Match each of the following actions with the general principle that best justifies or illustrates it: Which principle properly governs each scenario?
- A journalist refuses to disclose the identity of a confidential informant, contending that informant anonymity is vital for the press to expose institutional wrongdoing.Source confidentiality ought to be preserved whenever doing so is essential to safeguarding the public interest.
- A physician administers an unapproved experimental medication to a patient only after conventional therapies have proven ineffective and the patient has provided informed consent.Non-standard medical interventions are justifiable only when standard remedies have failed and the recipient provides explicit consent.
- A municipal zoning board rejects a commercial building application because the developer failed to submit a required environmental impact assessment.An official permit must be withheld if the applicant fails to fulfill mandatory statutory evaluation requirements.
Answer
The journalist scenario pairs with the source confidentiality principle; the physician scenario pairs with the conditional medical intervention principle; and the municipal zoning denial pairs with the mandatory statutory filing principle.
Each scenario contains specific factual triggers and normative justifications that directly correspond to one distinct rule: press freedom in service of the public interest aligns with source confidentiality; experimental treatments under strict prerequisites align with medical ethics rules; and administrative permit denial aligns with procedural non-compliance mandates.
Step-by-Step Solution
Key Concept
Principle Identification and Direct Application