Applied Ethics in Media and Public Relations

"She didn't really say that, did she?"

Situation

University of Iowa President Sally Mason said in an interview with The Daily Iowan, the school’s newspaper, that she didn’t believe eliminating all sexual assault was possible because of human nature. This statement sparked public anger, and Mason later publicly apologized, reiterating how important an issue she considered sexual assault to be and reaffirming her and the university's commitment to fighting it.

Care Ethics

Why use care ethics? This seems to best fit the mindset of those angered by Mason’s comment, which would frame her apology along those ethical standards.

What is care ethics? Care ethics is a recent ethics model that, according to the University of Tennessee Martin's Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy, was developed in the latter half of the twentieth century, motivated largely by feminist ethicists. Its primary focus is on the outcomes of personal relationships and personal interactions. The IEP cites Diemut Bubeck among the shapers of this model.

‘She describes care as an emotional state, activity, or both, that is functional, and specifically involves “the meeting of needs of one person by another where face-to-face interaction between care and cared for is a crucial element of overall activity, and where the need is of such a nature that it cannot possibly be met by the person in need herself.”’

Mason’s critics seemed to be angered by the effect her statement could have on certain people, such as victims of sexual assault, as well as the loved ones of those victims. With this model, the context of the statement does not absolve Mason of the potential emotional damage resulting from the statement itself, including its potential to embolden potential sexual predators.

Stakeholders

Victims of sexual assault, many of whom suffer post-traumatic stress, could feel marginalized and abandoned by their university because of Mason’s statement.

The students of the school would suffer if the integrity of their school is strongly questioned in the general public.

The university could stand to suffer many different types of damages. Enrollment could drop. Alumni donations could dry up. The school’s reputation could suffer, resulting in the loss of other possibilities, such as gifts, as well as faculty, staff and administration.

The faculty and administration could suffer damage to their reputations as well. Mason’s comments could have effects on the reputation of any faculty and administration working under her at that time, hurting those people’s opportunities in life.

Iowa City suffers as the university suffers. It is a relatively small town that lives or dies by the influx of students. As it is, Iowa City is a beautiful hidden gem, rich in culture, talent and integrity. Without the university, Iowa City would be none of this. So any damage done to the reputation and economy of the school will be reflected in the small town and its residents.

Decision

This was not Mason’s first time being in trouble for her perceived attitude toward sexual assault, nor was it the most serious. According to the Des Moines Register, in 2008, a year after Mason became president, an independent investigation determined that the university bungled a high-profile investigation during her first year. Mason blamed and fired a university lawyer and a dean but was still held responsible. She apologized before the Board of Regents and was denied a raise that year.

Mason publicly apologized for her remark. She reaffirmed her and the university’s commitment to preventing sexual assault and to enabling and empowering sexual assault victims to report their assaults. Mason also held a face-to-face public forum with students to give them an opportunity to tell her their thoughts on and ideas about preventing and stopping sexual assault on campus.

As the moral agent for this case, I would approve of the actions Mason took to restore her and the university’s reputation and the students’ confidence in their school.

I don’t feel, however, that this would be enough to fully recover. While one might argue for the adequacy of her actions, I’d prefer for the situation to result in increased strength, like a break in a bone that knits itself back together. A tangible, real-world result would help.

I’d have Mason put together a committee of experts on sexual assault and victim care and advocacy, along with a selection of university students, to submit proposals for actions the university can take to fight sexual assault on campus.