major informative - Assignment Essays

Linked memo

https://www.dhs.gov/sites/default/files/publications/21_1027_opa_guidelines-enforcement-actions-in-near-protected-areas

Note: This is a major assignment, so it is weighted more heavily than the other discussion boards and activities we have had in this class. Be sure to read the instructions thoroughly, and don’t forget to check out the rubric below.

Review the

attached

Download attached

(and

linked
Links to an external site.

) memo

Write an informative memo (addressed to me) that addresses the following questions, each in their own section. Each section of the memo must include a parenthetical note that includes your first-person analysis/summary of the memo’s effectiveness in terms of the criteria listed below.

· What does the memo explain?

· In what areas does the memo excel in its clarity? In what areas could its clarity be improved?

· In what ways are visual and typographical cues used well to help readers find information? In what ways could the use of these cues be improved?

· Select one statement that you believe to be particularly important in the memo. Why is this statement important? Given its importance, is it placed well?

· How does this activity help you to understand how clarity, accessibility, and arrangement impact ethical communication?

Your memo should be between 500-600 words, balanced, and detailed.

Guidelines for Enforcement Actions in or Near Protected Areas

Secretary

U.S. Department of Homeland Security

Washington, DC 20528

October 27, 202

MEMORANDUM TO: Tae D. Johnson

Acting

Director

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement

Troy A. Miller

Acting Commissioner

U.S. Customs and Border Protection

Ur M. Jaddou

Director

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services

Robert Silvers

Under Secretary

Office of Strategy, Policy, and Plans

Katherine Culliton-González

Officer for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties

Office of Civil Rights and Civil Liberties

Lynn Parker Dupree

Chief Privacy Officer

Privacy Office

FROM: Alejandro N. Mayorkas

Secretary

SUBJECT:

This memorandum provides guidance for ICE and CBP enforcement actions in or near areas

that require special protection. It is effective immediately.

This memorandum supersedes and rescinds John Morton’s memorandum entitled,

“Enforcement Actions at or Focused on Sensitive Locations” (number 10029.2, dated October
24, 2011), and David Aguilar’s memorandum entitled, “U.S. Customs and Border Protection

Enforcement Actions at or Near Certain Community Locations” (dated January 18, 2013).

I. Foundational Principle

In our pursuit of justice, including in the execution of our enforcement responsibilities, we

impact people’s lives and advance our country’s well-being in the most fundamental ways. It

is because of the profound impact of our work that we must consider so many different factors

before we decide to act. This can make our work very difficult. It is also one of the reasons

why our work is noble.

When we conduct an enforcement action – whether it is an arrest, search, service of a

subpoena, or other action – we need to consider many factors, including the location in which

we are conducting the action and its impact on other people and broader societal interests.

For example, if we take an action at an emergency shelter, it is possible that noncitizens,

including children, will be hesitant to visit the shelter and receive needed food and water,

urgent medical attention, or other humanitarian care.

To the fullest extent possible, we should not take an enforcement action in or near a location

that would restrain people’s access to essential services or engagement in essential activities.
Such a location is referred to as a “protected area.”

This principle is fundamental. We can accomplish our enforcement mission without denying

or limiting individuals’ access to needed medical care, children access to their schools, the
displaced access to food and shelter, people of faith access to their places of worship, and

more. Adherence to this principle is one bedrock of our stature as public servants.

II. Protected Areas

Whether an area is a “protected area” requires us to understand the activities that take place
there, the importance of those activities to the well-being of people and the communities of

which they are a part, and the impact an enforcement action would have on people’s

willingness to be in the protected area and receive or engage in the essential services or

activities that occur there. It is a determination that requires the exercise of judgment.

The following are some examples of a protected area. The list is not complete. It includes

only examples:

• A school, such as a pre-school, primary or secondary school, vocational or trade school,

or college or university.

• A medical or mental healthcare facility, such as a hospital, doctor’s office, health clinic,
vaccination or testing site, urgent care center, site that serves pregnant individuals, or

community health center.

• A place of worship or religious study, whether in a structure dedicated to activities of

faith (such as a church or religious school) or a temporary facility or location where

such activities are taking place.

• A place where children gather, such as a playground, recreation center, childcare center,

before- or after-school care center, foster care facility, group home for children, or

school bus stop.

• A social services establishment, such as a crisis center, domestic violence shelter,

victims services center, child advocacy center, supervised visitation center, family

justice center, community-based organization, facility that serves disabled persons,

homeless shelter, drug or alcohol counseling and treatment facility, or food bank or

pantry or other establishment distributing food or other essentials of life to people in

need.

• A place where disaster or emergency response and relief is being provided, such as

along evacuation routes, where shelter or emergency supplies, food, or water are being

distributed, or registration for disaster-related assistance or family reunification is

underway.

• A place where a funeral, graveside ceremony, rosary, wedding, or other religious or

civil ceremonies or observances occur.

• A place where there is an ongoing parade, demonstration, or rally.

We need to consider the fact that an enforcement action taken near – and not necessarily in –
the protected area can have the same restraining impact on an individual’s access to the
protected area itself. If indeed that would be the case, then, to the fullest extent possible, we

should not take the enforcement action near the protected area. There is no bright-line

definition of what constitutes “near.” A variety of factors can be informative, such as
proximity to the protected area, visibility from the protected area, and people’s behavioral
patterns in and around the protected area. The determination requires an analysis of the facts

and the exercise of judgment.

The fundamental question is whether our enforcement action would restrain people from

accessing the protected area to receive essential services or engage in essential activities. Our

obligation to refrain, to the fullest extent possible, from conducting a law enforcement action

in or near a protected area thus applies at all times and is not limited by hours or days of

operation.

Whether an enforcement action can be taken in or near a courthouse is addressed separately

in the April 27, 2021 Memorandum from Tae Johnson, ICE Acting Director, and Troy Miller,

CBP Acting Commissioner, entitled “Civil Immigration Enforcement Actions in or Near
Courthouses,” which remains in effect.

III. Exceptions and Limitation on Scope

The foundational principle of this guidance is that, to the fullest extent possible, we should

not take an enforcement action in or near a protected area. The phrase “to the fullest extent

possible” recognizes that there might be limited circumstances under which an enforcement
action needs to be taken in or near a protected area. The following are some examples of such

limited circumstances:

• The enforcement action involves a national security threat.

• There is an imminent risk of death, violence, or physical harm to a person.

• The enforcement action involves the hot pursuit of an individual who poses a public

safety threat.

• The enforcement action involves the hot pursuit of a personally observed border-

crosser.

• There is an imminent risk that evidence material to a criminal case will be destroyed.

• A safe alternative location does not exist.

This list is not complete. It includes only examples. Here again, the exercise of judgment is

required.

Absent exigent circumstances, an Agent or Officer must seek prior approval from their

Agency’s headquarters, or as you otherwise delegate, before taking an enforcement action in

or near a protected area. If the enforcement action is taken due to exigent circumstances and

prior approval was therefore not obtained, Agency headquarters (or your delegate) should be

consulted post-action. To the fullest extent possible, any enforcement action in or near a

protected area should be taken in a non-public area, outside of public view, and be otherwise

conducted to eliminate or at least minimize the chance that the enforcement action will restrain

people from accessing the protected area.

Enforcement actions that are within the scope of this guidance include, but are not limited to,

such actions as arrests, civil apprehensions, searches, inspections, seizures, service of

charging documents or subpoenas, interviews, and immigration enforcement surveillance.

This guidance does not apply to matters in which enforcement activity is not contemplated.

As just one example, it does not apply to an Agent’s or Officer’s participation in an official

function or community meeting.

This guidance does not limit an agency’s or employee’s statutory authority, and we do not
tolerate violations of law in or near a protected area.

IV. Training and Reporting

Please ensure that all employees for whom this guidance is relevant receive the needed

training. Each of your respective agencies and offices should participate in the preparation of

the training materials.

Any enforcement action taken in or near a protected area must be fully documented in your

Agency’s Privacy Act-compliant electronic system of record in a manner that can be searched

and validated. The documentation should include, for example, identification of the protected

area; the reason(s) why the enforcement action was taken there; whether or not prior approval

was obtained and, if not, why not; the notification to headquarters (or headquarters’ delegate)
that occurred after an action was taken without prior approval; a situational report of what

occurred during and immediately after the enforcement action; and, any additional

information that would assist in evaluating the effectiveness of this guidance in achieving our

law enforcement and humanitarian objectives.

V. Statement of No Private Right Conferred

This guidance is not intended to, does not, and may not be relied upon to create any right or

benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law by any party in any administrative, civil,

or criminal matter.

Ethics

Lesson 4 Notes
Why Discuss Ethics?

Discussing ethics is important because we make many decisions, big and small, in the workplace daily. Ethics are rarely clear-cut, and decisions are not always simple. Explaining our reasoning and decisions is important. If we clearly understand our actions, we can clearly communicate our motives to others. If we don’t clearly understand our actions, we may not be able to clearly communicate to others or persuade them to support our decisions or consider our reasoning (Dombrowski).

Understanding ethics helps us to justify our reasoning, consider right action, consider implications, consider different options, and to demonstrate awareness of real-world constraints.

What Should I Consider?

When you make a decision, you should consider your professional code of ethics, your company code of ethics, and your personal ethics (Anderson).

Professional codes of ethics can be found on the website of professional organizations like the National Nurse’s Association, the Association of Teachers of Technical Writing, and the National Society of Professional Engineers. Each of these codes offers guidelines for practice in a professional field.

Company codes of ethics can sometimes be found on the company’s website. Other times, these codes are within company intranets or are provided via print or electronic document. These codes offer guidelines for practice within the organization.

Your personal ethics also factor in. Each individual comes to a company or a field with their own ethical code. Being able to articulate what it is can help you determine if your ethics are in alignment with that of a profession or an organization.

In addition to these codes, you should consider all stakeholders who are directly and indirectly impacted by your actions.

How Can I Ensure I’m Ethical in My Communications?

As you craft communications, make sure that you include only accurate, credible, and complete information. In addition, do not claim ownership of someone else’s work. It is also important to recognize your own (conscious and subconscious) perspectives as well as those of others, to consider how those perspectives are informed, and to refrain from stereotyping. Ensure accessibility, and always remember the human.

Ensure Integrity

To ensure integrity, you should first make sure that all information you include is true and complete. Also make sure you claim ownership only for what is yours, remaining aware of:

· Patents – Items whose credit for creation is protected

· Trademarks -Company names (WalMart), logos (the Target bulls-eye), or slogans (I’m lovin’ it)

· Copyright law -Items whose distribution is protected by law (books, movies, or software) (Anderson)

Ensure Accessibility

Build accessibility into everything you create. Use elements that assist all audiences in accessing, finding, and using information like visual and typographic cues and including alt-text, captions, and preset Styles.

In addition to ensuring accessible design, use accessible language. Use words with only one meaning; for example, although “awesome” generally has a positive connotation, “amazing” may have a positive or negative connotation. Use standard nomenclature, or naming; for example, using “essay” in some areas of a lesson and “paper” in others may confuse a student who is unsure the words refer to the same document. Another important language consideration is to use metaphors. People relate new ideas to things that they already know. The use of idioms should be minimized unless all potential users understand the idioms. For example, if we use the American idiom, “It was raining cats and dogs,” we need to be sure that all potential users understand that idiom means that it was raining heavily.

Ensure Cultural Competence

Creating ethical communications in ethical ways requires you to
first be aware of your own perspective, what informs it, and how that impacts how you interact with others. Understanding Gert Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions can help you to understand both your own perspective as well as what your audiences may think, feel, and believe. Those dimensions are:

· Power Distance (how power is shared/relationships between individuals in a power structure)

· Individualism (whether focus is on the individual or the collective/community)

· Masculinity (what values are considered masculine or feminine and how much either matters)

· Uncertainty Avoidance (comfort level with ambiguity)

· Long-term Orientation (balance of traditions and progress) Indulgence (what delay in reward may be acceptable/comfortable)

While these dimensions can be helpful, it is always of paramount importance
to refrain from stereotyping.

Remember the Human

Your audience are humans who think, feel, and believe. All of your writing and design impacts other humans and should be HUMANIZED.

Visuals

Visual displays can be humanized by using pictographs or by using photographs or drawings of humans in conjunction with bar or line graphs (Dragga and Voss).

For example, Figure 1 below humanizes the healthcare worker by representing the largest portion of the pie chart as a photo of a healthcare worker in a healthcare setting. This helps to ensure the focus is on the people rather than the data alone.

Figure 1:Exposure settings for health care personnel with COVID-19; MWMR, 2020 April 14;69(early release): 1-5

It is also important to place warnings appropriately. Review Figure 2 below.

Figure 2: Warning Statement Placement

The document shown on the left includes a warning statement in small print at the bottom of the document. The document on the right, however, includes its warning statement in large red print surrounded by a red box and placed prominently in the document. Because warning statements let users know something will happen if certain actions are or are not taken, users’ awareness of these statements is important. Emphasizing them on a document helps draw the users’ attention to them.

Writing

DEHUMANIZING language or language that FACILITATES DEHUMANIZATION should not be used. This excerpt from a Geheime Reichssache (Secret Reich Business) memo written by a Nazi beauracrat for his boss describes lighting recommendations for vehicles used to transport people to concentration camps like Auschwitz:

“The lighting must be better protected than now. The lamps must be enclosed in a steel grid to prevent their being damaged. Lights could be eliminated, since they apparently are never used. However, it has been observed that when the doors are shut, the
load always presses hard against them as soon as darkness sets in.”

The “load” referred to is the humans who were being transported to the concentration camps. The memo uses objective language that makes dehumanizing decisions possible (Katz).

What Do I Do if I Think Something May Be Unethical?

If you think something might be unethical, ask questions that help to reveal unethical practices. Gather facts and rationale, and remain open to others’ ideas. Let’s review a couple of examples.

Case Example 1: Computer Crush

A programmer is asked to write a program that will raise and lower a large X-ray device. He writes and tests his program. It successfully and accurately moves the device from the top of the support pole to the top of the table. The program is installed. Later, an X-ray technician tells a patient to get off the table after an X-ray is taken. The technician then sets the height of the device to “table-top height.” The patient, however, does not hear the technician and is crushed under the weight of the machine (Harris, Pritchard, and Rabins).

Your specific perspective on the case may inform your decision. Think about what you would do if you were the patient’s loved one, the technician, the technician’s employer, the programmer, and the person who designed the documentation. If you were the programmer or the person designing the documentation, what might you do to ensure all stakeholders are considered (and considered as humans)?

Case Example 2: World Health Organization Graphic

You are in charge of posting the graphic from the World Health Organization (Figure 3) to its Twitter.

Figure 3: WHO Graphic;

WHO. (2020, March 18). [Tweet]. Retrieved from

This Twitter feed

You know that the information is important to share quickly, but you are not sure that the graphic will reach its target audience because of the language level used. How do you work within these real-world constraints?

Ethics Decision Checklist

When you are faced with ethical dilemmas like these, consider the following:

·
What is the ethical dilemma?

·
What specifically is making you uncomfortable?

·
What are your competing obligations in this dilemma?

·
What advice does a trusted supervisor or mentor offer?

·
Does your company’s code of conduct address this issue?

·
Does your professional association’s code of conduct address this issue?

·
What are you unwilling to do? What are you willing to do?

·
How will you explain or justify your decision?

What is Most Important to Remember?

The biggest takeaways are to:

· Rely on ethical guidelines from your profession and organization as well as your own ethics

· Consider all stakeholders

· Ensure integrity, accessibility, and cultural competence

· Consider your own and other’s perspectives and biases

· Use resources thoughtfully

· Design intentionally

· HUMANIZE

· Use the ethics decision checklist

· Ask questions, use facts/reason, and remain open

References

Anderson, P. (2017). Technical Communication: A Reader-Centered Approach. Boston, MA: Cengage.

Dombrowski, P. (2000). Ethics in Technical Communication. Needham Heights, MA: Allyn & Bacon.

Dragga, Sam & Voss, Dan. (2001). Cruel Pies: The Inhumanity of Technical Illustrations. Technical Communication. 48. 265-274.

Ethics and Technical Communication From WikiBooks. Located at:

http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Professional_and_Technical_Writing/Ethics#Legal_Issues_and_Communication

. License: CC BY-SA: Attribution-ShareAlike

Harris, C. E. Jr., Pritchard, M. S., & Rabins, M. J. (2004). Engineering ethics: Concepts and cases. Wadsworth.

Hofstede, G. (2020). Cultural Dimensions Tools. Retrieved from

this website

Katz, S. B. (1992). The ethic of expediency: Classical rhetoric, technology, and the Holocaust. College English , 54(3), 255-275

WHO. (2020, March 18). [Tweet]. Retrieved from

this Twitter feed

image2.PNG

image3

image1

Ethics
Lesson 4 Notes

Why Discuss Ethics?

Discussing ethics is important because we make many decisions, big and small, in the workplace daily.
Ethics are rarely clear-cut, and decisions are not always simple. Explaining our reasoning and decisions is
important. If we clearly understand our actions, we can clearly communicate our motives to others. If
we don’t clearly understand our actions, we may not be able to clearly communicate to others or
persuade them to support our decisions or consider our reasoning (Dombrowski).

Understanding ethics helps us to justify our reasoning, consider right action, consider implications,
consider different options, and to demonstrate awareness of real-world constraints.

What Should I Consider?

When you make a decision, you should consider your professional code of ethics, your company code of
ethics, and your personal ethics (Anderson).

Professional codes of ethics can be found on the website of professional organizations like the National
Nurse’s Association, the Association of Teachers of Technical Writing, and the National Society of
Professional Engineers. Each of these codes offers guidelines for practice in a professional field.

Company codes of ethics can sometimes be found on the company’s website. Other times, these codes
are within company intranets or are provided via print or electronic document. These codes offer
guidelines for practice within the organization.

Your personal ethics also factor in. Each individual comes to a company or a field with their own ethical
code. Being able to articulate what it is can help you determine if your ethics are in alignment with that
of a profession or an organization.

In addition to these codes, you should consider all stakeholders who are directly and indirectly impacted
by your actions.

How Can I Ensure I’m Ethical in My Communications?

As you craft communications, make sure that you include only accurate, credible, and complete
information. In addition, do not claim ownership of someone else’s work. It is also important to
recognize your own (conscious and subconscious) perspectives as well as those of others, to consider
how those perspectives are informed, and to refrain from stereotyping. Ensure accessibility, and always
remember the human.

Ensure Integrity
To ensure integrity, you should first make sure that all information you include is true and complete.
Also make sure you claim ownership only for what is yours, remaining aware of:

• Patents – Items whose credit for creation is protected
• Trademarks -Company names (WalMart), logos (the Target bulls-eye), or slogans (I’m lovin’ it)
• Copyright law -Items whose distribution is protected by law (books, movies, or software)

(Anderson)

Ensure Accessibility
Build accessibility into everything you create. Use elements that assist all audiences in accessing, finding,
and using information like visual and typographic cues and including alt-text, captions, and preset Styles.

In addition to ensuring accessible design, use accessible language. Use words with only one meaning;
for example, although “awesome” generally has a positive connotation, “amazing” may have a positive
or negative connotation. Use standard nomenclature, or naming; for example, using “essay” in some
areas of a lesson and “paper” in others may confuse a student who is unsure the words refer to the
same document. Another important language consideration is to use metaphors. People relate new
ideas to things that they already know. The use of idioms should be minimized unless all potential users
understand the idioms. For example, if we use the American idiom, “It was raining cats and dogs,” we
need to be sure that all potential users understand that idiom means that it was raining heavily.

Ensure Cultural Competence
Creating ethical communications in ethical ways requires you to first be aware of your own perspective,
what informs it, and how that impacts how you interact with others. Understanding Gert Hofstede’s
Cultural Dimensions can help you to understand both your own perspective as well as what your
audiences may think, feel, and believe. Those dimensions are:

• Power Distance (how power is shared/relationships between individuals in a power structure)
• Individualism (whether focus is on the individual or the collective/community)
• Masculinity (what values are considered masculine or feminine and how much either matters)
• Uncertainty Avoidance (comfort level with ambiguity)
• Long-term Orientation (balance of traditions and progress) Indulgence (what delay in reward

may be acceptable/comfortable)

While these dimensions can be helpful, it is always of paramount importance to refrain from
stereotyping.

Remember the Human
Your audience are humans who think, feel, and believe. All of your writing and design impacts other
humans and should be HUMANIZED.

Visuals
Visual displays can be humanized by using pictographs or by using photographs or drawings of humans
in conjunction with bar or line graphs (Dragga and Voss).

For example, Figure 1 below humanizes the healthcare worker by representing the largest portion of the
pie chart as a photo of a healthcare worker in a healthcare setting. This helps to ensure the focus is on
the people rather than the data alone.

Figure 1:Exposure settings for health care personnel with COVID-19; MWMR, 2020 April 14;69(early release): 1-5

It is also important to place warnings appropriately. Review Figure 2 below.

Figure 2: Warning Statement Placement

The document shown on the left includes a warning statement in small print at the bottom of the
document. The document on the right, however, includes its warning statement in large red print
surrounded by a red box and placed prominently in the document. Because warning statements let
users know something will happen if certain actions are or are not taken, users’ awareness of these
statements is important. Emphasizing them on a document helps draw the users’ attention to them.

Writing
DEHUMANIZING language or language that FACILITATES DEHUMANIZATION should not be used. This
excerpt from a Geheime Reichssache (Secret Reich Business) memo written by a Nazi beauracrat for his
boss describes lighting recommendations for vehicles used to transport people to concentration camps
like Auschwitz:

“The lighting must be better protected than now. The lamps must be enclosed in a steel grid to
prevent their being damaged. Lights could be eliminated, since they apparently are never used.
However, it has been observed that when the doors are shut, the load always presses hard
against them as soon as darkness sets in.”

The “load” referred to is the humans who were being transported to the concentration camps. The
memo uses objective language that makes dehumanizing decisions possible (Katz).

What Do I Do if I Think Something May Be Unethical?

If you think something might be unethical, ask questions that help to reveal unethical practices. Gather
facts and rationale, and remain open to others’ ideas. Let’s review a couple of examples.

Case Example 1: Computer Crush
A programmer is asked to write a program that will raise and lower a large X-ray device. He writes and
tests his program. It successfully and accurately moves the device from the top of the support pole to
the top of the table. The program is installed. Later, an X-ray technician tells a patient to get off the
table after an X-ray is taken. The technician then sets the height of the device to “table-top height.” The
patient, however, does not hear the technician and is crushed under the weight of the machine (Harris,
Pritchard, and Rabins).

Your specific perspective on the case may inform your decision. Think about what you would do if you
were the patient’s loved one, the technician, the technician’s employer, the programmer, and the
person who designed the documentation. If you were the programmer or the person designing the
documentation, what might you do to ensure all stakeholders are considered (and considered as
humans)?

Case Example 2: World Health Organization Graphic
You are in charge of posting the graphic from the World Health Organization (Figure 3) to its Twitter.

Figure 3: WHO Graphic; WHO. (2020, March 18). [Tweet]. Retrieved from This Twitter feed

Q: Could #ibuprofen worsen disease for people with #COVID19?

A: Based on currently available information, WHO does not recommend against the use of of ibuprofen. pic.twitter.com/n39DFt2amF

— World Health Organization (WHO) (@WHO) March 18, 2020

You know that the information is important to share quickly, but you are not sure that the graphic will
reach its target audience because of the language level used. How do you work within these real-world
constraints?

Ethics Decision Checklist
When you are faced with ethical dilemmas like these, consider the following:

• What is the ethical dilemma?
• What specifically is making you uncomfortable?
• What are your competing obligations in this dilemma?
• What advice does a trusted supervisor or mentor offer?
• Does your company’s code of conduct address this issue?
• Does your professional association’s code of conduct address this issue?
• What are you unwilling to do? What are you willing to do?
• How will you explain or justify your decision?

What is Most Important to Remember?

The biggest takeaways are to:

• Rely on ethical guidelines from your profession and organization as well as your own ethics
• Consider all stakeholders
• Ensure integrity, accessibility, and cultural competence
• Consider your own and other’s perspectives and biases
• Use resources thoughtfully
• Design intentionally
• HUMANIZE
• Use the ethics decision checklist
• Ask questions, use facts/reason, and remain open

References

Anderson, P. (2017). Technical Communication: A Reader-Centered Approach. Boston, MA: Cengage.

Dombrowski, P. (2000). Ethics in Technical Communication. Needham Heights, MA: Allyn & Bacon.

Dragga, Sam & Voss, Dan. (2001). Cruel Pies: The Inhumanity of Technical Illustrations. Technical
Communication. 48. 265-274.

Ethics and Technical Communication From WikiBooks. Located at:
http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Professional_and_Technical_Writing/Ethics#Legal_Issues_and_Co
mmunication. License: CC BY-SA: Attribution-ShareAlike

Harris, C. E. Jr., Pritchard, M. S., & Rabins, M. J. (2004). Engineering ethics: Concepts and cases.
Wadsworth.

Hofstede, G. (2020). Cultural Dimensions Tools. Retrieved from this website

Katz, S. B. (1992). The ethic of expediency: Classical rhetoric, technology, and the Holocaust. College
English , 54(3), 255-275

WHO. (2020, March 18). [Tweet]. Retrieved from this Twitter feed

http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Professional_and_Technical_Writing/Ethics

http://geert-hofstede.com/cultural-tools.html

Q: Could #ibuprofen worsen disease for people with #COVID19?

A: Based on currently available information, WHO does not recommend against the use of of ibuprofen. pic.twitter.com/n39DFt2amF

— World Health Organization (WHO) (@WHO) March 18, 2020

What Should I Consider?

How Can I Ensure I’m Ethical in My Communications?

Ensure Integrity

Ensure Accessibility

Ensure Cultural Competence

Remember the Human

Visuals

Writing

What Do I Do if I Think Something May Be Unethical?

Case Example 1: Computer Crush

Case Example 2: World Health Organization Graphic

Ethics Decision Checklist

What is Most Important to Remember?

References

Ethical Technical & Professional Communication
ENGL 2311

Ethics

WHY DISCUSS ETHICS?
If we clearly understand our actions, we can clearly communicate our motives to others
If we don’t clearly understand our actions, we may not be able to clearly communicate to others or persuade them to support our decisions or consider our reasoning

Dombrowski, P. (2000). Ethics in Technical Communication. Needham Heights, MA: Allyn & Bacon.

Ethics

Focus Point
Ethics are rarely clear cut, and decisions are not always simple.

Ethics

Understanding Ethics Helps Us To
Justify reasoning
Consider right action
Consider implications
Consider different options
Demonstrate awareness of real-world constraints

Ethics

To Make Ethical Choices, Consider
Professional Code of Ethics
National Nurse’s Association
Association of Teachers of Technical Writing
National Society of Professional Engineers
Company Code of Ethics
Texas Health Resources
Tarrant County College
Lockheed Martin
Personal Ethics

Anderson, P. (2017). Technical Communication: A Reader-Centered Approach. Boston, MA: Cengage.

Ethics

To Make Ethical Choices, Consider (cont.)
Who is directly impacted by the choice?
Who is indirectly impacted by the choice?
Who may eventually be impacted by the choice?

Ethics

HOW CAN I ENSURE I’M ETHICAL IN MY WRITING?
Include only accurate, credible, and complete information
Do not claim ownership of someone else’s work
Recognize your own (conscious and subconscious) perspectives as well as those of others
Consider how those perspectives are informed
Refrain from stereotyping
Ensure accessibility
Remember the human

Ethics

Focus Point 2
“Clear is Kind”
-Brene Brown

Ethics

Ensure Integrity
Make sure that all information you include is true and complete
Claim ownership only for what is yours. Be aware of:
Patents – Items whose credit for creation is protected
Trademarks – Company names (WalMart), logos (the Target bulls-eye), or slogans (I’m lovin’ it)
Copyright law – Items whose distribution is protected by law (books, movies, or software)

Ethics

Ensure Accessibility
Be intentional.
Use elements that assist all audiences in accessing, finding, and using information
Visual and typographic cues
Alt-text, captions, preset styles
Use words with only one meaning (including connotation)
“awesome” generally has a positive connotation
“amazing” may have a positive or negative connotation
Use standard nomenclature/naming
“essay” for essays rather than “essay” in some areas and “paper” in others
Use shared metaphors
Use idioms only if you are sure all audiences understand them

Ethics

Ensure Cultural Competence
First, be aware of your own perspective, what informs it, and how that impacts how you interact with others.

Ethics

Ensure Cultural Competence (cont.)
Understanding Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions can help you to understand both your own perspective as well as what your audiences may think, feel, and believe.
Power Distance (how power is shared/relationships between individuals in a power structure)
Individualism (whether focus is on the individual or the collective/community)
Masculinity (what values are considered masculine or feminine and how much either matters)
Uncertainty Avoidance (comfort level with ambiguity)
Long-term Orientation (balance of traditions and progress)
Indulgence (what delay in reward may be acceptable/comfortable)
While these dimensions can be helpful, make sure not to stereotype.

Click here for Hofstede source

Ethics

Remember the Human
Your audience are humans who think, feel, and believe
All of your writing and design impacts other humans and should be HUMANIZED.
Ways to humanize visual displays:
Use pictographs
Use photographs or drawings of humans in conjunction with bar or line graphs

Dragga, Sam & Voss, Dan. (2001). Cruel Pies: The Inhumanity of Technical Illustrations. Technical Communication. 48. 265-274.

MWMR, 2020 April 14;69(early release): 1-5

Ethics

Remember the Human (cont.)
DEHUMANIZING language or language that FACILITATES DEHUMANIZATION should not be used
This excerpt from a Geheime Reichssache (Secret Reich Business) memo written by a Nazi beauracrat for his boss describes lighting recommendations for vehicles used to transport people to concentration camps like Auschwitz:
“The lighting must be better protected than now. The lamps must be enclosed in a steel grid to prevent their being damaged. Lights could be eliminated, since they apparently are never used. However, it has been observed that when the doors are shut, the load always presses hard against them as soon as darkness sets in.”
The “load” referred to is the humans who were being transported to the concentration camps. The memo uses objective language that makes dehumanizing decisions possible.
Excerpt from: Katz, S. B. (1992). The ethic of expediency: Classical rhetoric, technology, and the Holocaust. College English , 54(3), 255-275

Ethics

Use Accessible Language
Be intentional.
Use words with only one meaning (including connotation)
“awesome” generally has a positive connotation
“amazing” may have a positive or negative connotation
Use standard nomenclature/naming
“essay” for essays rather than “essay” in some areas and “paper” in others
Use shared metaphors
Use idioms only if you are sure all audiences understand them

Ethics

Place warnings appropriately

Ethics

WHAT DO I DO IF I THINK SOMETHING IS UNETHICAL?
Ask questions
Be helpful in revealing ethical practices (facts and reason)
Remain open to others’ ideas

Ethics

Case Example – Computer Crush
Harris, C. E. Jr., Pritchard, M. S., & Rabins, M. J. (2004). Engineering ethics: Concepts and cases. Wadsworth.
A programmer is asked to write a program that will raise and lower a large X-ray device. He writes and tests his program. It successfully and accurately moves the device from the top of the support pole to the top of the table. The program is installed. Later, an X-ray technician tells a patient to get off the table after an X-ray is taken. The technician then sets the height of the device to “table-top height.” The patient, however, does not hear the technician and is crushed under the weight of the machine.
What would you do if you were the technician? The technician’s employer? The programmer? The person who designed the documentation?
If you were in any of those roles attempting to prevent this from happening, what could you do to ensure that the human on the table was considered? How would you do that?

Ethics

Case Example – WHO Graphic

Say you are in charge of posting this graphic from the World Health Organization to its Twitter. You know that the information is important to share quickly, but you are not sure that the graphic will reach its target audience because of the language level used.
WHO. (2020, March 18). [Tweet]. Retrieved from
This twitter feed

Ethics

Ethics Decision Checklist
Consider:
What is the ethical dilemma?
What specifically is making you uncomfortable?
What are your competing obligations in this dilemma?
What advice does a trusted supervisor or mentor offer?
Does your company’s code of conduct address this issue?
Does your professional association’s code of conduct address this issue?
What are you unwilling to do? What are you willing to do?
How will you explain or justify your decision?
Ethics and Technical Communication From WikiBooks. Located at:
this link..

License: CC BY-SA: Attribution-ShareAlike

Ethics

TAKEAWAYS
Rely on ethical guidelines from your profession and organization as well as your own ethics
Consider stakeholders
Ensure integrity, accessibility, and cultural competence
Consider your own and other’s perspectives and biases
Use resources thoughtfully
Design intentionally
HUMANIZE
Ask questions, use facts/reason, and remain open
Others?

Ethics

Questions?
Contact your instructor.

Ethics

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Ethical Technical &
Professional
Communication
ENGL 2311

Ethics

WHY DISCUSS ETHICS?
• If we clearly understand our actions, we can clearly communicate our
motives to others
• If we don’t clearly understand our actions, we may not be able to
clearly communicate to others or persuade them to support our
decisions or consider our reasoning

Dombrowski, P. (2000). Ethics in Technical Communication. Needham Heights, MA: Allyn & Bacon.

Ethics

Focus Point

Ethics are rarely clear cut,
and decisions are not always

simple.

Ethics

Understanding Ethics Helps Us To
• Justify reasoning
• Consider right action
• Consider implications
• Consider different options
• Demonstrate awareness of real-world constraints

Ethics

To Make Ethical Choices, Consider
• Professional Code of Ethics

• National Nurse’s Association
• Association of Teachers of Technical Writing
• National Society of Professional Engineers

• Company Code of Ethics
• Texas Health Resources
• Tarrant County College
• Lockheed Martin

• Personal Ethics

Anderson, P. (2017). Technical Communication: A Reader-Centered Approach. Boston, MA: Cengage.

Ethics

To Make Ethical Choices, Consider
(cont.)
• Who is directly impacted by the choice?
• Who is indirectly impacted by the choice?
• Who may eventually be impacted by the choice?

Ethics

HOW CAN I ENSURE I’M
ETHICAL IN MY WRITING?

• Include only accurate, credible, and complete information
• Do not claim ownership of someone else’s work
• Recognize your own (conscious and subconscious)
perspectives as well as those of others
• Consider how those perspectives are informed
• Refrain from stereotyping
• Ensure accessibility
• Remember the human

Ethics

Focus Point 2

“Clear is Kind”
-Brene Brown

Ethics

Ensure Integrity
• Make sure that all information you include is true and complete
• Claim ownership only for what is yours. Be aware of:

• Patents – Items whose credit for creation is protected
• Trademarks – Company names (WalMart), logos (the Target bulls-eye), or
slogans (I’m lovin’ it)

• Copyright law – Items whose distribution is protected by law (books, movies, or
software)

Ethics

Ensure Accessibility
Be intentional.
• Use elements that assist all audiences in accessing, finding, and
using information
• Visual and typographic cues
• Alt-text, captions, preset styles

• Use words with only one meaning (including connotation)

• “awesome” generally has a positive connotation
• “amazing” may have a positive or negative connotation

• Use standard nomenclature/naming
• “essay” for essays rather than “essay” in some areas and “paper” in others

• Use shared metaphors
• Use idioms only if you are sure all audiences understand them

Ethics

Ensure Cultural Competence
First, be aware of your own
perspective, what informs it, and
how that impacts how you interact
with others.

Ethics

• Individualism (whether focus is on the individual or the collective/community)

• Masculinity (what values are considered masculine or feminine and how much
either matters)

• Uncertainty Avoidance (comfort level with ambiguity)

• Long-term Orientation (balance of traditions and progress)

• Indulgence (what delay in reward may be acceptable/comfortable)

While these dimensions can be helpful, make sure not to
stereotype.
Click here for Hofstede source

Ethics

Remember the Human
• Your audience are humans who think, feel,
and believe

• All of your writing and design impacts other
humans and should be HUMANIZED.

• Ways to humanize visual displays:
• Use pictographs
• Use photographs or drawings of
humans in conjunction with bar or line
graphs

Dragga, Sam & Voss, Dan. (2001). Cruel Pies: The Inhumanity of
Technical Illustrations. Technical Communication. 48. 265-274.

MWMR, 2020 April 14;69(early release): 1-5

Ethics

“The lighting must be better protected than now. The lamps must be
enclosed in a steel grid to prevent their being damaged. Lights could be
eliminated, since they apparently are never used. However, it has been
observed that when the doors are shut, the load always presses hard
against them as soon as darkness sets in.”

The “load” referred to is the humans who were being transported to the
concentration camps. The memo uses objective language that makes
dehumanizing decisions possible.

Excerpt from: Katz, S. B. (1992). The ethic of expediency: Classical rhetoric, technology, and the
Holocaust. College English , 54(3), 255-275

Ethics

Use Accessible Language
Be intentional.
• Use words with only one meaning (including connotation)

• “awesome” generally has a positive connotation
• “amazing” may have a positive or negative connotation

• Use standard nomenclature/naming
• “essay” for essays rather than “essay” in some areas and “paper”
in others

• Use shared metaphors
• Use idioms only if you are sure all audiences understand
them

Ethics

Place warnings appropriately

Ethics

WHAT DO I DO IF I THINK
SOMETHING IS UNETHICAL?

• Ask questions
• Be helpful in revealing ethical practices (facts and reason)
• Remain open to others’ ideas

Ethics

Case Example – Computer Crush
Harris, C. E. Jr., Pritchard, M. S., & Rabins, M. J. (2004). Engineering ethics: Concepts and
cases. Wadsworth.

A programmer is asked to write a program that will raise and lower a
large X-ray device. He writes and tests his program. It successfully and
accurately moves the device from the top of the support pole to the
top of the table. The program is installed. Later, an X-ray technician
tells a patient to get off the table after an X-ray is taken. The technician
then sets the height of the device to “table-top height.” The patient,
however, does not hear the technician and is crushed under the
weight of the machine.

• What would you do if you were the technician? The technician’s employer?
The programmer? The person who designed the documentation?

• If you were in any of those roles attempting to prevent this from happening,
what could you do to ensure that the human on the table was considered?
How would you do that?

Ethics

Case Example – WHO Graphic

Say you are in charge of
posting this graphic from the
World Health Organization to
its Twitter. You know that the
information is important to
share quickly, but you are
not sure that the graphic will
reach its target audience
because of the language level
used.

WHO. (2020, March 18). [Tweet]. Retrieved from This twitter feed

Ethics

Ethics Decision Checklist
Consider:
• What is the ethical dilemma?
• What specifically is making you uncomfortable?
• What are your competing obligations in this dilemma?
• What advice does a trusted supervisor or mentor offer?
• Does your company’s code of conduct address this issue?
• Does your professional association’s code of conduct
address this issue?

• What are you unwilling to do? What are you willing to do?
• How will you explain or justify your decision?

Ethics and Technical Communication From WikiBooks. Located at: this link..
License: CC BY-SA: Attribution-ShareAlike

Ethics

TAKEAWAYS
• Rely on ethical guidelines from your profession and
organization as well as your own ethics
• Consider stakeholders
• Ensure integrity, accessibility, and cultural competence
• Consider your own and other’s perspectives and biases
• Use resources thoughtfully
• Design intentionally
• HUMANIZE
• Ask questions, use facts/reason, and remain open
• Others?

Questions?
Contac t you r i n s t ruc to r.