As we face off the biggest pandemic in today’s modern memory, which is literally doctored and engineered in China, the fact is millions of lives are lost and life world is facing a chaos and disruption. Global economy is gone for a toss as never before. This pandemic is above all human crisis that calls for camaraderie. It has taught the world many lessons and one such lesson is about business ethics which starts with ethical communication.   

The importance of ethical communications has never been clearer. Much of the debate around media ethics in recent years has focused on far-reaching questions why business is important. The global COVID-19 pandemic has pushed ethical considerations back to the basics. Concerns about governmental transparency and corporate responsibility have become a fresh urgency. The implications are more immediate and those working in the media, now more than ever, have a responsibility for their role in shaping public debate.

As businesses go about their work, managers must continue to ask themselves whether it is their responsibility to communicate as they are. 

Businesses have a challenge on their hands. In an atmosphere of financial uncertainty, they have difficult decisions, first to make and then to communicate. They will have to consider both internal and external stakeholders. They must address concerns about safety and hygiene. They must clarify what they are doing in terms of business continuation and protocol. Before they get into the nitty-gritty of messaging, outreach and marketing spend, they must consider the ethical dimension of what they do.

With the global coronavirus outburst, business world is now grappling with ethical communication demanded by their consumers. The big brands of world are increasingly being tested for their moral backbone. Alert and observant consumers are refusing to support companies who are not honest in keeping their promises and are turning a blind eye to the complaints of customers. The Covid 19 pandemic has harnessed the power of social media like never before; customers are able to hold organizations directly and evidently accountable.

Prior to the pandemic, a paradigm shift towards digitization of the economy was already underway. The current scenario has accelerated the paradigm, as evidenced by the marked shift in spending towards digital businesses. As customers are already facing autonomy due to the virus, no longer they are willing to allow brands stay silent. They have a platform and a stronger network to discuss their issues.

The major principles governing communications, the correct and incorrect aspects of the same, the moral and immoral dimensions relevant to the communication are called ethics of communication. In other words, communication ethics is the notion that human beings are governed by morals which essentially affects communication. Simply any kind of moral good present in communication of any form is generally termed as communication ethics. It is important that whatever we communicate should be guided by certain ethical principles.

Amazon has been a crowned winner during the Covid crisis because its sales have soared due to the shutting of bricks-and-mortar shops and malls. It’s also interesting to note that its share price has risen by more than a third in the past few months. And, yet Amazon has been bitterly criticized although the most serious accusations are made against it the US and France rather than the UK. In France all Amazon warehouses were temporarily closed after a huge row about worker safety. In the US Amazon experienced lot of workers quitting due to over warehouse safety and conditions. Many of its workers pledged to stay home in protest because Amazon has failed to provide face masks, and has refused to pay sick leave (the US is one of the few wealthy countries in which companies are not required to), is not allowing workers proper time to wash their hands, and that too many people are working at once to allow for proper social distancing. The fight intensified after Amazon fired four workers who had publicly criticized safety measures. In progressive countries such as Us, UK and France customers gauge the behavior of companies. 

Even in India in a survey conducted by EY Earnest & Young presents response in favor of ethical communication. For example, at the onset of COVID-19 in India, an MNC promised its employees that the organization would retain all its employees during the hardship period but later started firing endless numbers of employees’ right from the lowest to the topmost rung of the ladder. This is a clear breach of trust and faith, no one who is still with the organization will ever trust the employer come what may. Any organization which breaches trust of any of its stakeholders, finds it difficult to get back the trust. Another survey conducted by Deloitte reports that employees do not need a perfect company but just want transparency and truthfulness more than anything else.

Ethical communication always helps organization in admitting openly that they fell short of their goals, they have committed some mistakes, which in long run lead to huge improvements and positive changes for the future which help to garner support from all stakeholders.

It is so important to acknowledge that clients cannot be cheated in the present problematic times; it is better to inform them the truth only. One of the news items in Miami News Times reported that a popular cruise line recently misled its guests about COVID-19 by having sales staff tell them the only thing they needed to worry about for their upcoming cruise was bringing enough sunscreen. The cruise line ignored the pandemic and the associated safety measures which the clients are worried about. Most of the customers who had booked for the cruise did not appreciate the irresponsible behavior of the cruise liner staff, and they decided to drop out of the cruise. Their response is a perfect example of what not to do during such difficult times. This response caused a media storm that generated negative press for the cruise line.

In acknowledging the current times, organizations can establish and build trust and confidence with others that can have a long-lasting impact. Avoiding the truth is bad practice for any business and providing relevant updates won’t cause a panic. When the state of the world returns to normal, individuals will remember how businesses responded to the pandemic and during this time of need.

The pandemic that has taken over our daily lives, businesses and society at large are forcing us to rethink how we react during times of crisis. Practicing empathy in statements, newsletters, social media announcements and other avenues of communication can help establish rapport with customers. It shows that businesses care. However, having empathy goes beyond a written statement.  It must be practiced in action. While many businesses choose to address COVID-19 solely online, on social media or with e-newsletters, it has been observed that organizations that pitch clients for stories on how to stay afloat throughout this pandemic, are appreciated the most. For instance, offering a client spokesperson for TV news segments to provide expert insight or resourceful information on what they are doing to stay in business can set an example for similar companies.

Conclusion: In a sea of statements, social media announcements and email newsletters, making presence felt is difficult. This is where sincere and realistic communication matters.

Media is one of the four pillars of a vibrant democracy in India. Press owns freedom, today vast numbers of TV news channels have evolved from a single Doordarshan, which telecasted a five minute news bulletin three decades ago. The multiple media channels have increased cut-throat competition. Higher TRP guarantees sustainability of the media houses. Therefore, the focus of news is sometimes twisted to create sensation rather than credibility of a news item. Indians are emotional and journalists take advantage of their vulnerability and emotionality.

Internet especially the social media has re-defined Journalism. People at large depend on social media for breaking news these days. They serve as a platform to read about different perspectives. Also, the prevalence of blogging, Facebook and Twitter has given rise to citizen journalism wherein even a common man has an option to report, criticize and comment on topics. This has made the traditional media more accountable about what they broadcast. Any deception, injustice or bias shown in their reporting immediately gets mocked and shamed on the Social Media.

India has currently about 857 satellite television stations which includes variety of languages, 82237 newspapers, over a lakh of periodicals and journals, besides social media, therefore, whether you like it or not news keeps pouring in 24X7.  Arnab Goswami, Vikram Chandra, Sagarika Ghose, Barkha Dutt, Rajdeep Sardesai, Ravish Kumar and few more are considered the superstars of Television news channels. And, they have imminence with the political, social and industrial bigwigs. In fact, the heroes and heroines of various fields are hands in gloves with these super journalists.

In the beginning, news channels were considered as a trustworthy source of ground reporting for giving out information to people. The inferences and judgement of the news were left to the sense of right and wrong of the viewers. However, that is not the case now. Today’s journalists and anchors usually go beyond the scope of just ‘reporting’ the news by giving their personal verdict of the matter, giving the viewers very little space to think on their own. Media plays an outstanding role in creating and shaping of public opinion and strengthening of society. So much so, that the elections are based on opinions shaped on social media. It acts as watchdog to protect public interest against malpractice and create public awareness. The television, radio, advertising, movies, the Internet, newspapers, magazines, outdoor advertising makes or breaks public opinion. There are few instances where the outbreak on media has resulted in some good.

Take a few more examples: the Sheena Bora murder case is more than a thriller movie. The twists and turns in the story, roles of media honchos Peter Mukerjee and Indrani Mukherjee, the then Police Commissioner’s personal intervention kept the public so engrossed in the case that other important issues faded for few months. Similarly, the Aarushi murder case. Every detail of the case was shown, ignoring other vital news items such as the lakhs of farmer suicides, inflation, petrol/diesel prices, Sensex, massive unemployment, ongoing scams everything.

Both print and broadcast journalism influences public opinion, determining the political agenda, providing a link between the government and the people, acting as a government watchdog, and affecting socialization. Media influence is the actual force applied by a media message, resulting in either a change or corroboration in audience or individual beliefs. The media smartly controls, enhance, or mitigates the impact on individuals and society.

In India, the most important issues are massive poverty, unemployment, malnutrition, healthcare, casteism, communalism etc., but our media usually highlights issues of relatively lesser importance, or even trivial ones, and diverts attention from the more important ones. The effect of burning issues such as latest scams gets faded by trivial issues. The bias presented by various networks is appalling; it is high time that we don’t get swayed by media opinion on issues. The intention of much of our media is to divert attention of the people from the real issues facing the masses to non-issues like lives of film stars, cricketers, and petty politics. Issues like cricket, astrology, babas, reality shows like Big Boss, Voice Kid India acts as the opium of the masses which is shown day in and day out continuously. Let’s wake up from the media slumber.