Ethics Newsline from the Institute for Global Ethics

Statline: Survey Paints Bleak Picture of On-the-Job Ethics

Commentary: MySpace, Suicide, and Defensive Ethics

In the last week, the tragic tale of Megan Meier has blazed across the national media like a comet -- spectacular, ominous, and crying out for interpretation....

What They're Saying: We Will Do It Our Way

"There is an unrealistic or even impractical obsession with your form of democracy, human rights, and civil liberties, which you have taken centuries to acquire and which you expect us to adopt in a few years, in a few months. We want democracy; I am for democracy. We want human rights, we want civil liberties, but we will do it our way, as we understand our society, our environment, better than anyone in the West."

-- Pakistan president Pervez Musharraf, speaking last week to an audience that included Western diplomats after being sworn in as the country's civilian president...

Red Cross Fires President after Affair with SubordinateRed Cross Fires President after Affair with Subordinate

WASHINGTON
The American Red Cross last week fired its president, Mark Everson, after learning that he had been involved in a "personal relationship" with a subordinate....

Despite Breakthrough, Some Stem-Cell Experts Say Research with Embryonic Tissue Remains Necessary

VARIOUS DATELINES
Despite widespread speculation that a new technique to cultivate stem cells from skin effectively could end the ethical quandaries hampering research in the field, several reports from the world press say embryonic research may still be on the table....

Military's Use of Anthropologists in War Zones Creates Ethics Stir

WASHINGTON
The uneasy mix of social science and military strategy has emerged as the focus of an ethics debate about using anthropologists to help commanders in Iraq and Afghanistan understand tribal customs and more effectively navigate battle zones....

Prosecutor Will Not File Charges in Online Bullying Case

ST. LOUIS
The ethical fringes of an increasingly tangled World Wide Web were the focus of news reports worldwide last week involving the suicide of a girl bullied in cyberspace....

Stung by Criticism, Facebook Does Quick About-Face on Ad System

SAN FRANCISCO
Social networking site Facebook last week changed its three-week old advertising system after privacy complaints from users. According to the Agence France-Presse, members now will be subject to the advertising system, which tracks and displays their purchases, only if they actively "opt in." Previously, members were included automatically unless they took the extra step to "opt out."...

Political Donations Once Again are Ethical Hot Potato in Britain

LONDON
Ethics questions about campaign financing once again are rocking the British government after prime minister Gordon Brown promised to tighten rules on political funding in the wake of a police inquiry into donations that allegedly were disguised....

Subject of Ethics is Back on the Congressional Front Burner

WASHINGTON
Three stories related to ethics issues in the U.S. Congress made headlines last week: Critics wonder if Trent Lott is trying to short-circuit new restrictions on lobbying; Rep. Bob Filner, accused of assaulting an airport clerk, takes a plea deal; and watchdog groups hold Nancy Pelosi's feet to the fire after she promises the most ethical Congress ever....

New York City Sting Operation Raises Questions from Critics

NEW YORK
A police sting operation that targets people who pick up "lost" handbags in New York City stores and subway stations is raising ethics concerns among those who claim the dragnet may be snaring Good Samaritans, the New York Times reports....

Research Report: Survey Finds 'Disturbing' and 'Treacherous' Ethics Landscape for U.S. Businesses

From the Ethics Resource Center: "Six years after high-profile corporate scandals rocked American business, there has been little if any meaningful reduction in the enterprise-wide risk of unethical behavior at U.S. companies, according to the Ethics Resource Center's 2007 National Business Ethics Survey...."