In the realm of public administration, ethics play a pivotal role in ensuring that public officials act within the boundaries of ethical principles. Different authors have undertaken to study ethics in public administration by focusing on several themes and events surrounding the topic. Sex scandals are sensitive ethical issues that have tainted the image of public administration across the globe. From political arenas to religious institutions, sex scandals have always emerged negatively impacting public personality and the entities they represent. In the article "What Happened to Sex Scandals? Politics and Peccadilloes, Jefferson to Kennedy," Summers talks of the changes in the debates surrounding sex scandals involving public officials. The author notes the 19 th -century public leader faced hostile criticisms due to real or imagined sex scandals, which significantly subsided in the 20 th century. In the article "Crisis Management in the Catholic Church: Lessons for Public Administrators," Tom Barth writes about what public administrators can learn from sex abuse scandals that faced the Catholic Church. The article provides the measures that the Church undertook to counteract the negative impact of the scandals. Last, in the essay "In Pursuit of the Public Interest," Carol W. Lewis seeks to analyze what it means to "serve the public interest. A vital aspect of the essay is that public interest is about mutuality, especially concerning the future. The ethical dimensions of sex scandals in the public administration domain should be approached with the public interest as a priority. The processes surrounding such issues should be free from bias.
The nature and reach of debate surrounding public officers have undergone striking changes between the 19 th and 20 th centuries. The author argues that sex scandals of the 19 th century involving public figures were closely monitored more than those that emerged during the 20 th century (Summers, 2000). From the argument, one gathers that 19 th -century voters had strict expectations from people vying for public positions. Indeed, historical scholars had severally highlighted the rigorous nature of scrutiny that politicians in the 1800s underwent before they were elected into public offices. The politics of sex scandals drastically changed in the 20 th century, whereby politicians faced with such indignities seemed to benefit (Summer, 2000). Agreeing with the author, changes in the media and mass communication landscapes were generally responsible for the paradigm shift. Politicians implicate in these ethical issues immensely benefitted from the ensuing political insulation. However, public administration's ethical issues should be guided by public interests and should not unduly favor individuals implicated in them.
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The public's interest should always define and influence the discourse surrounding sex scandals in public administration. The shift from scrutiny to the insulation of those implicated shows that the public's interest was relegated to the second position. Public interest regards serving the public before taking into consideration the self-ambitions (Lewis, 2006). As different societal institutions, including the media, experienced changes from the 19 th to 20 th century, so did how the society viewed sex scandals. Instead of the citizenry tightening the grip around the virtues they wanted from public personality, they tended to relax. Barth (2010) writes that it is crucial for people implicated in sex scandals to acknowledge their ethical transgressions. Following the sex scandals involving minors, Catholic leadership accepted that it was immoral for priests to be implicated in such grievous matters. Summer (2000) writes that the public became extremely concerned with politicians' morality between the 18 th and 19 th centuries, especially concerning sex scandals. Morality was a thorny issue then, but as America ushered the 20 th century, the media's changes brought a new norm where such matters were largely ignored. However, it is essential to note that the shift was mostly instigated by politicians who crafted laws to insulate themselves from harsh public scrutiny.
Although the events that led to the change of public attitude towards ethical behaviors involving public officials, especially regarding sex scandals, the Catholic Church set commendable precedence that must be followed. Barth enumerates several lessons that public administrators must learn from sex scandals involving Catholic Church clergy members. For example, in lesson one, Barth (2010), notes that an institution faced with an ethical issue must undertake damage control at the earliest opportunity. Such an approach means that when a sex scandal faces a public figure, for instance, they must take measures to protect their name. It does not mean that politicians should create legislatures to gag the media and the citizenry, but they should let the due process take its course and provide facts that they think will exonerate them. Such an approach departs from Summer's argument that politicians' political influences on the media are justified. From this point of view, one would agree with Lewis (2006), who advocates for public interest where public administration's ethical issues are involved.
In conclusion, the analyzed articles have different perspectives concerning ethical issues surrounding public administration. Barth and Summer specifically focus on sex scandals and what public officers can learn from the incidences. Differently, Lewis brings the public interest perspective, which informs the position of this essay. Instead of politicians and other public officials fighting to have laws that protect their ethical inadequacies, they should allow processes that work for the majority's interests.
References
Barth, T. (2010). Crisis management in the Catholic Church: Lessons for public administrators. Public Administration Review , 70 (5), 780-791.
Lewis, C. W. (2006). In pursuit of the public interest. Public Administration Review , 66 (5), 694-701.
Summers, J. H. (2000). What happened to sex scandals? Politics and peccadilloes, Jefferson to Kennedy. The Journal of American History , 87 (3), 825-854.
