Page 1

CHAPTER I
PRELIMINARY

A.      Background
Communication is a means to establish relationships between individuals and
others. With communication, there is a social relationship with people who are
referred to as social, one side that needs each other, and reciprocity.
In a person's relationship with another person the communication process
occurs. People who are communicating do not pay attention to communication ethics
properly. Things done by people who are different from the information provided or
even heard. Moreover, mixing information in the scope of offices. The easiest way to
implement communication in an office is, all office members and leaders are needed
for the following:
1. Good social order
2. Norms of decency and character
3. Normality in all actions
Organizations created for communication needed for all forms of work
activities. Communication ethics is communication that occurs and takes place in the
office (office communication). By creating a reciprocal communication ethic that is
good between leaders and employees, will lead to good cooperation. In other words,
without communication, the office work will not be in accordance with the plan that
has been determined. The expected goals will not be achieved. Basically
communication can be used orally and in writing. Orally, it can occur directly (face to
face) without going through an intermediary. Every individual tries to determine the
various attitudes and patterns of ideal behavior carried out by each individual or
whatever the individual does, and what is done with the steps taken.
 Page 2

B.       Formulation of the problem

1. Explain the meaning of communication!
2. Explain the meaning of ethics!
3. What are the ethical streams?
4. Explain the meaning of the profession!
5. What is the professional ethics?
6. What is ethics in communicating?

C.      Purpose
For Readers:
1. Add knowledge and insight to the reader.
2. Readers can find out more about Communication Ethics.
For Authors:
1. The author becomes more aware of the Communication Ethics.
2. As a reference in making further papers.

D.      Benefit
The existence of this paper is expected to provide benefits to all parties in
learning about Communication Ethics. Besides that, it can add to our insights all
about communicating well which is always applied in everyday life.
 Page 3

CHAPTER II
DISCUSSIONS

A. Definition of Communication
Communication is one of the most basic of human activities, a process by
which we engage ourselves with others for understanding, for cooperation, and the
accomplishment of a variety of goals. To exist as a human being is to interact with
others, to influence others, and to be subject to their influence upon ourselves.
Although communication is a very dominant activity in daily life, it is not
easy to provide a definition that is acceptable to all parties. As with other social
sciences, communication has many definitions in accordance with the perceptions of
the communication experts who give limits to understanding. Some examples of
definitions of communication according to some figures include:
1. Wilbur Schramm (1955)
Communication is the act of carrying out the contact between the sender and the
sender, with the help of the message, the sender and the recipient have several shared
experiences that give meaning to the messages and symbols sent by the sender and
received and interpreted by the recipient.
2. Theodore Herbert (1981)
Communication is a process in which shows the meaning of knowledge transferred
from someone to another person, usually with the intention of achieving some
specific goals.
3. Edward Depari (1990)
Communication is the process of delivering ideas, hopes, and messages conveyed
through a particular symbol, meaning, carried out by the messenger delivered to the
recipient of the message.
 Page 4

From some understanding of communication according to some figures above, we

can put forward a simple understanding, that communication is a process of sending
messages or symbols that mean the communicator to a communicant with a specific
purpose.
In order for communication to work effectively, the communication components are
as follows:
1. Communicator or Message Sender
Communicators are individuals or people who send messages. A communicator
creates a message, then sends it with a certain channel to another person or party.
2. Message or Information
The message is information created by the communicator and will be sent to the
communicant. This message can be verbal or non-verbal. Verbal messages are
messages in the form of words / sentences both oral and written. Non-verbal
messages are signaling messages, both in the form of bodily gestures, facial
expressions, tone of voice, and so on.
3. Media or Channels
Media is a means used to convey messages from a communicator to the
communicant. There are various types of media, including print, audio, audio visual
media.
4. Communicate or Recipient
Communicating is the recipient of the message. In addition to receiving messages, the
communicant is also tasked with analyzing and interpreting so that he can understand
the meaning of the message.
5. Feedback or Feedback.
Feedback or feedback is also called a response, because this component is a response
or response from a communicant after getting a message from the communicator.
6. Disturbance or Noise
Communication disorders often occur, both technical and semantic. Technical
problems can occur because the channel is not functioning properly. Meanwhile the
 Page 5

semantic disturbance starts from the difference in the meaning of the symbol or
symbol of a communicator with the communicant.
Communication functions include:
1. Establishing Self-Concept
2. Self Existence
3. Live Continuity
4. Obtain Happiness
5. Free From Pressure and Stress

B. Definition of Ethics
In the association of life in the community, state until the international level of
life is needed a system that regulates how humans should get along. The social
regulatory system becomes mutual respect and is known as courtesy, manners,
protocol and others.
The association guideline purpose is nothing but to safeguard the interests of each of
those involved so that they are happy, calm, peaceful, protected without harming their
interests and guaranteed that their actions are being carried out in accordance with
applicable customs and do not conflict with general human rights. That is what
underlies the growth of ethics in our society.
Ethics is the discussion of the judgments we make about the appropriateness,
the right or wrong, of our actions and policies be those actions communicative,
political, social, personal, or a mixture of areas. Ethics is the study of what,
ultimately, is the best course of action
Ethical or common words also called ethics, derived from the Greek word "ethos"
which means norms, values, rules and measures for good human behavior.
Besides that in terms of etymology (the origin of the word), the term ethics
comes from the Latin ethicus which means habit. Something is considered ethical or
good, if it is in accordance with people's habits. Another understanding of ethics is as
a study or science that talks about human actions or behavior, which are considered
good and which are considered bad. Ethics is also called normative science, so it
 Page 6

automatically contains provisions that can be used as a reference to assess whether

behavior is good or bad, as formulated by the following experts:
a. Drs. O.P. Simorangkir: ethics or ethics as a human perspective in behaving
according to good size and value.
b. Drs. Sidi Gajalba in systematics philosophy: ethics is a theory of human behavior
which is viewed from good and bad, as far as can be determined by reason.
c. Drs. H. Burhanudin Salam: ethics is a branch of philosophy that speaks of moral
values and norms that determine human behavior in his life.
Ethics in its development greatly affect human life. Ethics gives humans
orientation on how he lives his life through a series of daily actions. That means
ethics help humans to take a stand and act appropriately in living this life. Ethics
ultimately helps us to make decisions about what actions we need to do and what we
need to understand together that this ethics can be applied in all aspects or sides of
our lives, thus this ethic can be divided into several parts according to aspects or sides
of human life .
There are two kinds of ethics that we must understand together in determining the
good and bad of human behavior:
1. Descriptive ethics, namely ethics that tries to look critically and rationally at
human attitudes and behavior and what humans pursue in life as something of value.
Descriptive ethics provides facts as a basis for making decisions about behaviors or
attitudes that want to be taken.
2. Normative ethics, namely ethics that seeks to establish various attitudes and
patterns of ideal behavior that humans should have in life as something of value.
Normative ethics provides an assessment while giving norms as the basis and
framework of actions to be decided.

Ethics in general can be divided into:

1. General ethics, talks about the basic conditions of how humans act ethically, how
humans make ethical decisions, ethical theories and basic moral principles that serve
as a guide for humans to act and benchmarks in assessing the good or bad of an action
 Page 7

. General ethics can be analogous to science, which deals with general understanding
and theories.
2. Special ethics, is the application of basic moral principles in a particular field of
life. This application can be tangible: How do I make decisions and act in the areas of
life and special activities that I do, which are based on ways, theories and basic moral
principles. However, the application can also be tangible: How do I assess the
behavior of me and others in specific areas of activity and life that are motivated by
conditions that allow humans to act ethically, how people make a decision or not, and
the basic moral theories and principles behind it . Special ethics is further divided into
two parts:
a. Individual ethics, namely concerning the obligations and attitudes of humans
towards themselves.
b. Social ethics, which is talking about obligations, attitudes and patterns of human
behavior as members of humanity.
It should be noted that individual ethics and social ethics cannot be separated from
each other sharply, because human obligations towards themselves and as members
of humanity are interrelated.
Social ethics concerns human and human relations both directly and
institutionally (family, community, country), critical attitude towards world views
and ideologies as well as human responsibility towards the environment.
Thus the breadth of social ethics, this social ethic is divided or divided into many
parts or fields. And the discussion of the most current fields is as follows:
1. Attitude toward others
2. Family ethics
3. Professional ethics
4. Political ethics
5. Environmental ethics
6. Idiological ethics
 Page 8

Ethics Assessment System:

1. The emphasis of the assessment of ethics as a science, is on good or bad deeds, moral
or not moral
2. A person's actions or behavior that has become his nature or has ingrained, that is what
is called morality or character. Budi grows in the soul, if he has been born in the form
of his character deeds. So a manners, the basis of his judgment is from within the
soul; from being in the form of wishful thinking, aspiration, heart intention, until he is
born out in the form of real deeds.
3. Burhanuddin Salam, Drs. explain that something is valued at 3 (three) levels:
a. The first level, is still unborn to be an act, so it's still a plan in heart, intention.
b. The second level, after birth becomes real action, namely character.
c. The third level, the result or outcome of the act, which is good or bad.

C. Ethical Communication

To make the best decisions in our communication, to communicate ethically,

we must give thought to the manner in which we communicate. Formulating a list of
rules to be applied in the different communication situations in which we find
ourselves would be a futile endeavor. The situations are too vast and too varying.
Rather, we would do better to suggest guidelines for ethical communication,
considerations which should shape communicating practice.
 Ethical Communicators are Respectful of Their Audiences
Respect for audiences includes respect for the ideas and feelings of the
people with whom we interact. If people possess dignity and worth, then they
need to be treated as such even when we may disagree with them strongly.
 Page 9

 Ethical Communicators Consider the Consequences of Their Communication

Our communication endeavors are never isolated one from the other.
How we respond at school influences how we respond at home and that in
turn affects how we respond in our public lives. Having considered the natures
of our audiences, we need to consider further the effect of our communication
on them and upon ourselves.
 Ethical Communicators Respect Truth
Indeed, as one has put it, the assumption of truth undergirds the very
concept of communication itselfIf we cannot trust the other party, we cannot
accurately judge how to respond. If we cannot accurately judge how to
respond, then our communication becomes increasingly ineffective. If the lack
of trust is pervasive enough, it is destructive finally to society.
 Ethical Communicators Use Information Properly
a. Adequate Information
As an ethical communicator, a respect for truth means being informed on a
topic before posing as any kind of authority on the subject. Certain
professions such as law, medicine, and education have formal standards of
expertise and knowledge that must be met before one can be a practitioner.
We would be appropriately appalled to discover that the physician who just
treated us had never attended medical school.
b. Accurate Information
In addition to securing information, we also need to consider the accuracy
of the information and the accuracy with which we use it. When we
communicate, we expect people to react in some way to what we say and do.
When we use inaccurate information to influence others, we cause difficulty
for them and for ourselves.
 Page 10

 Ethical Communicators Do Not Falsify Information

Worse than the distortion of information is falsifying information.
Failing to find information useful to our goals, we make it up. Another way of
falsifying information is through plagiarism. Plagiarism is a kind of theft,
intellectual theft. We plagiarize when we use the words or ideas of another
and fail to credit the source. Instead of attributing the material to its original
creator, we pretend the words or ideas are our own. When writing, we
acknowledge sources by the use of quotation marks and include a citation of
the source. When speaking, we acknowledge sources by naming them in the
context of the speech.
 Ethical Communicators Respect the Rights of Others to Information
A respect for truth and an ethical consideration of others also means
respecting the rights of others in regard to information and access to
information. Collecting information is an integral part of the research process,
but stealing information is theft, taking something that does not belong to us.
Beyond the personal act of theft, stealing information is unethical because it
prevents other people from securing information and unnecessarily makes
their lives more difficult.
 Page 11

CHAPTER III
CLOSING

A. Conclusion

For the sake of our audiences, ourselves, and the people affected by our
interactions we need to recognize the ethical component of our communication.
Ethics is not just a matter of political or social policy but is a part of our personal
policies as well, an integral part of our behaviors and our regard for others. Ethical
communication will incorporate a respectful view of its audiences, a consideration of
the consequences of the communication for all parties involved, and a respect for
truth. Such a view is both a challenge and a reward.

Communication is a process of sending messages or symbols that mean the

communicator to a communicant with a specific purpose. Communication has
components so that communication can work well, namely:

Ethics according to experts is the rules of behavior, human habits in

association between each other and confirms what is right and what is bad. Another
understanding of ethics is as a study or science that talks about human actions or
behavior, which are considered good and which are considered bad. Ethics in its
development greatly affect human life. Ethics ultimately helps us to make decisions
about what actions we need to do and what we need to understand together that this
ethic can be applied in all aspects or sides of our lives.

After reading this chapter, i hope that all of us can communicates using ethics
so that we can share our information with wide smile.
 Page 12

REFERENCE

Anderson, Kenneth E. "Communication Ethics: The NonParticipant's Role." The

Southern Speech Communication Journal 44 (1984): 219-228.

Aristotle. Nicomachean Ethics. Trans. Martin Ostwald. Indianapolis: Bobbs-Merrill

Company, Inc., 1962.

Arnett, Ronald C. "The Practical Philosophy of Communication Ethics and Free

Speech as the Foundation for Speech Communication." Communication Quarterly 38
(1990): 208-17.

---. "The Status of Communication Ethics Scholarship in Speech Communication

Journals from 1915 to 1985. Central States Speech Journal 38 (1987): 44-61.

Bok, Sissela. Lying: Moral Choice in Public and Private Life. New York: Vintage
Books, 1989.

Bormann, Ernest G. "Ethical Standards for Interpersonal/Small Group

Communication." Communication 6 (1981): 267-85.

Budge, E. A. Wallis. The Book of the Dead: An English Translation of the Chapters,
Hymns, etc., of the Theban Recension, with Introduction, Notes, etc. 2nd ed. 1923.
Surrey, England: Unwin Brothers Limited, 1977.

Burka, Paul. "Honesty is the Best Politics." Texas Monthly Nov. 1992: 122+.