Wednesday, February 22, 2012

the clash of values & an open market of communication

In November of 2010, a blog from TechCrunch brought to light a controversial e-book Amazon held in stock: The Pedophile's guide to Love and Pleasure.

Found on Google images

Many bloggers, news reporters and consumers then purchased the e-book to read the content...and learned that the reading was as vile as predicted. After many complaints from almost all audiences, Amazon released a statement.

Amazon believes it is censorship not to sell certain books simply because we or others believe their message is objectionable. Amazon does not support or promote hatred or criminal acts, however, we do support the right of every individual to make their own purchasing decisions.
 Later within the day, Amazon suddenly removed the e-book from their site, without any explanation.

Although Amazon claims to see a free market of ideas and communication as a primary goal, does it not analyze its values as well? The general consensus globally deems pedophilia as immoral. By associating with the illegal act, Amazon tarnished its image. The company did not consider the majority's opinion, including stakeholders such as children, parents and families. Amazon seems to be out of touch with its audience and needs to put more effort into its public relations field, as the company is operating with "technological pulses."

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

transparency at its finest

On Wednesday, February 15, at 8:05 a.m., Chancellor Victor Boschini sent a campus-wide email to TCU, informing students of the recent arrests of many students (Important Campus Community News from Chancellor Boschini). In case the email was unclear, www.tcu.edu posted FAQ regarding Feb. 15 police activity to inform others about the situation.

Directly after the email was sent, people from different media companies slowly filtered onto TCU's campus, in hopes of uncovering more news. Boschini held a press conference, in which TCU twitter informed those who could not attend what was being said.

With the help of @TCU360, students, faculty, parents & any other public were well-informed about the TCU crisis. It's clear that Boschini cares for the student population; he made it VERY clear that the behavior of the arrested will NOT be tolerated. He upheld university standards and made sure not to attack specific campus communities, although football players and certain fraternities were involved. He was prepared to handle the situation instead of trying to cover it up, and it's clear that many students appreciated his transparency and honesty.

A little before noon, TCU360 released the 17 names of those arrested (TCU students arrested in record drug roundup). Although I appreciated the constant information about the drug bust, I am not so sure that student names should have been released. Not only are they affected, but also their family, friends, teammates, etc. Do you think we should have access to the list of students arrested?

Wednesday, February 8, 2012

planned parenthood, a job well-done

Must controversy arose January 31, when Susan G Komen for the Cure decided to suddenly pull funding from Planned Parenthood. Komen declared that because PP was under legal investigation, they would not be able to support the organization, although many believe Komen had issues supporting an organization in which has a recognized stance of "pro-choice."

I looked at the reaction PP had towards the whole situation, and was very pleased to see the actions made. The organization, although upset with Komen, did not show any malice; instead, they stated their mission to the public: to help women. They kept their public informed about the situation, and also continued to promote the welfare of women. They took advantage of the situation by informing the public about PP, as well as seeking more donations and funding.

Komen damaged their reputation with inconsistency of communication - their messages were delayed and did not seem to follow their mission. Planned Parenthood, on the other hand, proved to remain true to their own organization by sticking to their mission. With clear communication and 2-way discussions with their audience, PP was not a victim by any measure. Great use of PR!
Planned Parenthood promoted the use of this image while Komen controversy arose. 
First Twitter alert to the public.
Facebook notification to the public.
The press release posted on the PP website. Both Facebook & Twitter provided a link to the site.
Facebook post on 2/3/12, informing public about the Komen decision reversal.

The final press release posted on the PP website relating to the Komen situation. Once again, both PP Twitter & Facebook provided links to the article.

Thursday, February 2, 2012

the veil of ignorance

The veil of ignorance aims to help those who are helpless.

I could not help but think of this ethical principal while reading the article "Big News on Birth Control," in which President Obama declared that, beginning August, women would be able to get contraceptives covered through almost all insurances.

The Affordable Care Act, in my opinion, is brilliant. There are women living in all types of conditions - poverty, abusive relationships, etc. Having access to birth control empowers females even more. People must remember that the act doesn't require women to get on birth control; rather, they have the option.

Contraceptives have been under fire recently, especially specific organizations such as Planned Parenthood and Susan G. Komen, both linked to the topic.

I stumbled upon this article today, which discusses how Komen recently shut off its funding to Planned Parenthood, as well as the Catholic church's reaction to the Affordable Care Act. I generally relate to the author, as I am a Catholic that does support the use of contraceptives.

Females should have access to protection and contraception. The government is now enabling them to take more responsibility by having that access.