The Issue of Maintaining Confidentiality in Communication

 

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In every field, the term "confidentiality" is very imperative. By definition, "confidentiality” means keeping information private and not disclosing it (C, 2015). In truth, not all information should be made public. Confidentiality is an ethical consideration that is valued and should not be breached under any circumstances, but in the event that confidentiality is breached, particularly in communication, this can generate a number of conflicts in society.

In communication or publishing information, confidentiality must be maintained, and this is related to ethics, which distinguishes good from evil based on moral duties. In communication, confidentiality is a guideline that everyone must follow. The news of Usain Bolt's multi-million-dollar fraud in Jamaica has left many Jamaicans dissatisfied, but Rev. Dr. Devon Dick, pastor of a Baptist Church in Saint Andrew, stated that he counselled a woman in December of last year who had defrauded a financial institution of a large sum of money, and he made this public during his Sunday ceremony at church. He did not disclose the identity of the woman. The reverend Dick then denied any confession of anyone who defrauded SSL in a subsequent publication by the Gleaner (The Jamaica Gleaner, 2023), Based on his first report in the Jamaican Gleaner about a lady defrauding a financial institution the public then taught that this was the same woman who stole Bolt’s money because Mr. Dick made this publication in that time when there was the island-wide debate of bolt’s money being stolen, so we can see when certain information is released to the public, the public will then generate conspiracy theories that are not true but with the only aim to mislead individuals, later we can see where Mr. Dick had made a publication thereafter to clear all the conspiracy theories of the public.

Why is this Unethical or an Ethical Issue?

Was it ethical for Rev. Dick to disclose this private conversation that he had with the lady? Based on the deontological theory of ethics, one has a duty to ensure that what they are doing is equal and that they should treat others ethically, but based on what the reverend did, was this ethical to do to someone who came to you to confess or came to you seeking guidance and counseling? Given that you are a pastor, this is not ethical because this goes to show that whenever one goes to a reverend to seek guidance, they will use that to tell the entire public, and this will paint an image that reverends or pastors in Jamaica are not credible because they do not value privacy when it comes to personal affairs when you're seeking guidance from them as they are men of God. So, with this lady telling the reverend this issue the public should have never learned of this because confidentiality is key, and this should be valued by all individuals.

Finally, there is a video of Rev. Dick speaking in church about the lady who confessed to him of defrauding her financial intuition, as mentioned in this blog post. What are your thoughts on this?

Video by: humans of Jamaica-https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sUrh4JniEmI

References

C. (2015, October 17). Confidentiality - Definition, Examples, Cases. Legal Dictionary. https://legaldictionary.net/confidentiality/

Francis, K. (2023, January 24). Dick reveals fraud confession. Lead Stories | Jamaica Gleaner. https://jamaica-gleaner.com/article/lead-stories/20230123/dick-reveals-fraud-confession

The Jamaica Gleaner. (2023, January 25). Dick denies woman who confessed fraud linked to SSL. Lead Stories | Jamaica Gleaner. https://jamaica-gleaner.com/article/lead-stories/20230125/dick-denies-woman-who-confessed-fraud-linked-ssl