Public Relations 1

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Ethics in Public Relations

“It is clear that ethics cannot be put into words.”

Ludwig Wittgenstein

Ethics

  • Def: Beliefs about right and wrong that guide the way we think and act.

“Ethics are not something that we have. They are something that we do.”

Or are they?

Code of Ethics

  • We use ethics every day to help us honor or attain our values.

  • When have you used your own personal “code of ethics” in the last 48 hours?

Ethics in Public Relations

  • Public relations practitioners are responsible for several different codes of ethics.

International Codes

Societal Codes

Professional Codes

Organizational Codes

Personal Codes

Let’s Be More Specific

  • International Codes:

Consider things that differ among countries when conducting business.

Work hours

Holidays

Dietary restrictions

Pay differentials

Other?

Societal Codes

  • What things do we have to assume are in the societal code of ethics that we are working in/with?

I’ll give you the first one…..the Ten Commandments

Others?

Professional Codes

  • Unlike other professions, public relations practitioners have no central, binding code of ethics because they are not “licensed” by a central organization as are doctors, lawyers, etc.
  • BUT
  • Many join organizations that do have a “binding” code.

Two largest examples are:

Public Relations Society of American (PRSA)

International Association of Business Communicators (IABC)

Organizational Codes

  • Most organizations have their own “code.”

Employee Handbook

Personal Code

  • What are your beliefs?
  • Your value system?
  • What things do you hold sacred with respect to conducting business?
  • What things are you willing to compromise? Or are you not willing to compromise at all?

What is your code?

Activity

  • Time to brainstorm….Let’s create a “group” list.

Now, it’s your turn.

Take a few minutes and jot down some of the values / ideals you hold sacred with respect to conducting business. If it’s easier, think about things you deem crucial in your personal relationships. Come up with a list of five or ten things…………

Then, in one sentence, sum it up.

Easier said than done.

My own example

An Ethical Dilemma…

  • The “age-old” question…

Are public relations practitioners ethically obligated to communicate the full truth of the matter?

Should we strive to present the unbiased truth?

OR

Strive to present the information that benefits our organization (the SELECTIVE truth)?

Think about this with respect to your own, personal lives? Is it better to leave some things unsaid?

The Approach Most Often Taken….less is more. Problem?

  • 1. Often PR practitioners are hired to work in the capacity of “counselor” of ethics and social responsibility. How can you hold this position if you are not completely honest?
  • 2. What about internal publics? How can your employees trust you if it is known that you withhold some of the truth?
  • 3. And what about these internal publics? Should we treat them the same way as external publics? Do these need to know just how good/bad things really are?

Examples???

More Problems with the “Less is More” Approach…

  • 4. The whole point of the two-way symmetrical is the idea that we are treating others as we would want them to treat us? Would we want to be told only a portion of the truth?

What do PRSA and IABC think?

  • Both urge communication that is honest, accurate, candid, and in the public interest.

  • But, again, what can be the problem here??

  • The bottom line, you should swear to “tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.”

Specific Challenges to Ethical Behavior

  • Dilemmas: Defined as “difficult situations in which every potential solution will cause pain.”

Dilemmas tend to be problems that lack a good, painless solution.

No matter how you respond, someone will be hurt.

So what things “cloud your judgment” and tend to make dilemmas even tougher to solve?

Overwork

  • Can you work TOO hard??

Yes, and doing so will cloud your judgment.

Most companies have an ethical obligation regarding workload. The goal is a 40-50 hour workweek.

Hard work can be a value, without overworking.

Research shows that when people work beyond 50 hours per week, the quality of their work tends to study.

Personal examples? Studying for a test? Preparing for an interview? Hitting “the wall.”

Legal / Ethical Confusion

  • Acting “legally” isn’t always ethical and acting “ethically” isn’t always legal.

WHAT???

Tylenol recall due to cyanide lacing (1982).

Google this example if you are not familiar

Can something illegal be ethical? Can doing the right thing mean breaking the law?

Let’s be blunt…

  • Why should I be ethical? What’s in it for me?

  • Harvard Study of successful leaders found a strong correlation between leadership and “strong personal ethics.”

To back it up, in recent years 30+ studies found a direct link between good ethics and good company profit.

Examples???

So How is Ethical Behavior Achieved?

  • Starts with top management leading by example.

  • Creating this environment includes:

Conducting periodic ethics “audits” to help assess the current state of your organization.

Integrating a constant awareness of values and ethics.

Using a system for analyzing ethical challenges as they occur.