Portfolio

Jordan Nelson
 Table of Contents

Communication Law and Ethics Term Paper…………………………………...2-4

Social Media SWOT Analysis………………………………………………..…5-7

News Release………………………………………………………………….…..8

Media Pitch…………………………………………………………….……...…..9

Informative Memo……………………………………………………………10-11

Commentary……………………………………………………………….…12-17

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I had written this paper for my Communication Law and Ethics course. The objective of this
assignment was to choose an ethical issue in the field of communication and clearly
describe, identify, and source the ethical issue.

Communication Law and Ethics

Term Paper

Jordan Nelson

Public relation professionals maintain a favorable image of a company or

organization to its stakeholders. In doing so, they create a large impact on consumer’s
decision making and beliefs, therefore making their jobs vital to the workforce. Being
they have such a heavy pull on the public, it’s important to be aware of their
application of ethics on the messages they are presenting.
According to Katie Place, author of Exploring the role of ethics in Public
Relations Program Evaluation, “Public relations professionals play a central role in
implementing ethical decisions for the organizations they represent” (pg. 122). Public
Relations professionals make ethical decisions every day when deciding on how to
frame a message that will be shared with the public. False or misleading information
given out PR professionals can be detrimental to a company or entity’s reputation.
According to Marlene Neill, author of Ethics in Public Relations: Differences Between
Stand-Alone Ethics Courses and an Integrated Approach, “ Researchers have identified
the common ethical issues that communication professionals are likely to face, such as
targeting of minors, truthfulness in communication, challenges to professional
integrity; altering of research data; working for questionable clients; and workplace
practices such as office politics, competitive bidding, and billing practices” (pg. 121).
The extensive amount of influence on messages created by PR Professionals have
should not be taken lightly. These assortments of ethical issues that are currently
present in the field of communications all come down to transparent content that
implores a truthful, inoffensive message to its audiences.
An example of a miscommunicated or offensive message brought on by a
public figure comes from First Lady, Melania Trump from this past summer. In June,
The First Lady had made an unannounced trip to McAllen, Texas to get a first-hand
look at the border crisis and asked officials how she could help reunite children with
their families. Melania was showing true care for those struggling and was proving her

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dedication to her country through her attendance and acts of kindness. However, a
few hours later Melania was spotted wearing a jacket that stated on the back, “I really
don’t care”. This brought on speculation as to if the jacket had been specifically
chosen or if there was no hidden message and it was just a jacket.
Melania’s acts of kindness at her time spent in Texas had been diminished by
her choice in clothing. Instead of the public focusing on her good works they were
more interested in deciphering the message or lack of message in her jacket choice.
This is a great example of how one decision in messaging can transform how the
public may view a person or entity. The First Lady’s spokeswoman, Stephanie Grisham,
said in a statement, “After today’s important visit to Texas, I hope the media isn’t
going to choose to focus on her wardrobe”. Another response on Melania’s jacket
came from the White House on Twitter where they had said, “If media would spend
their time & energy on her actions & efforts to help kids- rather that speculate & focus
on her wardrobe- we could get so much accomplished on behalf of children.
#SheCares #itsJustAJacket”. Finally, from the Twitter of President Donald Trump, He
states, “‘I REALLY DON’T CARE, DO U?’ written on the back of Melania’s jacket, refers
to the Fake News Media. Melania has learned how dishonest they are, and she truly
no longer cares!”.
Though the responses given by the President and White House Officials were
honest and had valid reasoning, the words on the jacket will still have effect on the
public and may lead them to believe Melania really doesn’t care.
Melania’s jacket had created an uproar with the public and they came back
with negative Reponses. 15-year-old Disney actress, Jenna Ortega, created and wore a
jacket with the words “I do care, and you should too’” written on the back while
attending a red-carpet event. Similarly, Congresswoman for Nevada, Dina Titus,
tweeted a picture of a piece of paper on her back with “I Care” written on it to the
First Lady. These messages proved the effect messaging has on the public when it is
not strategically planned out.
Maintaining Ethical codes in Public Relations is vital in ensuring the correct
message is being portrayed to the public. Combating miscommunication and
prevention of offensive content can be difficult but with knowledge of ethical
guidelines and training Public Relations practitioners can be better equipped.
According to Mcdonald and Nijhoff, authors of Beyond codes of ethics: An Integrated
Framework for Stimulating morally responsible behavior in organizations states,
“Because of their strong communication skills public relations practitioners may
exercise ethical leadership by promoting internal ethics programs and resources such
as the code of conduct, employee training, reward systems and ethics hotlines” (pg.
140).

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 Strategic planning of messages through these avenues of codes of conduct,
employee training, ethical programs and reward systems can help with awareness of
miscommunication and offensive, harmful content. By actively practicing transparency
and relaying effective, easy to understand messages Public Relations Professionals are
less likely to break ethical codes. Ethical codes are designed to help professionals
conduct business honestly and with integrity and ensure that words on a jacket will
not denounce the credibility of a person with great title.

Works Cited

Account, D. J. (2018, November 03). Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump). Retrieved

from https://twitter.com/realdonaldtrump

Account, S. G. (2018, November 01). Stephanie Grisham (@StephGrisham45).

Retrieved from https://twitter.com/StephGrisham45

McDonald, G., & Nijhof, A. (1999). Beyond codes of ethics: An integrated framework
for stimulating morally responsible behavior in organizations.
Leadership & Organization Development Journal, 20(3), 133–147.

Neill, M. S. (2017). Ethics Education in Public Relations: Differences Between Stand-

Alone Ethics Courses and an Integrated Approach. Journal of Media
Ethics,32(2), 118-131. doi:10.1080/23736992.2017.1294019

Place, K. R. (2015). Exploring the Role of Ethics in Public Relations Program

Evaluation. Journal of Public Relations Research,27(2), 118-135.
doi:10.1080/1062726x.2014.976825

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I had written this assignment for my specialty writing course. The objective of this
assignment was to identify strengths and weaknesses of social media platforms and
examine the opportunities and threats within a local business. In addition, I gave a
background on the organization and overall improvements that could be made.
SWOT Analysis for Deek’s Pizza
Internal: What are the organization’s
strengths?
-They frequently post on all social medias
(Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram).
-Also, Deek’s creates content specifically
intended for target audience, college students.
- They work to keep all writing appropriate
for media platform. For example, their posts
on Instagram are to describe an event or
photo and do not ramble on (Newsom, pg. 90).
-Deek’s makes use of brand ambassadors to
connect with target audience through a peer.
-They host weekly giveaways on Instagram
that involve customers tagging their friends to
win gift cards and clothing.
- Deek’s collaborates with local business and
organizations to promote discounts and new
products.
- The company works to create posts relevant
to current trends by using memes and popular
sayings (Newsom, pg. 85).
- Deek’s is inclusive in all language and does
not discriminate based on politics, race,
gender, or religion.
-The company responds promptly to all
comments and typically comments and reposts
posts that are related to them.
External: What are the opportunities
available to the organization?
-The creation of social media has given the
company a tool to connect with potential
customers and customers.
- Their target audience of college students are
already very active on social media
- Their target audience is also very familiar
with social media and have many ways of
contacting and interacting with the company
- Customers perceive the organization as
relevant, funny, and responsive on social
media.
-Competitors such as spicy pie and Sammy’s
pizza do not make use of social media to
Internal: What are the organization’s
weaknesses?
-They do not make use of the “go live” feature
on Facebook to connect with audiences.
(Facebook tips).
-Deek’s doesn’t make a point to drive traffic
from one social media to another by linking
other pages (Facebook tips).
-Deek’s would benefit from using hashtags to
help group social pushes into specific subject
areas (Newsom, pg.86)
-Their website does not inform viewers of the
same events, giveaways, and discounts as
displayed on their social medias.
-Deek’s really focuses on their target audience
of college students, but by appealing to older
generations as well they could increase their
sales.
- Deek’s use of emojis throughout writing can
sometimes be excessive and overwhelming to
readers, taking away from the overall message.
-Their overall picture quality can sometimes be
blurry and difficult to make out what the
subject is.
- Their photos lack diversity and primarily
include young, white individuals.
External: What are the threats facing the
organization?
-Deek’s using social media as a primary source
of advertising may affect how they are
perceived by those who do not use social
media, such as older adults and children.
-Consumers may view Deek’s social media as
childish and may not take it seriously
- Companies that are not local to the area will
have a larger social media audience compared
to Deek’s.
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 connect with consumers on the scale that -If Deek’s creates an error in writing on social
Deek’s pizza does. media some platforms they will be unable to
edit and revise.

SWOT Analysis Results

Jordan Nelson

Deek’s pizza is a pizza company local to the Fargo, West Fargo, and Grand Forks area.

They opened their doors a little over 20 years ago and have been offering its customers low

prices and late hours ever since. Deek’s offers anything from double X-L sized pizza, to soda

and mini donuts. The company’s target audience is young adults, which is very fitting for their

engagement on social media to connect with their customers.

One of Deek’s main strengths when it comes to their social media presence is how

active they are. Deek’s social media team posts daily on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram to

keep customers up to date on deals, giveaways, and memes relating to pizza. They also do an

excellent job at adjusting posts to fit the guidelines of each platform (Newsom, pg.90). For

example, keeping posts on Twitter short and sweet, and making sure posts on Instagram are

related to the photo posted. To keep posts relevant, interactive, and catered to their target

audience Deek’s uses a lot of memes and funny sayings to keep their audience engaged

(Newsom, pg.85). Deek’s does represent themselves well on social media, however they do

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have some things they could implement to improve their pages. The biggest one of these

things would be to implement hashtags. Hashtags help to group together subjects so social

media users can find posts relating to specific topics (Newsom, pg. 86). Along with hashtags

they could also implement linking their social media pages on each platform. By doing this

they can lead traffic to all their pages to give viewers a larger insight to the company

(Facebook tips).

Social media has become a fantastic opportunity for Deek’s pizza to connect with their

customers. It’s very helpful that Deek’s target audience is very active on social media

platforms giving them a larger voice. Deek’s has done an excellent job to use their voice given

to them by social media to set them apart from other local pizza companies. The largest threat

Deek’s faces within their use of social media is that it does not reach all potential customers.

Social media does however reach most of their target audience but, if Deek’s was to be more

inclusive they may need to advertise on different platforms. Overall, Deek’s uses social media

to connect with their customers and successfully does this by keeping them engaged and

wanting to buy their pizza.

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I had written this news release for my specialty writing course. The objective of this
assignment was to write a news release for a local organization regarding an upcoming
event or recent hiring that I had found on the organizations website.

News Release
YWCA Cass-Clay
3000 University Drive S
Fargo, ND 58102 USA
Contact: Andrea Williams
701-234-4454 Office/ 321-889-9823 Home
123-998-0093 Fax/ Williams.A @gmail.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

YWCA President says the event, Giving Hearts Day will be taking place on February
18th, 2019 and encourages all members of the community to take part.

Fargo, ND (November 5, 2018)- The YWCA Cass-Clay will be a part of the Fargo-
Moorhead community’s Giving Hearts Day on February 18, 2019. Giving Hearts Day is
an event that happens every year that is dedicated to encouraging individuals to
donate to deserving organizations in the community such as the YWCA Cass-Clay.
Everyone is welcome to participate in donating to Giving Hearts day,
particularly to the YWCA to help women and children in the community. There will be
several locations set up in the area for individuals to donate at and donations can also
be made online.
Giving hearts day is a wonderful way to become involved in the community
and help those in need.
The YWCA Cass-Clay works to encourage women, provide resources, eliminate
racism, and provide peace and justice for all.

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I had written this media pitch for my specialty writing course. The objective of the
assignment was to identify a reporter and pitch a story that included proficient media pitch
format and writing style.

Dear Jessie Cohen:

Although in the past few years the YWCA has made a momentous change in the lives
of women in the Cass-Clay area, we need your help. After reading your recent article
about sexual abuse, we know you would be a great fit to inform the public about this
event because of your passion for empowering and the safety of women.
With the long winter months ahead, we are in dire need of funding for shelter, food,
and clothing for women and their children. We will be hosting a special event at the
Fargo Dome called “Muffins and Mothers”, at the event members of the community
can come buy muffins donated by local business that will benefit local struggling
women. Muffins for Mothers will be taking place October 23rd at 4pm at the Fargo
Dome.
By informing the public of our cause of helping women escape violence,
homelessness, and crisis you will be doing the women of the YWCA and the Cass-Clay
area a great service.
For more information on the YWCA visit https://www.ywcacassclay.org/
Please contact Jordan Nelson Jordan.nelson.12@ndus.edu to discuss the proposed
services. Thank you in advance for your consideration.

Sincerely,
Jordan Nelson

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I had written this informative memo for my specialty writing course. The objective of
this assignment was to prepare a memo for internal communication for a local
organization and introduce a new program or business opportunity.

MEMO

TO: ANDREA WILLIAMS

FROM: JORDAN NELSON

SUBJECT: NEW PROGRAM

DATE: 29 OCOTBER 2018

By implementing a new program, we keep can those in our community safe from the cold.

Current Situation
According to the city of Fargo, 760 people were left homeless last year in the Fargo-
Moorhead community. 20 percent of these individuals left homeless were children. As
you are well aware, during the winter months, Fargo can be as cold as -35 degrees
Fahrenheit at night and life cannot be sustained outside at this temperature.
Solution
With these facts in mind, I believe it would be beneficial to implement a new program
to combat homelessness in the Fargo-Moorhead community, particularly during the
winter months. Being we do not currently have space in our facility for any more
people, we could invite members of the community to serve others around them
facing hardships.
Logistics
This program would require volunteers to take in homeless people in the area for a
few nights at a time. We could open this opportunity to volunteer to schools,
churches, business, and individual households. We would hold a signup at our office
and hold a short interview with each individual or group interested in hosting and
background check to determine if they would be a good fit for this program. For the
program, we will also need to increase drivers to bring people to and from locations.
We would make the experience as safe and smooth as possible by providing guidelines
and a training for at least one host on site.

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Benefits
This program will allow members of our community to get out of the cold this winter.
Which will allow them to sleep, eat, feel safe, and ultimately set them up for future
success. The program will also give others in the community the chance to serve and
learn some of the hardships homeless people in Fargo-Moorhead face. This new
opportunity to volunteer may inhibit understanding for homelessness and a more
openness for helping those in need.

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I had written this commentary for my upper-level English writing course. The
objective of this assignment was to write a commentary relating to social class in
MLA format.
Jordan Nelson
Commentary

Social Class: First-Generation College Students

The American Dream is a societal belief instilled in citizens, that with hard work,

knowledge, and perseverance anyone can be successful. However, where does the

American Dream come in for those Americans who have applied themselves in high

school, but still fall short in college because of an impoverished upbringing? In the

article, “Healing the Hidden Injuries of Class?”, regarding the American Dream, Ashley

Rondini writes, “In order to espouse this ideology, low- income parents must adopt an

additional explanatory framework to ‘make sense’ of the apparent dissonance that

corresponds with low socioeconomic status that they occupy, despite their years of

hard work” (Rondini, pg.99). This promised, “American Dream” seems to only apply to

those who come from money and education. Acquiring a degree of some kind, that

being a Bachelors, Associates, or technical is more important than ever before. The

Georgetown Center on Education and the Workforce found that 63 percent of all jobs

will require workers with at least some post-secondary education by 2018 (U.S

Government, par.13). With more pressure to attend colleges and universities high

school students who do not have parents that attended college are set at a

disadvantage. It was found by Cassandra Storlie that first-generation college students

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were less likely to complete their degrees in the 4-year timeframe and that student

ethnicity had a large effect on degree completion (Storlie,2016). First generation

college students, from low socioeconomic families, face unique interpersonal and

cultural challenges that interfere with their success in college.

First Generation college students struggle to fit in with the college environment.

College is like no other experience, the overall size, commitment to studies, and overall

busyness can be overwhelming to anyone. First Generation college students are set up

at a disadvantage to peers when it comes to fitting in both socially and academically.

Without important background information and advice from parents, peers, and

counselors around them before coming to college, students are left with a lot of

unknowns. According to, “identification Among First Generation Citizen and First-

Generation College Students” Shannon Williams writes, “First-generation college

students may not be aware of the rigor of colleges and college dynamics and may

become disillusioned with the daunting tasks related to the academic requirements of

universities” (Williams, pg.379). Lindsey Vangsness, a third-generation college student,

had said that her parents and teachers at her private school had helped her prepare for

college life. Lindsey stated, “My parents were always very involved in my studies

helping me with homework or encouraging me to take AP classes”. However, students

who did not have the privilege to attend private school or who had parents who could

help them with their schoolwork had a much different experience. Areas with poverty

tend to provide poorly funded public schools that are unable to prepare students for

higher education and don’t have an understanding how the college admissions process

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works (Williams, 2015). Bryanna Bemlott, a first-generation college student, had a

tough time fitting in in college. Bryanna said, “Having parents that didn’t go to college

makes it unfair for me and my sister because, we had to figure out college on our own,

not from what our parents did”. Bryanna and Lindsey had different upbringings that

undoubtfully changed their perspectives coming into college. Although both aspire to

complete a college degree they came in at different playing fields.

Aside from background knowledge of academics, fitting in socially is a large

determining factor if a student will continue with their degree. The belief that one does

not belong in a specific society, puts a sense of perceived discrimination from people of

different cultures, and may lead to stress and lower self-esteem, particularly for

immigrant populations (Williams, ). Bryanna had said that having parents that didn’t go

to college made her feel left out among friends. She said that most of her friend’s

families had more money than hers and her friends were always sharing stories from

their parent’s college days that she couldn’t relate too. A sense of community in college

can also come from the support of faculty. Having welcoming, affirming professors can

build students up and lead them to feeling a part of the group. Williams writes, “A

sense of belonging among faculty and peers and a strong sense of community lead to

better academic outcomes and retention rates” (Williams. 382). Along with support

from faculty and peers, support from parents will contribute to a student’s success in

college.

First Generation students sometimes struggle to maintain the same level of

connection with parents they had before beginning college. Rondini states, “with

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regard to ways the differences in their educational and occupational trajectories

sometimes creates feelings of disconnection, separation, or alienation”. Even if parents

support their child’s decision to attend college added feelings of disconnect may affect

student’s coursework and experience. In the Journal “Cultural Trailblazers”, Cassandra

Storlie writes, “For Latina first Generation college students, family support has been

shown to be an essential component to academic success”. Bryanna had said she

agreed with this statement and found it related to her own life. Regarding her

relationship with her parents once coming to college, Bryanna said, “My parents don’t

have experiences like I’m getting so it’s hard for them to understand what I’m doing

throughout my time here, and how I manage my time”.

First-Generation Students tend to struggle compared to others in college life,

often resulting in feelings of isolation and loneliness across family, social and academic

responsibilities (Storlie, pg. 308). To combat these issues these students, face

adjustments must be made to university awareness, and college preparation in public

high schools. To be more inclusive universities should create mentorship programs for

first generation students to give them a personal guide for academic and campus

involvement. Implementing a mentorship program for this group specifically, could help

break barriers, stigmas, and overall unknowns of college life and improve retention

rates. Williams states, “Institutions should pay particular attention to varying groups of

students to better understand their connection to the university and assist in

facilitating positive perceptions and a strong affinity toward the school environment”.

As the author stated before, students feeling like they fit in or have a place on campus

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will help them to not only enjoy college life but give them the tools they need to be

successful in their future careers. Reform also needs to take place in all public high

schools, especially those in impoverished areas, to help students prepare for college.

The most important asset a high school can have is an informed counselor. By

educating counselors to encourage students to take challenging courses, ACT and SAT

exams, internships, and most importantly apply to colleges, will help to increase

students making and reaching their goals. Information in high schools regarding the

high school to college transition is also a vital resource. Providing presentations and

workshops that provide information on the transition from high school to college will

make college life seem less foreign and more welcoming (Williams, pg.381). By making

it a priority to implement these programs in all public high schools and colleges we can

better equip first-generation college students for a positive college experience. By

working toward an education system built on merit, the “American Dream” can

become a reality for not just those who come from wealth and well-educated parents.

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 Works Cited

Bemlott, Bryanna. “First Generation College Student.” 16 Sept.

2018.Vangsness, Lindsey. “First Generation College Student.: 17 Sept.2018.

Improving College Access and Completion for Low-Income and First-Generation

Students: Hearing before the Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce

Training, Committee on Education and the Workforce, House of Representatives, One

Hundred Fourteenth Congress, First Session, Hearing Held in Washington, DC, April 30,

2015. U.S. Government Publishing Office, 2016.

Rondini, Ashley C. “Healing the Hidden Injuries of Class? Redemption Narratives,

Aspirational Proxies, and Parents of Low-Income, First-Generation College

Students.” Sociological Forum, vol. 31, no. 1, 2015, pp. 96–116.

Storlie, Cassandra A., et al. “Cultural Trailblazers: Exploring the Career

Development of Latina First-Generation College Students.” The Career Development

Quarterly, vol. 64, no. 4, 2016, pp. 304–317.

Williams, Shannon M., and Joseph R. Ferrari. “Identification Among First-

Generation Citizen Students And First-Generation College Students: An Exploration Of

School Sense Of Community.” Journal of Community Psychology, vol. 43, no. 3, Nov.

2015, pp. 377–387.

Vangsness, Lindsey. “First Generation College Student.: 17 Sept.2018.

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