“There is no charity more beloved to God than speaking the truth.”
An Islamic point of view in regard to the Murdoch scandals is here presented. I really liked it. Today, it would appear that appreciating the thought of other cultures and practicing tolerance toward them can result in a sentence of death from a right wing vigilante. Appreciation is merited by the followers of Islam and tolerance a hallmark of Western Civilization, perhaps more the ideal of Christian Civilization.
James Pilant
I was wondering about this myself. Targeting an opposition youth camp is a leadership decapitation strategy. However, this author got the idea out before I did and developed it beautifully. Please give it a read.
James Pilant
via Balneus
I’ve been waiting for somebody, anybody to say something like this for days.
Ethics Bob is a treasure. He didn’t just say it. He said it with power and toughness. Read this paragraph –
What’s wrong with this picture: a young man, struggling to pay off college loans and support himself with a minimal-paying job, gives a gift—estimated to be worth $300,000 on the open market—to a baseball superstar whose salary for 2011 is $14,729,365?
While others may say Lopez’s heart is big, I think it stupid. But is there a pig in the story? How about Jeter, the gazillionaire who accepts a $300,000 gift from a fan who could only afford one of the cheap seats to see his Yankees play?
That’s a clear ethical point of view. No shenanigans, just what it looks like. I’m a fan of Ethics Bob and I recommend you all visit his site.
James Pilant
via Ethics Bob
I’m not that big a sports fan. Okay, that’s not true, I’m not a sports fan at all, but this was just irresistible.
The picture alone is just priceless.
James Pilant
via Ethics Bob
Jimmy Kimmel having a little fun at Murdoch’s expense. –
and then he has a little more fun –
Considering the enormity of the crimes being discussed, this is very mild stuff. But I promise you, the news of the last few weeks has left me wanting something different for at least a little while. I am tired of a President, I consider barely competent, and as ideologically free of any principle as any other politician one can name. I am tired of watching a rush toward default as if it were a good political maneuver and not a step into totally unknown consequences ranging from mild economic dislocation to global collapse. This is what our politics have come to. God help us all.
James Pilant
In some quarters, it required special permission to see these works of art. Let me present a few and hope that you do not feel the need to avert your eyes.
I think that one is pretty and then take a look at the statue below.
It seems strange to think of a world where these things aroused such fear.
James Pilant
Steven Mintz is willing to offer advice on work place dilemma’s. He promises privacy and protection of your identity. Here he explains what he wants to do and how he can help you.
Steven Mintz explains his policy on privacy and advising in this piece from his web site, which I have copied as exactly.
Workplace Ethics Advice Answers Your Questions
Workplace Ethics Advice is my new blog that expands on the Ethics Sage website to provide reasoned advice how best to deal with workplace ethics issues. Workplace ethics issues may include:
These are just examples of conflicts that may test your commitment to act ethically in the workplace. When faced with a dilemma the first step should always be to clarify your organization’s policy on handling such matters. For example, some companies have an ethics hotline where you can report issues of concern on an anonymous basis. Some have an ombudsperson to provide guidance on ethics issues. Also, be sure you are aware of the code of conduct in your organization because you don’t want to deal with someone else’s possible code violation while creating your own violation.
YOU CAN CONTACT THE ETHICS SAGE, aka Steven Mintz, AT ANY TIME DURING THE DILEMMA. Sometimes it’s best to contact me for advice immediately after the conflict arises and tell me about any company policy so that I can best understand the context of your situation and outline steps to take right away.
Once I receive an inquiry from you I will examine all possible alternative courses of action and respond to you within 24 hours. You can then send me a follow-up question to further clarify my advice. In order to help others, if I believe your question has general applicability in the workplace then I may decide to post your question and my answer on the website. I WILL NOT RELEASE YOUR NAME UNLESS YOU EXPLICITLY REQUEST IT OR INDICATE YOU DON’T MIND IF I DO SO. ALL OUR COMMUNICATIONS ARE COMPLETELY CONFIDENTIAL UNLESS YOU WAIVE THAT PRIVILEGE!
Let me help you to navigate the sometimes rough waters of trying to be a loyal, ethical employee in the face of pressures to do otherwise.
Steven Mintz writing in his blog, Workplace Ethics Advice, has some things to say about bullying in the workplace. As an attorney I can tell you with authority that he knows his business
If you believe you are the target of a workplace bully, speak to the person doing the bullying. Similar to sexual harassment in the workplace, a topic of a previous blog, the first step with bullying is to make your feelings known that it is unwanted and unwelcome behavior. While you know it can negatively affect workplace performance, I recommend you not mention that to a supervisor because it might be held against you if the matter gets out of control and a workplace demotion or firing needs to be “justified.” While talking to other employees may seem to be a logical step, be careful who you choose to discuss the matter with as that person might be pressured by the bullier down the road to tell the latter’s side of the story. What should you do? Be sure to keep a log to record when each incident occurred; what was said or done in response to it; and your feelings on the matter. It is a good idea to give a copy of the log to a trusted advisor who can independently attest to the facts down the road if that becomes necessary. This is similar to the protective step I recommend for a whistle-blower, the topic of my next blog.
Steven Mintz has been blogging for quite some time. He works hard at it and is well informed. His blog posts are backed up by careful research and a well ordered writing style. I recommend you read his blogs, favorite the site and subscribe. He’s one of the best ethics bloggers on the web.
James Pilant
Joe Nocera writing in the New York Times creates an often satirical piece that segues from schadenfreude to celebrating justice. I relished every word and hope you enjoy the piece as much as I did.
These are my two favorite paragraphs, click on them to read the whole editorial.
James Pilant
John Nichols writing for CBS Opinion argues that Murdoch is just as powerful here as in Great Britain –
Now, with Murdoch’s News Corp. empire in crisis—collapsing bit by bit under the weight of a steady stream of allegations about illegal phone hacking and influence peddling in Britain—there is an odd disconnect occurring in much of the major media of the United States. While there is some acknowledgement that Murdoch has interests in the United States (including not just his Fox News channel but the Wall Street Journal and the New York Post), the suggestion is that Murdoch was more manipulative, more influential, more controlling in Britain than here.
But that’s a fantasy. Just as Murdoch has had far too much control over politics and politicians in Britain during periods of conservative dominance—be it under an actual Tory such as former Prime Ministers Margaret Thatcher and John Major and current Prime Minister David Cameron or under a faux Tory such as former Prime Minister Tony Blair—he has had far too much control in the States. And that control, while ideological to some extent, is focused mainly on improving the bottom line for his media properties by securing for them unfair legal and regulatory advantages.
Nichols is absolutely right. The abuses reported overseas are just a different aspect of the Murdoch empire. The power manipulation done here by Murdoch’s various holdings are far more tragic than anything happening in Britain. However, do not for a moment, let you think I believe that Murdoch’s media empire has not been doing the same things here in this country that got them in trouble in England. I am waiting for the results of the FBI investigation.
Nichols also takes care to point out how Rupert Murdoch toys with American politicians like miniatures in a child’s toy collection –
As in England, Murdoch and his managers have for many years had their way with the American regulators and political players who should have been holding the mogul and the multinational to account. Sometimes Murdoch has succeeded through aggressive personal lobbying, sometimes with generous campaign contributions (with Democrats and Republicans among the favored recipients), sometimes by hiring the likes of Newt Gingrich (who as the Speaker of the House consulted with Murdoch in the 1990s) and Rick Santorum (who as a senator from Pennsylvania was a frequent defender of big media companies), sometimes by making stars of previously marginal figures such as Michele Bachmann.
Former White House political czar Karl Rove, who prodded Fox News to declare George Bush the winner of the disputed 2000 presidential election and who remains a key player in Republican politics to this day, still works for Murdoch, as does former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, a prospective GOP vice presidential candidate.
I wish the public owned a politician or two. It would be a nice change.
James Pilant
Pilant's Business Ethics Blog 
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