Public Relations Strategies and Tactics Tenth Edition Dennis L. Wilcox Glen T. Cameron This multimedia product and its contents are protected under copyright law. The following are prohibited by law: any public performance or display, including transmission of any image over a network; preparation of any derivative work, including the extraction, in whole or in part, of any images; any rental, lease, or lending of the program. Copyright © 2012, 2009, 2007 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Ethics and Professionalism Chapter 3 Ethics and Professionalism Copyright © 2012, 2009, 2007 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Chapter 3 Objectives Understand the role of the ethical advocate Appreciate the role that professional groups play in setting standards Be familiar with the progress being made toward professionalism Define the characteristics of being a public relations professional Be ethical when working with the media Copyright © 2012, 2009, 2007 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Understanding Ethics and Values Know the difference between ethics and values Ethics = standards of conduct; how we should behave based on right and wrong Values = central beliefs that determine how we will behave in a given situation Copyright © 2012, 2009, 2007 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Understanding Ethics and Values PR professionals have the burden of making ethical decisions that consider The public interest The employer’s self-interests The standards of the public relations profession Their personal values Copyright © 2012, 2009, 2007 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Consider Your Threshold of Discomfort Exaggerating a product’s qualities Defending a company’s poor environmental record Speaking on behalf of tobacco/liquor industry Organizing “front groups” Instructor notes: Your answers reflect your values Copyright © 2012, 2009, 2007 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Philosophical Orientations Kant’s absolutist philosophy Aristotle’s existential approach Mill’s utilitarian approach Copyright © 2012, 2009, 2007 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) Top four responsibilities for PRSA members: Media relations Writer/editor Marketing communications Corporate Communications Copyright © 2012, 2009, 2007 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Other Large PR Organizations Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) The International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) The International Public Relations Association (IPRA) Copyright © 2012, 2009, 2007 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Professional Codes of Conduct Various groups have endorsed codes of conduct for specific situations and issues, including the distribution of Financial information Video news releases Internet transparency Corporate practice Copyright © 2012, 2009, 2007 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Other Steps Toward Professionalism Education Training Literature Research Code of Ethics Copyright © 2012, 2009, 2007 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Professional Accreditation The IABC Model The PRSA Model Required continuing education Copyright © 2012, 2009, 2007 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Ethical Dealings with the News Media Honesty doesn’t mean answering every question asked Three areas of ethical concerns Gifts to journalists Linking ads with news coverage Transparency and disclosure issues Copyright © 2012, 2009, 2007 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved.