Potter’s Box Model for Ethical Decision Making

Ralph Potter Jr., a professor of social ethics at Harvard Divinity School, created the Potter Box to provide guidelines in helping people with ethical decision making. It focuses on four dimensions of ethical reasoning that include facts, values, principles, and loyalties.  In that order, the tool offers simple steps to reason through ethical dilemmas and make a justified decision. By subjecting the dilemma for analysis, a person can more clearly see all sides prior to making the decision.

Using this method, different people can (and will) come to different decisions, based on their values, the principle to which they adhere, or their loyalties.      It is a process, not a solution.  It is not going to lead all individuals to the same solution. As journalists or media professionals, we should always remember that our code of ethics is based on two fundamental ideas:

1.     that those who have a special measure of freedom have an obligation to use it responsibly; and

2.     that society’s welfare is paramount, even above an individual’s

Definition

·        In this box, we need to give a summary of the situation. This should include all known facts. Unverified rumors or suspicions should not be included. Just the facts!

·        Just as in any kind of a decision that we have to make, the first step is to gather all available information that sheds light on how the situation developed and what it looks like now, so that we can truly pinpoint the problem.

·        We need to list the facts of the situation we are in, so that we can better understand it. This will help us understand exactly what ethical dilemma we are trying to solve.

·        After completing other steps, we may find that we have to return to this step and modify our definition of the situation. The definition stage of the Potter Box concerns the facts of the issue at hand. Here is where the analyst should set out all facts without making judgments or hiding any facts.

·        Doing this in the form of a bulleted list is easier.

Values

·        Values are those aspects of life we consider to be important to us and that guides our decisions about what is right and what is wrong.

·        At this stage, the analyst should state and compare the merits of different values to acknowledge the influences on decision-making.

·        By referring to the specific concerns of the individuals involved, it allows the analyst to identify differences in perspectives.

·        We have to state the values involved for us as a media profession and for others involved in the situation.

o Professional values (e.g. truth-seeking, public’s right to know, transparency in government, person’s right to privacy)

o   Moral Values (e.g. Truth-telling, Humanness, Justice/fairness, Freedom, Independence, Stewardship, Honesty, Non-violence, Commitment, Self-control)

o     Aesthetic values (e.g. Harmonious, Pleasing, Imaginative)

o     Logical values (e.g. Consistent, Competent, Knowledgeable)

o Socio-cultural values (e.g. Caution, Hard work, Energy, Control, Heterosexuality)

o  Legal values (e.g. law supersedes emotion, all persons deserve equal treatment under the law)

o Patriotic values (e.g. love thy country, respect the flag, uphold constitutional rights)

o     Religious values (e.g. do unto others, thou shalt not kill)

o   Freedom-based values (e.g. freedom of speech, right to a trial by jury, right to not incriminate oneself)

Principles

·        Principles are ethical philosophies or modes of ethical reasoning that may be applicable to the situation. By considering the values stated above from several ethical philosophies, the decision-maker is better equipped to understand the situation. The following are some of the ethical philosophies that may be utilized under this segment of Potter’s box model:

o   Aristotle’s Golden Mean –

§  “Moral virtue is a middle state determined by practical wisdom.” Virtuous people will arrive at a fair and reasonable agreement for the legitimate claims of both sides in the middle of two extreme claims. It is virtues that lie at the middle between extremes of excess and deficiency such as the mean of cowardice and silliness is courage. It involves the correct quantity, correct timing, correct manner, etc.

o   Immanuel Kant’s Categorical Imperative –

§  “Act on that maxim which will become a universal law.” It implies what is right for one is right for all, which establishes a precedent, universality of an underlying principle.

o   John Stuart Mill’s Principle of Utility –

§  “Seek the greatest happiness for the greatest number.” Consider the consequences, produce the greatest possible balance of good over evil, and distribute this as widely as possible. Act with the greater good in mind.

o   John Rawl’s Veil of Ignorance –

§  “Justice emerges when negotiating without social differentiation.” Step away from real circumstances into an “original position” behind a barrier where roles and social differences are eliminated. Place yourself in the position of those your decisions may influence.

o   Agape’s Judeo-Christian or Persons as Ends principle –

§  “Love thy neighbor as yourself.” Persons as Ends' principle, emphasizes love for our fellow humans and the golden rule. He stresses that when we love our neighbors, we shall seek to do good to them, therefore, we should love fellow humans the same way we love ourselves. Unselfish, cooperative.

Loyalties

·        Loyalties concern who the decision-maker has allegiances or loyalties to. For example, in journalism, the first allegiance is always to the public. Other allegiances a journalist might have would be to their employer, industry organizations or co-workers.

·        This is to determine to whom we must be loyal in this situation. We should determine to whom our primary loyalty belongs in this situation. It should begin by listing out all of our loyalties and then prioritizing them.

·        It involves evaluation of how each of those loyalties comes into play in this decision. For this, we should consider:

o   Duty to self

o   Duty to the audience

o   Duty to organization

o   Duty to the profession

o   Duty to promise holders

o   Duty to society

·        Ethical decision-making must be marked by a sincere sense of social responsibility and a genuine concern for the citizens.

·        In the Potter Box, the loyalty component necessitates the acknowledgment of the implications of a decision for institutions and social groups before an ethical decision is made.

Dilemma Example

·   Would you use information for a news story that you got from messages posted by discussion groups (special interest email lists) without contacting the people who posted the message?

·      So, you are writing a story and check a discussion group that is open to the public from the women’s center at the school. You find messages posted by three women who claim to have been sexually molested by a professor.

·        You tried unsuccessfully to contact them by email and phone.

·        The professor refuses to respond to you by email, by phone or in person.

·        Would you use quotes from the discussion group in your story?

·        Would you name the professor? The women?

·        You are on deadline and this is a competitive story…what do you do?

Using the Potter’s Box Model, we can analyze the given dilemma as follows:

·        The definition: Should we run the comments?

·        The values: accuracy, truth, fairness, privacy

·        Ethical principle: Principle of Utility/ Veil of Ignorance /Categorical Imperative

·        Loyalties: allegiance to public, employer, organizations, co-workers, society

·        Decision:

o   Journalists should test the accuracy of information from all sources and exercise to avoid unintentional error. Journalists should diligently seek out subjects of news stories to give them an opportunity to respond to allegations of wrongdoing.

While our first question is always, “Can we do that?” our second question must be, “Should we do that?” The Potter Box focuses on moral issues as opposed to pragmatic or legal ones, such as how to avoid getting sued or fired. With regard to ethics, however, it can be used to reflect on any situation that requires moral decision-making. Its four steps, at least initially, should be followed in order. The Potter Box does not offer a single, clear-cut solution to ethical dilemmas. Indeed, two different people analyzing the same issue with the Potter Box could arrive at two very different conclusions. Moreover, the same person analyzing the same issue could come to different decisions when using the Box at two different times. Nevertheless, the Potter Box can help us think through what to do. It offers a process to help us weigh our options in a methodical manner. In addition, the name "Potter Box" may indicate that this process is very rigid, but in fact, it is fluid, and we may have to go back and forth among the steps before we can reach a conclusion that satisfies us. This process also becomes easier and quicker with practice.