Ethics: To Spin or Not To Spin - Movie Review Example

In one scene, Nick mentions to his son that his “job calls for a moral flexibility that goes beyond most individuals.” It shows Nick, as a lobbyist, is required to disregard any real concern for the stakeholders as he drifts into the world of propaganda.

            Though the genre of the movie is satire, viewers may wonder if it is founded on facts. It may be unnerving to imagine that corporate PR depends on the lobbyist’s lack of moral accountability to support their cause and win the case. This could mean that lobbyists are expected to exhaust all means to create successful publicity, with the end justifying the means. The way Nick circumvents the truth to preserve public opinion, unfortunately, typifies the uncaring way these people do their jobs to achieve their objectives. For example, Nick’s company implements a corporate citizenship project intended to create a facade of public concern by giving back to society. However, the anti-teen smoking campaign is merely done to avoid bad publicity. Additionally, the company’s monetary gift to the dying Marlboro man is to keep him silent from attacking the tobacco industry. These are obvious scenarios depicting how these acts seem to give back to society out of concern, yet contain vested interests.

            During the period of the movie’s milieu, there is a well-known lobbying case called “Citizens for a Free Kuwait.” During that time, the Kuwaiti government-supported a front group to acquire public sympathy (Al-Yasin and Dashti 359). False testimony was created to persuade the U.S. to enter the Gulf War (Al-Yasin & Dashti 359 and Mickey 277). It just means that the movie, in its chosen setting, portrays that this practice is still ongoing. Besides, this industry is barely considered trustworthy work in any job polls (Al-Yasin and Dashti 363). To balance this, the American League of Lobbyists encourages the establishment of public confidence and respect for government institutions. Moreover, the PRSA tries to implement a Code of Ethics in the day-to-day work of PR professionals (Mickey 281).

If the movie were predominantly serious instead of satire, Nick’s company would be expected to build positive repute and public confidence. Thankfully, in these times, the film’s plot is no longer a depiction of real modern-day public relations (Mickey 281). Instead, it gives the viewers more of a caricature of the industry. Nevertheless, this movie provides viewers with a strong reminder that ethics is a vital part of any campaign, whether in publicity or elsewhere.