Recent Ethics Commentaries

Featured image for “Planned Parenthood – Part 2”
Planned Parenthood – Part 2
From the outset, Jason Chaffetz, Republican chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform attacked Planned Parenthood CEO Cecile Richards, at one point using a chart that showed “Abortions up/Lifesaving Procedures down.” “In 2006,” Chaffetz said, pointing to the chart, “Planned Parenthood performed more prevention services and cancer screenings than abortions, but in 2013, there were more abortions…....
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October 9, 2015
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The Ethical Take
The 1982 absurdist thriller, Wrong is Right, has reporter Sean Connery dealing with Islamic terrorism, government conspiracy, media bias and reality TV. Halfway in, I switched channels due to the tedious and wildly unrealistic premise. Here are just a few examples that prove me wrong, or rather, proves the premise… right! “Life is short. Have an affair” – That’s the...
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September 18, 2015
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Deflategate Redux
Since the ignominy of Richard Nixon’s attempt to bug Democratic headquarters at the Watergate hotel in 1972, the media likes to christen any high-profile scandal with the suffix “gate.” The simple fact is that the deflation of footballs can’t compare to the pervasive illegality of President Nixon’s actions that led to his resignation. Nevertheless, Steve Ambra’s ethics class was tasked...
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June 17, 2015
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Moral Purpose
On the first day of class, Professor William Hundert stands before his high school boys in the film The Emperor’s Club and succinctly explains the purpose he is reaching for with his students. “Great ambition and conquest without contribution is without significance. What will your contribution be? How will history remember you?” June is a time of graduation and having...
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June 12, 2015
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What is Ethical Leadership?
In light of all the recent ethics scandals, what’s needed most today is authentic leadership – individuals who demonstrate, by example, how to make a difference for the betterment of all. U.S. Army Lieutenant General (Ret.) Hal Moore represents one such leader. In 1965, then-Lieutenant Colonel Moore led his vastly outnumbered troops in the first major battle of the war...
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May 26, 2015
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The Three Amigos
Spoiler Alert: This probably won’t win me any fans in New Hampshire. Despite the fact that America has long been perceived as the home of the brave, and land of free enterprise, there have always been three classes: the rich, the elite and the rest of us. While the rest of us watch the game at home or in a...
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May 13, 2015
Featured image for “It’s Official; PDR Calls ‘Ethics Disorder’ a Disease”
It’s Official; PDR Calls ‘Ethics Disorder’ a Disease
In April 2009, I reported the following: “Washington, D.C. – In a stunning announcement on the steps of the Capitol today, scientists from four leading research centers believe they have found a direct link between the ethics scandals of the last five years – perhaps going back as far as five decades – and a chemical imbalance in the brain....
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April 1, 2015
Featured image for “The Ethics of CyberWar – Part 1”
The Ethics of CyberWar – Part 1
In the conclusion to his new book, @War – The Rise of the Military-Internet Complex (2014), journalist Shane Harris writes, “Governments and corporations are making the rules as they go, and their actions have had a more tangible effect than many have realized. It’s incumbent on everyone who touches cyberspace – which is undeniably a collective – to find what...
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March 12, 2015
Featured image for “The Sony “Hack””
The Sony “Hack”
There’s an expression in Hollywood that says that there’s no such thing as bad publicity. However, in the case of the massive cyber attack of Sony Pictures (Nov. 24), where thousands of documents including private e-mails, budget numbers, executive salaries, social security numbers, home addresses, as well as employee health records were stolen… somehow, I don’t think Sony is keyed...
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December 17, 2014
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Final Report, Conclusion
Last Thursday (Oct. 23), I explained how, after a 19-month Freedom of Information request, I obtained a copy of the only independent investigation examining allegations of misconduct in Ken Starr’s Office of Independent Counsel. Former Assistant Attorney General for the Criminal Division Jo Ann Harris and her Co-Counsel Mary Harkenrider spent 10 months and conducted 25 interviews during their investigation....
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October 26, 2014

Read Some of the Most Recent Articles
The Latest... And Often Greatest
Who Watches the Algorithm?
We are building machines that may soon judge, persuade, police, diagnose, hire, fire, and even help governments decide whom to trust. Yet we still have...
He Just Does His Job
I’ve been listening to and watching Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff of Georgia for more than a year now: his speeches, his questions in Senate hearings,...
Why Donald Trump Has Pulled Me Back In—Again
Last August, I wrote that I was “stepping back from the chaos” of Donald Trump. I meant to write about his presidency only when his...
Scott Pelley Responds
During a contentious staff meeting at 60 Minutes, Scott Pelley spoke out sharply, criticizing the judgment and decision-making of CBS News editor in chief Bari...
The Clock is Still Ticking. But Now It’s Ticking for CBS
I began watching 60 Minutes when it premiered on September 24, 1968, when Harry Reasoner and Mike Wallace introduced a new kind of television journalism:...
God Has Chosen Donald Trump
At a Trump-backed Christian prayer rally on the National Mall in Washington on May 17, officially called Rededicate 250: A National Jubilee of Prayer, Praise...