Writers responsibilities:
- Honesty
- Accuracy
- Fairness
Readers Responsibilities:
- Respectfulness
- Open-minded
- Goodwill
According to the article, “Writing Involves Making Ethical Choices” by John Duffy, it is heavily pointed out that writers must make ethical choices. These choice will not determine whether or not the writer is unethical or ethical but rather allows the reader to address their audience and build a relationship between the reader and writer. Specifically stated by Duffy, “A writer attempting to communicate an idea or persuade an audience, for example, may write in ways that privilege honesty, accuracy and fairness….”(Duffy 31&32). On the other hand, in the article we discover the ethical responsibilities of readers. As stated before, it Is not a readers job to judge if a writer is ethical or unethical but to try and build a relationship between the reader and writer. Additionally, a reader’s ethical responsibilities is based on how the writer uses their ethical responsibilities. As better stated in the text, “These qualities imply an attitude toward the writer’s readers: in this case attitudes of respectfulness, open-mindedness, goodwill and perhaps humility” (Duffy 32). I think it would be important when reading and writing to make ethical choices because It would make for a better way to interact with your audience. For example, If you’re writing a paper based off your opinion, maybe it’s a controversial topic, making ethical choices through accuracy of information, fairness by stating both sides, and honesty in what you’re writing, you will be able to build a better relationship with your audience and potentially attract a broader audience to your writing.
