Verified Document

Public Service And Ethics Is Research Paper

Rather than viewing the overview of ethics as a "classical" versus "modern" approach, what seems apparent is that there has been a powerful, but gradual, evolution in theory that began in Ancient Greece, and has simply been reinterpreted based on more contemporary cultural and societal ideologies. Within the modern construct, the battle for ethical understanding breaches the philosophical and often moves into public entertainment -- motion pictures and television for example. One such example is the 1974 book and subsequent 1976 film entitled All the President's Men, the story of the events surrounding the Watergate burglary and subsequent resignation of President Richard Nixon.

The so-called "Watergate Affair" encompassed a number of secret, and illegal, activities sanctioned by President Nixon or his aids. In brief, Nixon hired some underlings to break into the Democratic Party Headquarters (The Watergate Hotel) on June 17, 1972. They were tasked to gather secret information to be used against the Democrats in the upcoming election. Watergate, however, simply became a symbol of the numerous scandals that were uncovered by reporters from the Washington Post and elsewhere. Nixon, of course, downplayed the scandal, but when tapes of...

(Stans, 1978, inclusive). Nixon continued to deny his involvement, stating to the nation in November, 1973: "People have got to know whether or not their President is a crook. Well, I'm not a crook. I've earned everything I've got" (Kilpatrick, 1973).
Nevertheless, in May 1974, the Congressional House Judiciary Committee opened public impeachment hearing against President Nixon. Practical to the end, Nixon realized he had lost political and public support, and that it was certain he would be impeached and likely convicted and imprisoned. Instead, he resigned the Presidency on August 9, 2974, after making an impassionate television address to the public. Nixon never admitted to any wrongdoing, but later said he might have had "errors in judgment." (Kutler, 1992, 167-72). As a result of Watergate, Nixon was disbarred by the State of New York, and because he would admit no wrongdoing, he resigned all his law licenses. On September 8, 1974, however, he was pardoned unconditionally by his successor, President Gerald

Sources used in this document:
Rather than viewing the overview of ethics as a "classical" versus "modern" approach, what seems apparent is that there has been a powerful, but gradual, evolution in theory that began in Ancient Greece, and has simply been reinterpreted based on more contemporary cultural and societal ideologies. Within the modern construct, the battle for ethical understanding breaches the philosophical and often moves into public entertainment -- motion pictures and television for example. One such example is the 1974 book and subsequent 1976 film entitled All the President's Men, the story of the events surrounding the Watergate burglary and subsequent resignation of President Richard Nixon.

The so-called "Watergate Affair" encompassed a number of secret, and illegal, activities sanctioned by President Nixon or his aids. In brief, Nixon hired some underlings to break into the Democratic Party Headquarters (The Watergate Hotel) on June 17, 1972. They were tasked to gather secret information to be used against the Democrats in the upcoming election. Watergate, however, simply became a symbol of the numerous scandals that were uncovered by reporters from the Washington Post and elsewhere. Nixon, of course, downplayed the scandal, but when tapes of conversations were found, it became clear that Nixon himself had accepted illegal campaign contributions, and had harassed opponents with Presidential powers, and abused his position in office as well as his duty toward the Constitution. (Stans, 1978, inclusive). Nixon continued to deny his involvement, stating to the nation in November, 1973: "People have got to know whether or not their President is a crook. Well, I'm not a crook. I've earned everything I've got" (Kilpatrick, 1973).

Nevertheless, in May 1974, the Congressional House Judiciary Committee opened public impeachment hearing against President Nixon. Practical to the end, Nixon realized he had lost political and public support, and that it was certain he would be impeached and likely convicted and imprisoned. Instead, he resigned the Presidency on August 9, 2974, after making an impassionate television address to the public. Nixon never admitted to any wrongdoing, but later said he might have had "errors in judgment." (Kutler, 1992, 167-72). As a result of Watergate, Nixon was disbarred by the State of New York, and because he would admit no wrongdoing, he resigned all his law licenses. On September 8, 1974, however, he was pardoned unconditionally by his successor, President Gerald
Cite this Document:
Copy Bibliography Citation

Related Documents

Public Communication Ethics Response A:
Words: 2137 Length: 7 Document Type: Term Paper

This is a contractual obligation, as money has been received for a certain service. This is closely related to the third obligation in the model, which is "duty to the organization." The press has an obligation to provide the public with a wide variety of viewpoints in order to ensure public debate and accurate information. If a certain piece of information is withheld from the public as a result of

Public Services Management According to
Words: 4690 Length: 14 Document Type: Term Paper

" (Bissessar, nd) the evidence showed, however "that the choice of 'new' methods of management had become a regional fad. Indeed the universality of NPM could not be disputed." (Bissessar, nd) New Public Management had been introduced in many countries including the United States, the United Kingdom, New Zealand, and Australia and "was accordingly considered a more than appropriate model for the Caribbean and Latin American states as well." (Bissessar,

Public Administration Ethics in Public
Words: 728 Length: 2 Document Type: Essay

Government plays a considerable role in creating feelings of shared obligation and respect in society. People must have confidence that it will defend the public interest, since representative democracy rests on officials and the trust they provoke (Bowman, 1990). To act morally in the public service environment means making sure that the consequences of the public services are not harmful to others, or to put it more optimistically, making sure

Public Administration Developing a Successful Public Service
Words: 1189 Length: 4 Document Type: Term Paper

Public Administration Developing a successful public service culture for a criminal justice agency might sound simple at first, but it is more complicated than many might realize. Just because a person chooses the criminal justice environment does not necessarily mean they have a "service" mentality. Creating an effective service oriented criminal justice agency would include creating motives for the employees which were rooted in emotional value, such as an incarceration environment

Ethics for Bureaucrats It Has
Words: 1235 Length: 4 Document Type: Research Proposal

This could also be dangerous, as it could mean that people with better political connections, but little real knowledge could be making life-altering decisions about the drugs Americans use, the food they consume, and detailed foreign policy decisions that require sensitive knowledge about small nations abroad. Still, at minimum, bureaucrats must understand that they are, in fact, policymakers, and develop a system of ethics to deal with the demands

Remedies to Poor Public Service
Words: 1691 Length: 5 Document Type: Business Plan

Remedies to Poor Public Service For a long time, improvement of public service quality and access for the most marginalized and poorest people has been a top priority for many governments. The issue refers to the content of the debate in most policy agendas. There is increased recognition of the various poor-quality provisions as well as unequal coverage for essential services that hamper poverty-reduction efforts through the reinforcement of inequality. Contextual

Sign Up for Unlimited Study Help

Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.

Get Started Now