Jeffrey Dvorkin, the Executive Director of the Organization of News Ombudsmen, says that the Occupy Wall Street movement presents a unique opportunity for Ombuds. Dvorkin observes that Ombuds of all types help create cultures of trust, candor and accountability. In particular, he acknowledges that, "value of corporate ombudsmen is evident: ombudsmen can act as an early warning system when financial and media organizations lose their sense of obligation to shareholders and/or the public." Nonetheless, he says, more needs to be done.
Ombudsmen will need to be more pro-active, and more willing to identify the failings and weaknesses of media, banks, universities and governments. This may be a more vigorous and activist form of ombudsmanship than we have seen in the past. But the past, it is said, is another country. We are in a much different place these days and ombudsmen need to acknowledge that.
His full post deserves a read by all Ombudsmen. (Now the Details.)
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