Real-Life Decision Making
As a criminal prosecutor, you must deal with the media. Whenever a crime occurs, journalists from newspapers, radio and television contact you wanting information that they can publish. They want you to say something newsworthy -- something that will interest the public.
You, however, must abide by strict ethical guidelines that dictate what you can and cannot say to the media. For example, you are not allowed to discuss whether or not a person is guilty. You can only say that they have been charged. You are not allowed to discuss if the defendant has made a confession.
If you break these rules, you might lose your license to practice. Without your license, you would not be able to keep your job.
You recently laid charges against a man accused of setting fires in the parks in your area. He has confessed to the crimes and you are sure that you will get a conviction when he goes to court. The public is outraged because this is a well-liked man, and many people don't believe he could be guilty.
Many people think that the real arsonist is actually another person who you are sure is innocent. They are giving the other man a hard time. The press is following you around trying to get you to tell them more details. You keep saying, "Charges have been laid. That is all I can say right now."
However, it is tempting to tell the truth. "After all," you think to yourself, "The man has confessed and I am certain to get a conviction. I am tired of the public being so angry when this man is clearly guilty. I am also worried that someone is going to harm the other man who is being wrongfully blamed. What harm would it do to tell the reporters about the confession? Then the media will stop bothering me and people will stop blaming the other man."
What do you do?