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Etheex/Ithux
I note that pronunciation tending to one or the other is a pretty good indicator of which side of the Tasman you come from. In fact it was the good Dr Tilley again (who's from the other side) offered an academic's take on the methodology of application of ethics in communications at last week's IABC (International Association of Business Communicators) get-together. Unstoppable because her slideshow was too much for the IABC system for her introduction to the topic.



She is an advocate for having a system, not just a conscience, and if it's backed by a code of ethics of the professional association you belong to, like IABC or PRINZ, then it's quotable to clients to straighten out their thinking about what they do, if necessary. She has created a cute graphic which sums it all up, but you have to look up deontology which is nothing to do with teeth, and think a bit about consequentialism.
Barrister Steven Price talked about law and journalism covering in some detail the difference of approach necessary when making a complaint to the Press Council as opposed to the Broadcasting Authority about an alleged media misdemeanor. News (to me at least) was that discussions are ongoing about merging the two, a long overdue move, in my opinion.
And finally we learned that the new Electoral Commission has a communications manager, Peter Northcote, who put up a manly defence, I thought, for the largely indefensible legislation — as in the Electoral Finance Act —which has to be enforced by his staff of 'less than four'. He referred maybe half-jokingly to definition difficulties like the question 'Are balloons advertising?'. So how many angels dance on the needle point? And really, if the idea was to encourage people to participate in the electoral process, then it ain't going to work.
Massive sanctions if you put a foot wrong and a delightful lawyers' goldmine if you dispute. Intimidating was the word that sprang to mind.

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