Battle of the Ethics Codes

Rossen Vassilev Jr.
rv727716@ohio.edu

Strategic Communication refers to advertising, public relations, media planning (the buying and placement of advertising), political communication, marketing communication, or any other public communication with a strategic purpose on behalf of any organization, company or government entity, which can create messages directly to the consumer.

In general, Strategic Communication activities aim to persuade as well as to inform. Strategic Communication codes of ethics are the basic principles and high standards that guide advertisers and public-relations professionals, including via the specific ethics codes adopted by the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) and the American Advertising Federation (AAF).

The code of ethics adopted by the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) states unequivocally that “Ethical practice is the most important obligation of a PRSA member.” This ethics code makes it incumbent upon all members to “adhere to the highest standards of accuracy and truth in advancing the interests of those we represent and in communicating with the public.”

Each PRSA member is even obligated to take a Code of Ethics Pledge, which starts with a solemn oath: “I pledge to conduct myself professionally, with truth, accuracy, fairness, and responsibility to the public...”, and ends with a warning: “I understand that those who have been or are sanctioned by a government agency or convicted in a court of law of an action that fails to comply with the Code may be barred from membership or expelled from the Society.”

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The American Advertising Federation (AAF) has adopted a quite similar code of ethics based on the nine “Principles and Practices for Advertising Ethics” developed by the Institute for Advertising Ethics (IAE). According to the AAF's ethics code's Principle #1, ”Advertising, public relations, marketing communications, news, and editorial all share a common objective of truth and high ethical standards in serving the public.” Equally important, Principle #2 dictates that “Advertising, public relations, and all marketing communications professionals have an obligation to exercise the highest personal ethics in the creation and dissemination of commercial information to consumers.”

Another similarity is that both of these ethics codes imply that pursuit of “truth” is a core value. But this core value of “truth” is often in conflict with other guiding principles, especially the one that aims at minimizing harm. Because if one reports all truths without exception, one may inevitably do harm to vulnerable people or entities. But if one minimizes harm too much or as much as possible, then important truths may not be reported at all. For instance, if we expose the numerous war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by American soldiers overseas, we may harm the reputation of the U.S. military and of the U.S. government.

At this point, I cannot say for certain if these two particular ethics codes are indeed working in practice. Or even if they are being followed by all members of these two journalistic societies. But given my previous experiences with and exposure to Strategic Communication journalism, I have profound doubts and misgivings on that score.

Because it was the same advertisers and PR experts who used to publicly assure us in the not-too-distant past that smoking was not dangerous for our health. That smoking Kent Micronite Filter cigarettes may even be good for our health. That widespread radiation sickness from nuclear-weapon tests in Nevada was a “Communist propaganda myth” spread by Moscow's agents. A most dubious claim by our government which obviously persuaded Hollywood actor-director Dick Powell and a bunch of other famous actors, including Susan Hayward, John Wayne (the Duke) and his son, to film a movie in Utah in dangerous proximity to a nuclear-weapon-test site in nearby Nevada. All filming crew members, including the Duke and his son, subsequently died from cancers brought on by radiation exposure.

So, even the core value of truth has been distorted or ignored. For it seems that there are always at least two sides to every “truth” we believe we know for absolutely certain. In April 2003, for example, a U.S. marine was televised angrily rebuking a hostile crowd of Iraqi civilians in downtown Baghdad: “I'm fighting for your f***ing freedom!” That Marine was obviously unaware that in their eyes he was the symbol of an aggressive foreign power, trying violently to capture, occupy and enslave their country. As Pontius Pilate, governor of the Roman province of Judaea, mocks the captured Jesus in the rock opera Jesus Christ Superstar, “What is truth? ...Is yours the same as mine?” No, obviously not!