Meredith McNelis
Journalism is not what it used to be. Online forums,
blogging and the digital world as a whole have reshaped this profession. Heck, it
feels like you don’t even have to be a ‘professional’ to be one of today’s "journalists." Because of the growing ambiguity of this career, the code of
ethics it adheres to must alter as well.
The other obvious issue that arises is how can there be one
universal definition of what is ethical? Every person has a different idea of
what is morally acceptable and fitting to one’s character.
What is Ethics?
When boiled down to its pure definition, ethics simply means
“character”, derived from the Greek word ethos.
It is what a person, or organization, believes is morally acceptable; what is
in good character of someone.
Ethical Public
Relations
I took a personal interest to the Public
Relations Society of America Code of Ethics since I am a Strategic
Communications major and am a member of PRSSA. When being a part of an
organization that’s job is to represent other companies branding and standards,
it is imperative that you think in terms of that client. One of their main
points is building trust. The fact that they not only want to gain trust within
their clients, but their own employers and the public as well, is something
that I think is vital to a successful PR firm.
Not Set in Stone
Is it really possible for everyone who is a part of an organization
to have the same opinions and moral compass? People are raised differently,
have different beliefs, have distinctive characteristics; it’s hard to fit
everyone in a box. If you are applying for a job or are a part of an
organization, you may not always fall into the same ethical standpoint as their code. I think that a person should not have to adhere to a company’s ethics if
it does not match their own, but the person should seek out a job that holds the
same ethical code as them.
There is a section in PRSA’s Code of Ethics that is ever
changing. They have a portion called Provisions of Conduct that “are actual
examples of misconduct” and “more will be added as experience with the code
occurs.” They understand that the world of journalism and public relations is constantly
shifting. Most codes do not include such sections. For example, Society of Professional Journalists Code
of Ethics was adopted in 1996 and has not been revised sense. I am pretty
sure journalism is not the same as it was 17 years ago, so shouldn’t their rules
evolve as well?
The Whole Truth and
Nothing but the Truth
I do believe however that every code, and everyone, should
remain truthful. As journalists, or public relations professionals, it is our
job to report the truth. The public puts their trust in credible reporting and
do not want to weed through what is real or not. If a person does not think
that reporting false information is unethical, journalism is probably not the
profession for them.
Ethics is hard to condense into one simple term. It is
different from person to person and changes daily. Technology and the
advancement of journalism and public relations play important roles as well in
shaping ethics.
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