Throwing the Book at Him

In the case of Zell's new handbook, his insistence on giving employees a chance to dispute certain rules does allow for democracy in the workplace which improves employee relations. However, his lack of regard for the quality of the work from his employees or his own interest in the company's output indicated a disregard for employee relations in the company. His myopic view of his employees only as moneymakers caused the photographer to be offended that Zell had no interest in the content made by employees. Also, it is most likely that employees felt resentment towards Zell at the idea of being used for his personal gain rather than giving the journalists opportunities to display their work and create objective, truthful, and informative news content. Also, the ethical boundaries of journalism were crossed when Zell stated he only cared about profits. Journalism should seek to find and report news as well as act for the good of the people they serve not to exploit them for their money. Zell's comment certainly slashed an ounce of integrity that he had built up with his employees.

Too Good to Be True

The harsh response of the White House to the faux press conference by FEMA was very warranted and appropriate. A sensitive situation such as a natural disaster is far too important to be played down by a fake press conference. Preparing newsmakers for interviews is not a practice that a government agency should engage in frequently. Not allowing re journalists to ask pertinent questions raises suspicion among members on society and doesn't engender trust. PR reps posing as journalists leads to incorrect, faulty news being reported incorrectly. PR reps should work with the media to protect and promote their clients rather than try to pose as them. This situation exhibits a direct ethical violation in reporting accurate and truthful news. The fact that FEMA failed to contact enough journalists to attend is an example of their inattention to details the public found important. Their lack of common sense in this situation created a nasty PR crisis that implicates more parties than just FEMA themselves.