To whom does Joel hold himself accountable? Energy Battery Company?

his wife and children? his readers? his conscience? Technical communicators can face thorny issues when they provide a service for a company or an organization that may expect results a technical writer finds questionable or problematic.

For instance, Joel is a technical writer working for Energy Battery Company.

He is asked to write a press release announcing the plant’s unexpected two-week shutdown but is told not to include information about the chemical spill which could have leaked into the local estuary. In this case the writer is torn between meeting management’s expectations (and keeping his job) or serving the public good. Writers need to be thoroughly aware of their ethics and explore all possible actions and outcomes in such situations.