"

Panelists from the business side and the media side will face off in this Family Feud style contest to determine who has the better grasp on communication ethics.

This game-show style contest will feature a guest emcee and game show set-up from Rock the House Entertainment. The program will consist of four-rounds of eight quiz questions, with each round becoming more challenging. The first team to buzz in with the correct answer will be awarded points.

Questions will come from the ethics codes of communication organizations such as IABC, the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) and the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA), as well as from ethics case study materials from these and other web sites.

Interact with noted local journalism and business communication pros…and win prizes!

You will be able to enjoy a delicious lunch, brush up on communication ethics, cheer on your favorite panelists, and win prizes for audience participation.

Yes! There will be prizes!

Panelists for the event include, representing the business communicators:

• David Meeker, Meeker-Young LLC
• Mark Crowley, Sherwin-Williams
• Barb Paynter, Hennes Paynter Communications
• Kelly Blazek, Gemba Communications

Panelists on the media/journalism side include:

• Leo Jeffres, former CSU professor of journalism
• Scott Suttell, Crain's Cleveland Business
• Randy Roguski, The Plain Dealer

Register today!

Hone your ethical knowledge and communication super-power at the Ethics Feud luncheon, Thursday, April 12, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., at The City Club, 850 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland. The contest will begin at noon.

Cost to IABC and SPJ members is $25; to non-members is $35; and $20 for students and in-transition professionals.

You can register online at www.iabccleveland.com or by contacting Pam Tallant, Chapter Administrator, by email at [email protected] or phone, (216) 228-1855.

Parking is available at the City Club for $3. Bring your parking stub with you for validation.

Register before 11:30 AM ET, Monday, April 9th and save $5 using the discount code ETHICS201205.

For more information, please contact Paula DePasquale ([email protected]).

Sponsors

This program is being generously sponsored by Cleveland Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ), Communication Ammo, Wolf Creek Publications, Gaylord LLC, Sherman Communications, Nektar Design, CleverSmith™ Writing, Landau Public Relations, and IABC Cleveland.

About the panelists

Kelly Blazek has more than 15 years of experience in the field of business communications. She is principal, Gemba Communications, and was formerly director, internal communications for security Technologies and Ingersoll-Rand and a senior internal communications counselor for Eaton Corporation. She is also the founder of the Communications Job Bank e-newsletter. She has served in various roles such as internal communications, community relations, attractions and events and client relations.

Mark Crowley, is director, internal communications, The Sherwin-Williams Company. He began his career 30 years ago and has held various positions in the field of communication. In his current role, he manages internal communications, such as the company intranet, magazine, email, video and audiocasts. He also produces the company's Corporate Social Responsibility report and manages other company communication issues.

Leo Jeffres, PhD, is a recently retired from Cleveland State University where he served as a professor of journalism. Known as an "Urban Pioneer," Dr. Jeffres has researched cities as part of his interests. His interests include urban communication system and media effects in society. He worked with students on the content analysis of "watchdog function" of the press and is the author of several books including, Urban Communication Systems: Neighborhoods and the Search for Community and Mass Media Effects.

David Meeker served for many years as executive vice president of the Edward Howard public relations firm and previously owned Akron-based David A. Meeker & Associates. He is former executive director of the Ohio Democratic Party, assistant director of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources and executive secretary to the Mayor of St. Louis. David worked as a journalist for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and the Akron Beacon Journal.

Barbara Paynter, APR, is a partner in Hennes-Paynter Communications LLC, a crisis communications, media training and media relations consulting firm. She specializes in crisis, litigation and environmental communications, media relations and media training, crisis planning and drills. She has helped numerous clients deal with industrial accidents, medical malpractice, layoffs and facility closings, work stoppages, employee misconduct, sudden changes in leadership, product recalls and litigation. Her client base includes consumer product manufacturing, chemical and plastics manufacturing, retail, finance and banking, education and health care, as well as government and nonprofit entities.

Randy Roguski is Business Editor of The Plain Dealer. He has 31 years' experience in editing and reporting with newspapers in Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, Florida and Ohio, as well as a number of years in public relations and trade publishing. He has spent the past 17 years at The Plain Dealer, where he was appointed Business Editor in 1999. He lives in Oberlin.

Scott Suttell joined Crain's Cleveland Business in March 1995. In August 2000, he became managing editor and is responsible for overseeing newsroom operations. Prior to joining Crain's he was a reporter with the News-Herald in Willoughby for several years. He holds a bachelor's degree in journalism from Northwestern University.

About IABC Cleveland

For updates on IABC events and other news, fan us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, or connect with us through LinkedIn.

Founded in 1970, the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) provides a professional network of more than 15,200 business communication professionals in more than 80 countries. The local Cleveland chapter includes nearly 130 members who support the highest professional standards of communication and drive innovation in the communication field. Visit www.iabccleveland.com.

SOURCE IABC Cleveland