Ethics and Professionalism. Chapter 3

Transcription

1 Ethics and Professionalism Chapter 3

2 Ethics Defined: Ethics refers to the standard of conduct which indicates how one should behave based upon moral duties and virtues rising from principles of right and wrong. (from our text)

3 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 comfortable would you feel if you were asked to: Exaggerate the qualities of a product? Defend a company s poor environmental record? Speak on behalf of the tobacco or liquor industry? Organize a citizen or front group funded by the oil industry?

4 Compromise Personal Beliefs? Will I lie for my employer? Will I deceive to gain information about another agency s clients? Will I cover up a hazardous condition? Will I issue a news release presenting only half the truth? Will I use the Internet to post anonymous messages promoting a client s product? Will I quit my job rather than cooperate in a questionable activity?

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 client or organization s position or cause (from Martinson, Florida International University)

6 Professional Codes of Ethics in PR The Public Relations Society of America (PRSSA) Code of Ethics (page 73) The Code s core values: Advocacy Honesty Expertise Independence Loyalty Fairness PRSA, with 22,000 members in 110 U.S chapters, is the world s largest national PR organization South Carolina PRSA Chapter: CofC PRSSA (Facebook site) In second and third place (size-wise) are the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) and the International Public Relations Association (IPRA)

7 Ethical Specifics and Guidelines Read PRSA Code of Ethics (link) Take PRSA Ethics Quiz (link) Review Ethical Guidelines for the Web and Social Media (p. 76) Review concerns about Front Groups (p. 66) Review VNR disclosure guide (p. 75) Review spokesperson ethical examples (p. 82)

8 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

9 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. 87)

10 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. 86 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

11 Summary: Be Ethical! 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 Strive for a balance between loyalty to the organization and duty to the public Don t sacrifice long-term objectives for short-term gains