Formula for ethical decision-making for media practitioners

1. S.A.D. FORMULA
FOR MORAL REASONING

2. S.A.D. FORMULA
• Situational definition
• Analysis of situation
• Decision or Ethical judgment
Situational definition
• describe the situation, surrounding circumstances;
• identify conflicting values or facts;
• identify the stakeholders and the “moral agent”
(the one who has to make the ethical decision)
• phrase the ethical dilemma in a one-sentence
question (so that you can focus on the essential
problem)

3. Analysis
• apply/weigh the principles and values affected;
• Weigh the competing principles and values
against each other. For example, does your duty to
tell the truth outweigh the good that might come
of not being entirely forthcoming? What are the
consequences?
• identify effects on stakeholders (consider both
your emotional and rational response)
• identify external factors that will affect the
situation (such as an existing institutional policy)

4. Decision
• Describe the best course of action for the decision-
maker to take.
• Put it into a statement, a sentence, so you can be
sure it has some logic to it.
• Defend that decision to the people who have been
part of the discussion that brought you to this point.
That will prepare you to defend it to your critics — and
you can be sure that, in any ethically murky or
controversial decision, there will be critics.