Ethics in Communication: Understanding situations for plain language use Russell Willerton, US; Renee Saklikar, Elizabeth Rains and Katherine McManus, Canada

1. Ethics in Communication:
Understanding Situations for
Plain Language Use
Russell Willerton
Elizabeth Rains
Renée Sarojini Saklikar
Katherine McManus, Chair

2. Brief Overview of Ethics
•
•
•
•
Immanuel Kant’s categorical imperative
Utility or utilitarianism
Feminist approaches, including care
Virtue ethics; see Aristotle’s Nicomachean
Ethics
• Martin Buber’s dialogic ethics
For another brief overview, see “Why ethics?” by Derek G. Ross at
http://www.pelicanweb.org/solisustv08n11page9.html.

3. The BUROC Model
This model identifies opportunities to use plain
language for ethical action.
Proposed by R. Willerton; modified after comments
from 25 PL practitioners worldwide.
•
•
•
•
B is for bureaucratic.
U is for unfamiliar.
R-O is for rights-oriented.
C is for critical.

4. The BUROC Model
As situation reflects characteristics of the BUROC
model more strongly, plain language is likely to
benefit people in that situation.
The next slides show situations as they reflect one
part of the BUROC framework. That said, each of
these situations reflects all parts of the framework to
some degree.

5. Bureaucratic: Starting a Non-Profit

6. Bureaucratic: Starting a Non-Profit
CHAPTER 3 IDAHO NONPROFIT CORPORATION ACT
30-3-2. Filing requirements. (1) A document must satisfy the requirements of this section, and of any other
section that adds to or varies these requirements, to be entitled to filing by the secretary of state.
(2) This act must require or permit filing the document in the office of the secretary of state.
(3) The document must contain the information required by this act. It may contain other information as well.
(4) The document must be typewritten or printed.
(5) The document must be in the English language. However, a corporate name need not be in English if
written in English letters or Arabic or Roman numerals, and the certificate of existence required of foreign
corporations need not be in English if accompanied by a reasonably authenticated English translation.
(6) Except as otherwise permitted by section 30-3-136, Idaho Code, the document must be executed:
(a) By the presiding officer of its board of directors of a domestic or foreign corporation, its president, or by
another of its officers;
(b) If directors have not been selected or the corporation has not been formed, by an incorporator; or
(c) If the corporation is in the hands of a receiver, trustee or other court-appointed fiduciary, by that fiduciary.
(7) The person executing a document shall sign it and state beneath or opposite the signature his or her
name and the capacity in which he or she signs. The document may, but need not, contain:
(a) The corporate seal;
(b) An attestation by the secretary or an assistant secretary; or
(c) An acknowledgement, verification or proof.

7. Bureaucratic: Starting a Non-Profit
Plain language from foundationcenter.org

8. Unfamiliar: Cell Phone Contract
A Device Savings Recovery Fee (DSRF) applies if you have been granted
an Economic Inducement (as defined below) upon entering your new term,
and if, for any reason, your wireless service or your new term is terminated
prior to the end of the term of your Service Agreement (Service Agreement
Term). The DSRF is the amount of the economic inducement (which may
take the form of a discount, rebate or other benefit granted on the price of
your Equipment), as stated in your Service Agreement (Economic
Inducement), less the amount obtained by multiplying such months elapsed
in your Service Agreement Term as compared to the total number of months
of your Service Agreement Term (plus applicable taxes). In other words,
DSRF = Economic Inducement – [Economic Inducement x (# months
elapsed in your Service Agreement Term ÷ Total # months in your Service
Agreement Term)] + applicable taxes.

9. Unfamiliar: Cell Phone Contract
“$450 Bill Credit.”

10. Rights-Oriented: Referendum in
Wichita, KS
Shall Charter Ordinance 216 entitled: “A charter
ordinance amending and repealing Section 1 of
Charter Ordinance No. 213, of the city of Wichita,
Kansas, which amended and repealed Section 1
of Charter Ordinance No. 183 of the city of
Wichita which amended and repealed Section 1
of Charter Ordinance No. 174 of the city of
Wichita, Kansas, pertaining to the application of
revenues from the transient guest tax” take
effect? (Lefler 2013)

11. Rights-Oriented: Referendum in
Wichita, KS
In 2013, the Kansas legislature approved a
bill allowing county election officials to request
a designated official to write an “explainer” in
plain language when the language used in a
ballot measure is too confusing for voters.
Each explainer will be reviewed for accuracy
and neutrality by a second appropriate official
(Lefler 2013).

12. Critical: Do Not Resuscitate Form,
Alabama
I. I, the undersigned patient, understand that I
suffer from a terminal condition, which is an illness
or injury for which there is no reasonable prospect
of cure or recovery, death is imminent, and the
application of resuscitative measures would only
prolong the dying process. I hereby direct that
prehospital resuscitative measures be withheld
from me. I have discussed this decision with my
physician, and I understand the consequences of
this decision.

13. Critical: Do Not Resuscitate Form,
Alabama
II. I, the undersigned, hereby certify that I am
related by blood or marriage to the patient
named on the reverse side, and that I have
personal knowledge that the patient has
executed an advance directive (living will), a
copy of which is attached, which requires that
prehospital resuscitative measures be withheld
from the patient under the present
circumstances.

14. Questions
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
What is left out of the BUROC model?
Who is the reader, the consumer?
What is being consumed?
What about history, society, econ. status?
What assumptions govern ideas of the
plain in language?
6. What about gender, race/ethnicity,
culture?

15. Plain Language for
Commissions of Inquiry
• Case study, the Inquiry into the Investigation
of the bombing of Air India Flight 182
(sometimes called Canada’s 9/11/01)
• Sample acronyms used, see “children of air
india, un/authorized exhibits and
interjections” (Nightwood, 2013)
• Overall, though, clear and accessible prose
style
• Criticism: dissent “smoothed out”
R.Saklikar for Plain Language Panel, Oct
2013
15

16. Air India Inquiry:
Acronyms & Disruption
Narita : hymnal-acro-nym
[name redacted] [name redacted]
ACI ACISS ACPA ACS ADO ADR AG AGAS AGBC AGC AI AICCA
AICVWS AITF AIVFA AKJ ALAA ALPA AML AML/ATF AML/CFT
ACI ACISS ACPA ACS ADO ADR AG AGAS AGBC AGC AI AICCA
AICVWS AITF AIVFA AKJ ALAA ALPA AML AML/ATF AML/CFT
APEC API/PNR// APO ARAACP ASIO ATA aTAC ATF ATFT ATSC AVSEC BC BK BOAC BPR BSO BSS
C// CAC CACPCACPP CAFAS CAIR-CAN CAJ CAPI CASB CATA CATSA CBA CBCR CI CISA CISR C-CAT
CCD CCLA CCSI CCTV C Directorate// CEA CEIC CFT CI CIB CIC CIFFA CIO CIP CIS CISBC CI&W CJC
CLA AICVWS AITF AIVFA AKJ ALAA ALPA AML AML/ATF AML/CFTAPEC API/PNR// APO ARAACP
ASIO ATA aTAC ATF ATFT ATSC AVSEC BC BK BOAC BPR BSO BSS C// CAC CACPCACPP CAFAS
CAIRX CTC//CTF DSSO DTP EACSR ECAC EDD EDS EDT EDU E&FE// EFTR EVD FAA FATF FAU FBO
FININT FINTRAC // FIU FLQ FLSC FMCMV/IN // GA GOC GOI GTTA HBS HHMD HQ IAB IAC IATA
IBET I/C ICAO ICLT ICSI // IED IG IMF IM/IM INSET Insp.or Inspt. IO IPOC IR IRPA I&S ISO ISYF IT
ITA ITAC IVTS JFO JIC JMT LC LCTR LO LTTE MANPAD MATRA MI5 MILF ML MLAT // MOA MOT
MOU RAIC RAP RAW // RAIC RAP RAW // RCMP RCMP SS RFID RIUNSTR // SAC SDS SeMS Sgt.
SIGINT SIRC SIT SLO SOP SOS SPL SPOT SPP SPROS SQ SR SRAS SS SSCMS SSEA S/Sgt SSO STR
STS TA TAPP TARC TAU TC TF TFU TIPS NTX TPR TSA TSC TWA U/F UK U/M UNAQTR UN CTC //
UNSTR US USAP USSS VDS VIA VIIU VIP VIR VPD VSI WAC&R WPP WPPA WRC WSO WTM
WTMD XRTInsp.or Inspt. IO IPOC IR IRPA I&S ISO ISF IT ITA ITAC IVTS JFO JIC JMT LC LCTR LO
LTTE MANPAD MATRA MI5 MILF ML MLAT // MOA MOT MOU MSB NAPSP NC NCCT NCIB NCIS
// NCO NPO P Directorate SIRC SIT SLO SOP SOS SPL SPOT SPP SPROS SQ SR SRAS SS SSCMS
SSEA S/Sgt SSO STR STS TA TAPP TARC TAU TC TF TFU TIPS NTX TPR TSA TSC TWA U/F UK U/M
UNAQTR UN WTMD XRT
APEC API/PNR// APO ARAACP ASIO ATA aTAC ATF ATFT ATSC AVSEC BC BK BOAC BPR BSO BSS
C// CI&W CJC CLA CLEU CMCLA CO CO CP or CP Air CP CPC CPIC CRA CRCVC CRSIA CS CSC CSE
CSEC CSIS C/Supt. CT CT or CAT, CT-X CTC//CTF DDG, ops DDR DEA DFAIT DG DHA DIO DND DNI
DOJ DOT DPP DSSO DTP EACSR ECAC EDD EDS EDT EDU E&FE// EFTR EVD FAA FATF FAU FBO
FININT FINTRAC // FIU FLQ FLSC FMCMV/IN // GA GOC GOI GTTA HBS HHMD HQ IAB IAC IATA
IBET I/C ICAO ICLT ICSI // IED IG IMF IM/IM INSET
Insp.or Inspt. IO IPOC IR IRPA I&S ISO ISYF IT ITA ITAC IVTS JFO JIC JMT LC LCTR LO LTTE
MANPAD MATRA MI5 MILF ML MLAT // MOA MOT MOU MSB NAPSP NC NCCT NCIB NCIS
// NCO NPO NPRM NPS NSA NSCNSCIS NSE NSID NSIS NSOB NSOS NSOTF NSR NSTAS NSY SB
OAS OAS OCP IOC OP OPC OPP ops OSA OSCE OSFI // PBS PC PCMLTFA // PCO P Directorate
PEP PFLP PHRO PIA // PIRS PMO POC PPP PRPF PS or PSC PSD PSEPC PSU PTV QPF RAD // RAIC
RAP RAW // RAIC RAP RAW // RCMP RCMP SS RFID RIUNSTR // SAC SDS SeMS Sgt. SIGINT SIRC
SIT SLO SOP SOS SPL SPOT SPP SPROS SQ SR SRAS SS SSCMS SSEA S/Sgt SSO STR STS TA TAPP
TARC TAU TC TF TFU TIPS NTX TPR TSA TSC TWA U/F UK U/M UNAQTR UN CTC // UNSTR US
USAP USSS VDS VIA VIIU VIP VIR VPD VSI WAC&R WPP WPPA WRC WSO WTM WTMD XRT
R.Saklikar for Plain Language Panel, Oct
2013
16

17. Suggestion
When using the BUROC model, consider
this mantra:
• “Nothing about us without us”
(motto used by indigenous peoples and
oppressed, marginalized groups)