Ethics and Professionalism

1
Ethics and Professionalism

• Chapter 3

2
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)

3
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?

4
PR professionals have the burden of making
ethical decisions that satisfy

• The public interest
• Their employers (or clients) 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 beenasked 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 PRSAs The Strategist)

5
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/organizations position/cause(from
  Martinson, Florida International University)

6
Professional Codes of Ethics in PR

• The Public Relations Society of America (PRSSA)
  Code of Ethics (page 78)
• PRSA Code (more detailed) online at
  http//www.prssa.org/downloads/codeofethics.pdf
• The Codes core values
• Advocacy Independence
• Honesty Loyalty
• Expertise Fairness
• PRSA, with 22,000 members in 110 U.S chapters, is
  the worlds largest national PR organization
• South Carolina PRSA Chapter http//www.scprsa.or
  g/
• In second and third place (size-wise) are the
  International Association of Business
  Communicators (IABC) and the International Public
  Relations Association (IPRA)

7
Professionalism, Licensing and Accreditation

• ProfessionalismIn PR there are differences of
  opinion about whether PR is a craft, skill, or a
  developing profession
• Licensingthe 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
• Accreditationprofessional development
  certification programs help improve standards and
  professionalism in the field

8
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
• Dont sacrifice long-term objectives for
  short-term gains

9
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

10
Ethical Concerns includeEach 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 Relationsshould PR people try to
  manipulate public opinions or create a buzz
  about an issue/product/service by anonymously
  touting things online? (local examplesee web
  posting)
• PR Internet Guidelines (p.81)

11
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 practitioners
  usefulness to an employer.
• However, honesty doesnt 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)

12
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