Journal Entries - Assignment Example

Assessment Name: Course: Instructor: Institution: City: Date: Introduction This paper is a display of the journal entries for the critical display on the recent events and stories that have made news for having raised very important ethical issues. In the presentation of the events, the paper identifies a number of ethical related topics which include: virtue ethics, deontological ethics, consequentiality ethics, justice and sustainable world. These are issue that matter a lot to many people. The paper will therefore look at an in-depth consideration of these events by collaborating the information obtained from past texts as well as an open minded consideration to make sure that the information is consistent with the issues that have been raised in these events. This journal will have a record of my thoughts on the knowledge that I have obtained in the course of my learning. it has been done on a regular basis over the past periods drawing on the lectures coupled by wide researches on the events, the experiences and the issues that have been associated with the topic under consideration as well as its analysis and a reflection on them. The reflective journal will critically display my thoughts on the processes of my learning experiences and the development of my understanding. 1. Was France right in banning burg in 2011? In 2011, the ban on individuals covering their faces came into effect in France, thus making it illegal for people to wear among other garments, the burgas, the nigab as well as the masks. This was met with shock all over the world. The question I aim to find out is on whether the actions of France raised some ethical issues (Was France right to ban the burqa?, 2011). Watching the development of the story on CNN and the social media left me thinking why a country that is regarded as have been the pioneer democratic states of the world expected to lead the way but are doing the contrary. The primary objective of any state is to make sure that they guarantee the freedom of the people they are tasked with protecting. Nicolas sarkozy and his government made a fatal mistake of not following the principle to the latter (Was France right to ban the burqa?, 2011). It is a clear discriminatory act especially against those people who subscribe to the Muslim faith and who need protection from such a law. There have been arguments advanced on the positives and the negatives of such action. It ranges from security concerns at a time when the world, especially France is facing a global terrorism threat to the religious practices that have been practiced since time immemorial (Gregory, 2003) .It is important however to note that the argument is no longer about how to live with people who share religious beliefs with people who have radically different opinions to yours but rather on whether you are civilized enough to respect those views. the argument on whether nurkha for instance have both positive and negative meaning for different people is misplaced since misplaced since in my opinion, people should make their own non violent choices however much many won’t buy the idea and probably cause resentment and anger. The critical question will be on the ethical perspectives on whether the criminalization of covering of faces will actually underpin the foundations of the criminalization. I doubt whether the decisions in whatever way will make it possible for sarkozy and his country not only to accept but also to enforce the interpretation of a one sided argument that advances the idea of how wrong the values of the Muslim community are and indeed all the other individuals to be affected. 2. The shocking exploitation of migrant workers in Australia The food industry in Australia has yet again hit the world headlines for all the wrong reasons with accusations of practicing slavery with claims of the immigrant workers being exploited and abused in many parts of Australia for them to deliver the fresh agricultural output you see on the supermarket shelves. Many Australians do their best to support the local farmers by buying locally produced horticultural products (Michael and Lucy, 2015). They however are not aware of the atrocities committed against the people that package the products they buy from the shelves. Most people look at it a a desperate attempt by the immigrant workers to escape the harsh economic conditions back home. The Australian society however needs to realize the gravity of the matter at hand, on how they are indirectly abetting the human rights abuses in their country. The ABC four corners investigation has however uncovered the most unfortunate part of the food industry in the country, in which thousands of young immigrant workers are subjected to slave like working conditions and at the same time underpaid and subjected to verbal and physical abuse. hidden cameras show footage of the daily events that uncover how workers from other nationalities are made to go through twenty two hours a day and seven days in a week for as little as 3.95 dollars in a day. Interestingly most food chains and supermarkets stick the food that is packed by these workers who working deplorable conditions and eventually reaching the final consumer who is the Australian shopper (Michael and Lucy, 2015). It is my observation that most Australian people believe in ethical commercial practices. I therefore believe that my decision to speak against the actions of the producers in Australia is going to receive a lot of support. It is important for the Australian people to acknowledge that there is slave trade in their country and that something needs to be done and it has to be done right away. I personality acknowledge the need for firms to maximize their profits but doing it at the expense of staff is the height of unethical conduct. I am greatly shocked by the abuse and the cruel nature of experiences of these workers. It has made me question the Australians since these workers are the backbone of the Australian food industry and the Australians seem not to know what’s actually happening in their own country (Michael and Lucy, 2015). I am conscious of the existence of a conflict between the need to maximize profits and to uphold the welfare and the dignity of workers. I do not however mind if such organizations adopted a policy of upholding fair treatment of employees and treating them fairy regardless of their nationalities. This way, any person coming to Australia to look for a job will always be assured of a good working environment. I believe that ethics requires that the food chains and the supermarkets as well as the consumers in Australia need to question the source of their food the same way we question the quality and hygiene of the products (Dale, 2016). It is my hope the expose by ABC will force the Australian public into action top realize that it is unethical to enjoy products that have been packed by immigrant employees who work in deplorable and inhuman conditions. the travel agents too, who bring these workers from Asia and European countries need to find out whether what they are doing is desirable especially to fellow human being who left their countries to look for better opportunities in Australia. I realized that there is the need to exert pressure on the perpetrators by avoiding the products of the companies who violate the rights of other people with the sole aim of making supernormal profits. This could set me against the producers but I believe it is for a more worthy cause where international workers will get a fair share of their efforts and those who exploit them are dealt with by the laws of the land. 3. Controversy over a concert In 2004, three band members of the eagles rock band came to Denver to a concert organized for purposes of raising money for ken Salazar a united states of American senate candidate. John temple, the publisher and editor of the rocky mountain news instructed his staff not to attend the concert (Journalists, 2004). His reason for this stance is that the policy of the organization does not allow the newsroom employees to make donations that are of political nature. He however exempted the reporters, columnists as well as the photographers who were expected to cover the event. Some of the reporter took this as mistrust on the part of the editor. Some suggested that this being their off time, then their actions should not be questioned by their employer. The critical question that we need to find out from this case study is whether it is fair to ask the staffers of the news paper not to attend those events that are considered to have a political inclination. The question is on whether the rules of engagement are any different from those of the other employees in the organization. To Mr. Temple he had the idea that the public had a stake in the decision since the credibility of the newspaper he leads will be questioned (Journalists, 2004). In the case above the decision to bar the staffers from attending the concert was made by a top manager of the newspaper with the interests of the newspaper in mind. The question in my mind is the concern for the welfare of the employees and whether their attendance would actually have a negative effect on the newspaper. Elections have always raised ethical questions on the part of the reporters who have to always maintain impartiality (Bélair-Gagnon, 2013). The employees need to avoid displaying of partisan affiliations that include the donation of money to political organizations. Some of the media companies have gone ahead to make it mandatory that their personnel should not vote or even have a political party preference in any way. That might have gone too far but the question is whether this is necessary considering the great role that the media plays during the electioneering period in any particular country (Bélair-Gagnon, 2013). It is my opinion that media companies need to guarantee their staff the freedom to choose and associate as long as they do not create a perception of impartiality to members of the public. They like any other citizen have choices and preferences as well as a duty to influence changes in the society. Denying them the space to exercise those duties and responsibilities in my opinion would amount to unethical behavior and is not sustainable in any way. 4. Publishing of the photos of drunk drivers As the editor of a weekly paper in Anderson County, Don White regularly got telephone calls from locals imploring him to keep their names off the court records page of the paper. On learning that the fight against the vice has not yielded any fruits, the editor, white chose to regard the peoples’ call for more creative authorizations against the drivers. At the point when readers of the Anderson news grabbed the December. 31, 1997, issue of the daily paper, stripped over the highest point of the front page was a new year's welcome and a notice. "Have a happy new year," it read. "In any case, kindly don't drink and drive and risk having your photo distributed." readers were alluded to the publication page where white clarified that beginning in January 1998 the daily paper would distribute photos of all persons sentenced drunk driving in Anderson county. The question I need to find an answer for is whether the actions of the daily was justified as far as ethics are concerned. In my opinion, there could be other ways of dealing with the rogue drivers such as being prosecuted so as to serve as a warning rather than publishing their names since the act is not in any way backed by any law (Journalists, 2004). Many people are tired with the actions of drunk and drive offenders. My opposition to the unethical conduct of Mr. White will set me on collision course with its proponents. I however need to emphasize the need to do what is right however unpopular it can turn to be. The guiding principle should always be to let the law take its course rather than subjecting the offenders in double punishment. Considering the reactions from the members of the public, it is my opinion that the newspaper should reconsider its actions to avoid the negative effects of their actions. This case brings up ethical issues about the judgment on the part of a daily paper. Does decency mean treating each individual indicted in drunk driving the same paying little heed to whether the individual is a grown-up or a teenager, or whether the individual is a first or second offender? Is it reasonable to single out just those indicted for drunk driving while not routinely distributed photographs of persons sentenced lawful offense offenses, for example, assault or burglary? Is the daily paper forcing an extra discipline on the drivers that other indicted crooks in the group don't face? This in my opinion is something that the news paper ought to have looked into to avoid backlash from members of the society. My suggestion on having equal treatment of the offenders by letting the law takes its course on all the offenders. It is a more popular method with society and is more sustainable compared to the actions of the newspaper. It is an action that is sure to outlast the tenure of Mr. white and is likely to benefit the future generations. Bibliography Bélair-Gagnon, V. (2013) ‘Revisiting impartiality: Social media and journalism at the BBC’, Symbolic Interaction, 36(4), pp. 478–492. doi: 10.1002/symb.72. Dale, O. (2016) ‘Ethical issues and stakeholders matter’, Addiction, 111(4), pp. 587–589. doi: 10.1111/add.13267. Gregory, S. (2003) ‘France and the war on terrorism’, Terrorism and Political Violence, 15(1), pp. 124–147. doi: 10.1080/09546550312331292987. Journalists, S. of P. (2004) ‘Improving and protecting journalism since 1909’, . Michael, S. and Lucy (2015) ‘The horrific stories of on Australian farms’, Daily Mail, . The telegraph (2011) ‘Was France right to ban the burqa?’. United Kingdom Read More