In John Duffy’s article, “Writing Involves Making Ethical Choices” he talks about why it is important for both a reader and a writer to be ethical. He explains that when writing you are creating a relationship with the reader. However, Duffy goes on to say that some writers do not focus on the ethics of their writing, whether ethical or unethical is decided later. When a writing is unethical, it can make a reader think that the writer is careless.
Ethic expectations of writers
- Moral
- Honest
- Honorable
Ethic expectations of readers
- respectful
- Open-minded
- Humble
When reading and writing one must be conscious of our ethical values. As a writer, one must think about their audience, and how one’s writing could affect someone. Duffy states, “One that is at best careless, at worst contemptuous.” When a writer is unethical, it can cause a reader to feel worthless, and beneath the writer. Therefore, as a writer, one must be honest and moral. However as a reader, one must be open-minded, as a writer and reader may not have the same views.
