[Get Solution] Legal and Ethical Handbook
As a communications professional in the 21st century, it is critically important to understand the laws and ethics that guide how we communicate in digital and mediated settings. Using the information learned in this class, you will create a handbook for digital communication for the company you work for or a company you wish to work for. The handbook will be designed to guide employees on how to communicate ethically and legally in a digital world. It will also include a case study of an existing digital communication case, issue, or dilemma as an example of how to apply the ethical guidelines and laws outlined in your handbook. This project is a realistic assignment a communication professional might receive and also shows how the concepts learned in this course are applicable to the real world. Your handbook should be realistic, but can take many forms. For example, it can be created in a word document like a standard handbook. Or, it could be created as a website, blog, or presentation. You decide the best way to convey the information in an interesting and clear way including examples, photos, or graphics as you see fit. This project is a realistic type of assignment that a communication professional might receive and also shows how the concepts learned in this course are applicable in the real world. Your handbook should be professional and practical, but it can take many forms. For example, it can be created in a Word document like a standard handbook. Or, it could be created as a website, blog, or presentation. You decide the best way to convey the information in an interesting and clear way including examples, photos, or graphics as you see fit. (Although the final project is a handbook rather than a traditional academic paper, you should still cite sources and include a list of references in APA format.) This assignment addresses the following course outcomes: ? Analyze relevant legal concepts in planning for the creation of new messages for digital delivery ? Analyze professional codes of ethics for their application to digital and mediated communication ? Evaluate common ethical frameworks for developing personal ethical principles regarding digital communication ? Analyze the influence of landmark legal cases and First Amendment applications for their impact on laws governing communication in a digital setting ? Examine dilemmas in digital communication for their legal and ethical implications Prompt You have been asked by your company to create a handbook for ethical and legal communication in the digital age. Specifically the following critical elements must be addressed: I. Introduction: Compose front matter (i.e., preface, overview, table of contents) that concisely informs the reader about the purpose and contents of the handbook. II. Laws and Regulations: This section will discuss the laws and regulations associated with digital communication. Utilize specific examples to illustrate how these laws apply to digital communication decisions. a) Select, and briefly describe, well-known situations that show how the First Amendment has been applied to digital and mediated communication. b) Select landmark court cases in digital communication and explain what changes were made in communication law because of them. c) Determine content and messaging changes made by companies as a result of the changes in communication law brought on by landmark court cases. d) Based on the above determination, compile a list of best legal practices that company employees should follow when creating digital messages and other content for the company. III. Ethical Guidelines: In this section, you will write your own code of ethics for your company employees that will guide their communication and message creation in the digital world. These guidelines should be your own and not copied from another source. However, your guidelines should be based on research and the ethical ideas and principles discussed in class. a) Analyze existing professional codes of ethics for common themes that apply to digital and mediated communication. b) Based on these common themes, develop your own list of ethical guidelines with references to where you have obtained this information. c) Justify the inclusion of each ethical guideline and provide appropriate examples to support your rationale. d) Based on the code of ethics you have created and existing ethical frameworks, compile a list of best ethical practices that company employees should follow when creating digital messages and other content for the company. IV. Case Study: In this section, you will show how the legal concepts and your ethical guidelines can be applied to a real-life situation. This should serve as an example to employees of how to apply the information in the handbook. a) Overview an existing, controversial dilemma in digital communication and explain the legal and ethical implications. This can be a specific incident or a general issue that pervades digital communication. The topic you choose should have both legal and ethical implications. b) Apply the First Amendment to this situation and support your application with examples. c) Illustrate how existing communication laws and regulations apply in this situation. d) Based on the precedents set in the previously selected landmark legal cases, explain how this situation is impacted by them. e) Apply your list of best legal practices to assess the legal actions of the parties involved in this dilemma. f) Determine existing ethical codes from the media professions involved in the dilemma. g) Apply your list of best ethical practices to assess whether or not ethics were taken into consideration by the parties involved in the dilemma. h) Determine how the results of your analysis can be applied to future digital communication situations.
