Sept. 1, 2010
The early August story of Jenny, the girl who quit her job by using a dry erase board to post a series of nasty comments about her boss, lasted less than a day before it was revealed to be a hoax. (Jenny is actually an actress.)
It’s not the first time the guys behind the hoax have fooled people before. They say it’s fun to see the buzz, to create the online memes, and to fool the media.
Compare that to Washington Post columnist Mike Wise, who was suspended for a month after posting to his Twitter account that Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger would be suspended for five games, not six.
Some Questions:
* So why does the same thing – telling an untruth online – lead to different responses and consequences?
* Should people treat information differently, based upon the communication channel in which it is transmitted? What are the ethical implications?
* Is it fair to call the “Jenny” event a lie? Is that word too strong? Why or why not?
* Does any of this tie into codes of ethics?
* On Jenny’s Facebook page, there’s a photo of her holding a whiteboard with writing that says: “Don’t ever trust anything you read in the media.” How would you respond to “Jenny,” the fictional character? How would you respond to Elyse Porterfield, the real person who played that role?