Ethics And Truth.. How Do We Know?

Ethic.

noun

1. The body of moral principles or values governing or distinctive of a particular culture or group.

2. A complex of moral precepts held or rules of conduct followed by an individual: a personal ethic.

(dictionary.com)

 

Truth.

noun

1. The true or actual state of a matter.

2. Conformity with fact or reality; verity: the truth of a statement.

(dictionary.com)

 

Even though the first reading of Fitzpatrick was more on ethics and laws, what made me more interested was the definition and the use of the word "truth" that reading implied along with the article on Scott McClellan's book's reviews. 

Truth is something that lies next to ethics. Truth is something we all seek. Truth is something we less believe in because none of us can believe the definition of truth. As children, we are taught how to believe our parents, but even they lie to us about Santa or Easter Bunny. I mean, I was crying when I found out Santa was actually my mom.

In terms of PR, truth is something even more shady. PR people mean well, but do they really? Everybody has their own interests involved, and my truth might be 180 degrees different from the truth of another PR company. I have to defend what I believe in (or what I get paid for..) while they're doing the same.
Unfortunately, when you grow older, it becomes clear that the lie about Santa is the least of evil. When we just started this semester, we watched a movie on propaganda, and it raised the question of trust. 95% of our class agreed that is it not safe and, pretty much, pointless, to believe what you hear and see. This is very upsetting. It shows that my generation has lost trust their parents might've had in the government, politics, economics - news in general.

I went on Google and types "truth in politics", and all of a sudden hundreds of websites jumped out at me. Isn't that a proof that people are hungry for some peace and calmness about their constantly bothered feeling of trust violation? I went to a few of those pages, and there are the ones that made me interested:
1. http://www.factcheck.org/2010/09/committee-for-truth-in-politics/ - even though this article is over 2 years old, it still caught my attention because it's called "Committee For Truth In Politics". I was so skeptical going in, and nothing has changed. I am sorry, but I do not believe that politicians should even has such a committee because every word they say is a lie to begin with, IMPO.
2. http://www.politifact.com/ - this website is actually pretty interesting. First of all, they have articles on what is going on (but who doesn't). But what is interesting is that once scroll lower, you can vote on what a politician has said. It shows what people choose to believe in and what they dismiss right away. This website makes me feel like I could actually get involved.
3. http://www.pfhub.com/top-10-political-scandals-in-the-united-states/ - this is what came up what I requested information on "the major truth scandals". Google is such an awesome tool. Obviously, I did not live in the States when majority of these events happened, but I know about them. So, if these news flew across the ocean and got to my ears, somebody really messed up. Once the lies become international, there is a problem.

The lies and scandals lie not only in politics, but in every day life. Nestle has been attacked for years now. First, people found out Nestle's baby formula was unsafe for infants, and now there is a problem with their meat supplies.

This is a 1 year old video that is made by students for their class. I think it is significant to understand that if college kids are looking into everything trying to find the truth, those who are responsible for the news delivery should start paying attention to what they say and how they do it. Young adults today are so much different from college grads 10 years ago.
PR Case Study: Nestle Baby Formula Scandal

Afterall, people are simply hungry for truth. People want to feel secure and protected. We need to know that we have somebody to trust. We might be very tired of having to count on ourselves. It might be time to step up the game and give us what we want. Stop hiding behind job description, boss's bad mood, top secret papers, and other silly excuses.

What is being done today is very confusing. We are not taught how to trust, but we are taught how to hide. We had to learn how to find a reason behind everything we hear. In terms of politics, this could lead to something pretty amazing or to a dysfunctional political system. It is time for those who rule to decide on what plan of actions they will take. Let's hope they will choose the one that will pay off very nicely for everybody who is lucky to live in this country.