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Op-Eds: A Crash Course
Op-eds can be some of the most thought-provoking â and controversial â sections of news publications, both in print and online. Last month, MWEGâs media literacy team set out to clarify what op-eds are (you might be surprised what the âopâ stands for), how they can be useful (and not so useful), and why and how you can find your voice and write your own. What are op-eds? Many newspapers have an opinion section, which operates completely separately from the rest of the paper and which publishes âseveral different types of content in the spirit of presenting a wide range of viewpoints and to encourage thoughtful debateâ Des Moines Register).…
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Principles of Ethical Government: Combating Corruption
Mormon Women for Ethical Government’s Principles of Ethical Government (1)(a), (1)(b), and (1)(c) state: (a) People in positions of power should not lightly violate or discard long-standing political norms, especially norms that serve to limit the abuse of power (see D&C 121:39). (b) Government officials and institutions should be honest and transparent, insofar as possible without harming national security and individual rights (see D&C 123:13; Alma 37:25). (c) Elected and appointed officials and government employees alike must eschew conflicts of interest and avoid the appearance of a conflict of interest in fidelity to the public trust. Appointees to specialized government roles should be well-qualified to serve in those roles (see…
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Principles of Ethical Government: Freedom of the Press
Mormon Women for Ethical Government’s Principles of Ethical Government (1)(d) states: A free press is essential to ensuring governmental transparency and accountability. Government officials have a special duty to respect the independence of journalistic organizations. (Luke 12:2-3) Heavenly Father has urged us to seek light and knowledge to help us do good in the world (Moroni 7:19, see also Moroni 7 generally). But to gain a broad knowledge of local, national, and world events, we have to rely on the press to witness, research, and sift through information on our behalf. This reporting is best accomplished when members of the press are free to gather and report news with limited…
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Principles of Ethical Government: Media Literacy
Mormon Women for Ethical Governmentâs Principles of Ethical Government (3)(a) states: (a) All individuals have a duty to educate themselves about the actions of government officials and current events in the world, taking care to ascertain facts from reliable sources of information (see D&C 88:78-81, 118). As members of MWEG, our goal is to courageously advocate for ethical government, and in order to do that we need to be informed on what our government is doing and determine whether we agree with what it does. We are committed to learning more about government action, current events, and what constitutes ethical government. We also aim to develop the skills necessary to identify reputable news sources…
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Education: Career Diplomats and Ambassadors
By Lisa Rampton Halverson, MWEG Senior Director of Educate Limb During the impeachment inquiry proceedings we have heard of ambassadors, career diplomats, foreign service officers, and more. Many have testified of their dedicated, nonpartisan career service to our country. Yet we hear that others were given their position as a political favor. We hope this post will help MWEGers and others understand who these people are and what kind of preparation they have had (or not had). Career Diplomats or Foreign Service Officers Career diplomats or FSOs are hired, not appointed. They come to their positions with a wide and extensive variety of experience and backgrounds. Many come in speaking…
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Media Literacy: Evaluating News Sources
The internet has provided a deluge of news websites, and new ones pop up all the time. As we seek to understand whatâs happening in our world and how we can make it a more ethical place, itâs important to know how to distinguish which news sites are reputable and which viewpoints they represent. Here are five questions we should ask in the process: What kind of media site is this? Is this content produced by independent journalists, a think tank, a political organization, or even a business? Articles produced to promote a business or think tank may not undergo the same journalistic standards as those produced by an independent…
