A Loyal Reader Writes:
“My father-in-law got an Arbitron diary last week and I made him throw it out. And now I am feeling like a jackass…
“I think I did the right thing but their whole family does actually listen to my show so it wouldn’t be embellished much if at all. I just didn’t want the stink of cheating a book on me. Did I do the right thing?”
Technically, there was no “right thing” for you to do. The ethical burden was on your father-in-law, who had to decide whether to be truthful when answering Arbitron’s questions that could disqualify him as a diary-keeper.
In my opinion, you would’ve been doing the wrong thing if you had asked or encouraged him to lie.
Although you won’t have to look far to find some radio people who will ridicule your choice, when you’re faced with an ethical dilemma erring on the side of honesty is a pretty good policy.
