Deck 11: The Ethics of Persuasive Communication

Question 1

According to David Gordon, advertisers have a responsibility to do all of these, except …

A) Persuade potential customers of the value of a product
B) Reveal the weaknesses of the product
C) Emphasize the strong or appealing points of the product
D) Avoid the kinds of deception that the Federal Trade Commission has banned

Answer 1

B

Question 2

Which one of these would Gade consider ethical?

A) A blog that Wal-Mart covertly sponsors
B) Video news releases identified by showing "Paid for by …"
C) A blog that Wal-Mart covertly sponsors

Answer 2

B

Question 3

By contrast, who benefits from ethical persuasive communication?

A) The client and the public mutually benefit
B) The public, not the advertising or PR client
C) The advertising or PR client, not the public
D) Neither the client nor the public

Answer 3

A

Question 4

Which one of these best fits Gade's definition of propaganda?

A) Manipulation of the source to benefit the audience
B) Manipulation of the audience at the expense of the source
C) Manipulation of the audience to benefit the source
D) Manipulation of the source at the expense of the audience

Question 5

Which one of these is Peter Gade's succinct definition of ethics?

A) What should be done
B) What must be done
C) What can be done
D) What was done

Question 6

Which one of these theories is most appropriate for assessing advertising ethics, according to Gordon?

A) The categorical imperative
B) The veil of ignorance
C) Utilitarianism
D) Transparency

Question 7

Who should keep the public from being manipulated by unethical public relations practitioners, according to Gordon?

A) The courts
B) The public, by disbelieving every thing that public relations pros say
C) The PR industry itself, through enforceable codes of ethics
D) The news media, acting as our social gatekeepers

Question 8

Who should decide when a campaign ad is unethical?

A) The courts
B) The state and federal elections commissions
C) The voters
D) The news media

Question 9

Who should regulate advertising, according to Gordon?

A) The Federal Trade Commission
B) The public, by not buying products that are unethically advertised
C) The Federal Communications Commission
D) The advertising industry itself, through enforceable codes of ethics

Question 10

Gade says that all of these ethicists' theories should be applied to advertising and public relations, except …

A) Machiavelli
B) Kant
C) Lambeth
D) Mill