RE: ethics, morals in documentation?

Subject: RE: ethics, morals in documentation?
From: "Michael Collier" <mcollier -at- arlut -dot- utexas -dot- edu>
To: "TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com>
Date: Thu, 5 Apr 2001 11:34:44 -0500

> Does it matter who uses our documentation? Or what
> it's used to accomplish?

People may choose, or choose not, to participate in any activity based on
their personal set of values. I seem to recall a post by someone who had an
extensive background in the anti-war movement. His participation in this was
well-documented in his resume, yet he still managed to get contacted by
someone looking for a technical writer to document missile systems or
something like that. I believe he refused the assignment, based on his
values.

What would be professionally unethical would be to try to subvert a project
that conflicts with your values by not producing the same quality you would
deliver on a project that poses no such conflict. In such as situation, you
owe it to yourself, your employer and its customers to be honest with the
parties involved, and request a different assignment.

> Is it common for companies to
> give employees the choice between participating and
> not participating in a project?

I don't know if it is common or not but it seems to speak well of your
company for disclosing the nature of the project to you.

................................................................
Michael Collier, Technical Writer Office: N546
Information Systems Laboratory http://isl.arlut.utexas.edu/
Applied Research Laboratories: The University of Texas at Austin
Voice: 512-835-3408 e-mail: mcollier -at- arlut -dot- utexas -dot- edu
................................................................



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