Persuasive Ethics

Year 9 HEAP • Persuasion • Ethics

Persuasion becomes manipulation when it hides its purpose, bypasses the audience's judgement or takes advantage of their vulnerability. The line is not always obvious, so campaigns need explicit tests and people willing to apply them.

Five ethical tests

Test	Question	Warning sign	Safeguard
Truthfulness	Is every factual claim accurate and in context?	A number without a source, or a quotation cut to change its meaning.	Keep a source log and ask someone to check the claims.
Transparency	Does the audience know who is speaking and why?	Hidden sponsorship, fake grassroots accounts or an undisclosed interest.	Name the campaign group and its purpose on every artefact.
Consent	Have people agreed to be shown, quoted or contacted?	Photos taken without permission, or names used without agreement.	Use written consent and allow withdrawal.
Dignity	Does the campaign respect the people it represents?	Pity, disgust or shock used to make the audience act.	Ask the people affected how they want to be represented.
Non-exploitation	Does it take advantage of fear, insecurity or limited choice?	False urgency, shame or pressure on a captive audience.	Remove the pressure and offer a genuine choice.

Persuasion, manipulation and coercion

Mode	What it does	Audience's role	Example
Informing	Adds knowledge and leaves the decision open.	Judge for themselves.	"The trial runs for two weeks. Here is how to give feedback."
Persuading	Offers reasons and appeals, and invites agreement.	Weigh the case and can disagree.	"We think the trial is worth it because..."
Manipulating	Hides the purpose or bypasses reasoned judgement.	Is moved without knowing why.	A fake account posing as a student to create the impression of broad support.
Coercing	Removes a meaningful choice through threat or pressure.	Complies to avoid harm.	"Anyone who does not sign up will lose their lunch break."

The same message can move between these modes depending on how it is made and delivered. Ethics is not a label attached at the end; it is a set of choices made throughout.

Audience vulnerability

Factor	Why it matters	Extra care
Age	Younger audiences may be more trusting and less able to assess claims.	Simplify without misleading; avoid pressure to share.
Power difference	Students may feel unable to refuse a teacher's request.	Make participation voluntary and anonymous where possible.
Emotional state	Fear, grief or embarrassment can override judgement.	Do not use a person's distress as campaign material.
Financial pressure	People may comply to avoid cost or exclusion.	Offer a free, low-risk way to participate.
Public visibility	Being named or photographed can expose someone to harassment.	Use consent, blurring and the right to withdraw.

Ethics of evidence

Do not invent, alter or round a number to make it sound stronger.
Do not present a correlation as a cause.
Do not cite a source you have not read.
Do not omit contrary evidence that would change the audience's judgement.
Do not use a person's story as proof of a general pattern.
Correct errors publicly and quickly.

Ethics of images and names

Get informed consent before taking or using a photograph of a person.
Explain where the image will appear and for how long.
Do not use an image of someone in distress to raise sympathy.
Do not identify a person who has shared a sensitive experience.
Credit creators and respect copyright.
Remove an image or name if the person withdraws consent.

Ethical review

Question	Evidence or answer	Risk	Safeguard
Who is the audience, and could any group be vulnerable?
What exactly are we asking them to do?
Is every claim traceable to a source?
Whose faces, names or stories are used?
What might the audience misunderstand?
Who is not represented, and why?
What is the worst unintended consequence?
Who will check the campaign before release?

When to stop

Pause or abandon the campaign if:

a claim cannot be verified;
a person's safety or privacy is at risk;
the audience is being pressured in a way they cannot refuse;
the campaign relies on shame, fear or a stereotype;
permission for an image, name or space has not been given;
the likely harm is greater than the likely benefit.

Stopping is not failure. It is evidence that the ethical review is doing its job.

Common errors

Ends-justify-means. Assuming a good cause makes any technique acceptable.
Consent by assumption. Treating silence or membership of a group as permission.
Borrowed suffering. Using someone else's hardship because it makes a stronger poster.
Hidden authorship. Pretending a campaign comes from students when it does not.
Ethics at the end. Asking for approval after the campaign is already public.

Read the teacher notes for how to frame these discussions, and the sources and provenance page for the packet's own ethical position.