Ethics and Professionalism Chapter 3

Ethics Defined: “Ethics is concerned with how we should live our lives. It focuses on questions about what is right or wrong, fair or unfair, caring or uncaring, good or bad, responsible or irresponsible, and the like.” (Jaksa and Pritchard, “Methods of Analysis”)

“Four-Way Test” for Ethical Decision Making (from Rotary International) Is it the truth? Is it fair to all concerned? Will it build goodwill and better friendships? Will it be beneficial to all concerned?

PR professionals have the burden of making ethical decisions that satisfy: The public interest Their employer’s (or client’s) self interest The standards of the PR profession Their personal values In an ideal world, these four areas would not conflict but in reality they often do. “How many PR people have been asked to over-represent a product? How many agencies have been asked to take sides on issues that conflict with a healthy environment? The answer is that many of us participate in areas where ethical standards are vague at best.” (comments from a senior PR executive in PRSA’s The Strategist)

Public Expectations of PR? Society, in general, expects public relations people to be advocates, just as they expect advertising copywriters to make a product sound attractive, journalists to be objective, and attorneys to defend someone in court But communication efforts will not attempt, for example to present false/deceptive/misleading information under the guise of literal truth no matter how strongly the practitioners want to convince others of the merits of a particular clients/organization’s position/cause …(from Martinson, Florida International University)

Professional Codes of Ethics in PR The Public Relations Society of America (PRSSA) Code of Ethics (page 78) PRSA Code (more detailed) online at: The Code’s core values: AdvocacyIndependence HonestyLoyalty ExpertiseFairness PRSA, with 22,000 members in 110 U.S chapters, is the world’s largest national PR organization South Carolina PRSA Chapter: In second and third place (size-wise) are the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) and the International Public Relations Association (IPRA)

Professionalism, Licensing and Accreditation Professionalism—In PR there are differences of opinion about whether PR is a craft, skill, or a developing profession Licensing—the debate continues over whether public relations should require professional licensing (such as the medical, legal and real estate fields have). There are strong pros and cons on each side Accreditation—professional development certification programs help improve standards and professionalism in the field

Personal Ethics Be honest at all times Convey a sense of business ethics based on your own standards and those of society Respect the integrity and position of your opponents and audiences Develop trust by emphasizing substance over triviality Present all sides of an issue Strive for a balance between loyalty to the organization and duty to the public Don’t sacrifice long-term objectives for short-term gains

PR Professionalism: Act like a professional in the field, by having: A sense of independence A sense of responsibility to society and the public interest Be concerned about the competence and honor of the profession as a whole A higher loyalty to the standards of the profession and fellow professionals than to the employer/client of the moment. The reference point in all PR activity must be the standards of the profession and not those of the client or the employer

Ethical Concerns include: Each involve possible deceptive omission of who or what is truly behind the PR initiative. “Front Groups” (p.88)– concerns about groups that disguise or obscure the true identities of their members as they seek to influence public policy or opinion Video News Releases (VNRs)—viewers may not know or may be confused about a VNRs source. Guidelines have been established for ethical VNR usage (p.80) Internet Public Relations—should PR people try to manipulate public opinions or create a “buzz” about an issue/product/service by anonymously touting things online? (local example—see web posting) PR Internet Guidelines (p.81)

Ethical Dealings with News Media The idea that, in dealing with the media, “anything less than total honesty will destroy credibility and, with it, the PR practitioner’s usefulness to an employer.” However, honesty doesn’t automatically mean that you need to answer every question that a reporter might ask Often discretion is used because you also have an obligation to represent the best interests of your client or employer Gifts, of any kind, according to the PRSA, can contaminate the free flow of accurate/truthful information to the public. PR people should not undermine the trust of the media by providing junkets of doubtful news value, extravagent parties, expensive gifts, and personal favors for media reps Journalists may think you are trying to bribe them to get favorable coverage But different countries have different ethics in this area! (p.90 and p.91)

“Shades of Gray” in the News Business Examples: The relationship between automotive writers and car manufacturers, for example (on payroll at car company as a consultant) Magazines are increasingly blurring the line between news features and advertisements Celebrities appearing on talks shows and endorsing products “Product placement” on TV and in movies is growing and growing Microsoft example: p.90-1 Inexpensive items such as coffee mugs, T-shirts, key chains, etc. that may be part of promotional packets/events are not considered “gifts” in this sense. But some news organizations have strict policies that ban reporters/editors from taking even inexpensive items