The column below reflects the views of the author, and these opinions are neither endorsed nor supported by WisOpinion.com.

McCormick, executive director of the Rotary Club of Milwaukee, is leaving her post after 25 years. She received a headliner award from the Milwaukee Press Club on May 8. This column is a version of her acceptance speech.

I have long admired the terrific journalists in Milwaukee for their integrity and professionalism – and also for their community building.

The journalists I know have not stopped at reporting the news; they are also deeply committed to working toward making Milwaukee the best it can be.

Although I am receiving the award, this is not about me as much as it is about the

Rotary Club of Milwaukee, a partner of the Milwaukee Press Club in programming.

The two clubs are philosophically aligned in many ways.

Our two organizations have been making a difference in Milwaukee for well over a century, and both are critical to supporting the foundations of civil society.

Both organizations believe in the importance of an informed electorate, creating opportunities for civil dialogue and for building trust.

When leaving the Constitutional Convention, Ben Franklin was asked if the delegates had created a monarchy or a republic, Franklin responded: “A republic, if you can keep it.’’

That response emphasizes that the nation’s survival depends upon active civic engagement.

And healthy active civic participation requires a free and independent press to keep us informed and to hold our leaders to account.

And now to Rotary.

If you attend a meeting of the Rotary Club of Milwaukee, you will see that the faces of

Rotary are different than they were decades ago. More women. More genders. More shades of color. More diversity in point of view, religion and politics. While this presents its own challenges, we take immense pride in being a place where diverse voices are heard.

In a world in which we gravitate to people who “think like us,’’ at Rotary you might hear a speaker with whom you don’t agree, or one who offers a new point of view. Or you might sit next to someone with a different world view.

The people drawn to Rotary are people willing to listen to perspectives that may be different than their own. People who are willing to be open to new ideas, even if they don’t agree. We hold a valuable space in the community.

John Stuart Mill, the English philosopher and economist, wrote:

“Since the general or prevailing opinion on any subject is rarely or never the whole truth, it is only by the collision of adverse opinions that the remainder of the truth has any chance of being supplied.”

Yes, there are absolute truths, but opinions are not absolute truths. We refine, expand, revise or confirm our opinions by engaging in dialogue with others, by staying attuned to a press that is committed to truth and fairness.

And truth and fairness are embedded in the Rotary code of ethics. 

Nearly a century ago, in the midst of the Great Depression, a Rotarian devised a simple, four-part ethical code that helped him rescue a beleaguered business. His employees were told to use these four questions to guide their behavior

1. Is it the TRUTH?

2. Is it FAIR to all Concerned?

3. Will it build GOODWILL and BETTER FRIENDSHIPS?

4. Will it be BENEFICIAL to all concerned?

Not only did the principles lead to a turnaround of his business, they also proved to be a solid ethical compass for personal decision-making. Embraced and popularized by Rotary International, the “Four-Way Test” today stands as one of the organization’s hallmarks.

Yes, truth and fairness are powerful concepts, but, if we take to heart John Stuart Mill, we recognize what is true or what is fair may not be obvious. It is essential that we all—Rotarians, members of the press, everyone here — continue to seek truth, to strive for fairness, to frame our decision-making in the context of the greater good and providing the greatest benefit to all.

And this leads to another essential element of the foundation of civil society — the establishment of trust. Without a commitment to truth and fairness, we can’t have trust.

We all know that trust has been on the decline in our country for many years–trust in institutions such as hospitals and social service agencies, trust in the media, trust in government and even trust in a better future. And perhaps even more alarming, Americans trust each other less than they did a few decades ago.

People learn, in part, to trust others based on how they themselves have been treated. So, if we want to reverse the trend of eroding trust, if we want to ensure the continuation of our civil society and democracy, it begins with each of us.

We must each be accountable for ensuring that our actions are guided by the desire to seek truth, to strive for fairness, to build a better world.

It is hard work. But I think that everyone here is up for the challenge. 

So, as we say at the end of each meeting of the Rotary Club of Milwaukee — “Let’s go out and do some good in the world!”