Trumping Ethical Norms

Questions of ethics and politics have a long tradition in the classroom as well as the political world. Those who act in the political realm-including the media, political strategists and consultants, educators, and religious leaders-are in professions for which a clear code of conduct or an accepted set of ethical norms exists. By contrast, Donald J. Trump, as candidate and as President, has upended the political and ethical context in which he and others operate. This book explores emerging ethical questions that face professionals interacting with a new executive order. Some say the age of Trump is unique and that the norms of ethical professional behavior must be bent to meet this challenge. Others maintain that responding to someone like Trump is precisely why their profession has ethical norms, and that they must put their judgments on hold and respond in what has always been deemed the appropriate professional manner. Each chapter opens with an introduction setting the framework of ethical analysis for a particular profession, is followed by original contributions by notable practitioners, and concludes with a set of questions for students and other readers to ponder and discuss.

L. Sandy Maisel is the Goldfarb Family Distinguished Professor of American Government at Colby College. From 2003-2012 he served as the founding director of the College's Goldfarb Center for Public Affairs and Civic Engagement. Hannah E. Dineen is a graduate of Colby College and a producer at The Morning Report at Portland, Maine's WCSH-6, an affiliate of NBC.

First Thoughts 1 The Ethical Dilemma for the Mainstream Media Introduction The Mainstream Media's Response to the Challenges of Donald Trump - Clark Hoyt , formerly of The New York Times The Role of the Mainstream Media in the Age of Trump - David M. Shribman , Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Political Journalism and Analysis in an Age of Disruption - Amy Walter , Cook Political Report On the Front Lines of Journalism During the Trump Presidency - Kenneth T. Walsh , U.S. News and World Report Questions for Discussion 2 The Ethical Dilemma for Political Consultants and Strategists Introduction Ethical Dilemmas for Political Consultants in the Age of Trump - Whit Ayres, North Star Opinion Research Polling for Democrats in an Evolving Political World - Anna Greenberg , Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research Do You Want to Feel Good or Do You Want the Truth? - Daron R. Shaw , University of Texas-Austin; Fox News Poll; Texas Lyceum Poll; University of Texas Government Department-Texas Tribune Poll Questions for Discussion 3 The Ethical Dilemma for Professors Introduction Teaching American Government in the Age of Trump - David W. Brady , Stanford University Graduate School of Business and the Hoover Institution Teaching Literature in the Age of Trump - Aaron R. Hanlon , Colby College How Do You Talk About Trump When You are One of the Groups He Targets? - Paula D. McClain , Duke University, and Nura A. Sediqe, Duke University Trump, Trouble, and Teaching - John J. Pitney. Jr. , Claremont McKenna College Questions for Discussion 4 The Ethical Dilemma for Religious Leaders Introduction Speaking Out-and Acting-in the Age of Trump - Erica Asch , Temple Beth El and Center for Small Town Jewish Life Catholic Priesthood in the Era of Trump - Michael Rozier , University of Michigan Two Different Religious Traditions Respond to the Challenge of Donald Trump - Carl Ruby , Central Christian Church, and Yunus Lasania, Masjid Al-Madina and Miami Valley Islamic Association Questions for Discussion Concluding Thoughts