Ethics Codes: Expectation vs Reality

Gabrielle Zita
gz628315@ohio.edu

We are all taught from a young age to have a moral compass. We are many times praised for doing the right thing and punished when we do the wrong. As we get older, we realize that doing the right thing isn't always easy. The Public Relations Society of America, Society of Professional Journalists, and the Institute for Advertising are just a few of the media organizations that provide their members with ethical guidelines; however, these guidelines are not solid rules that are enforced. Instead, these organizations believe that their guidelines act as more of a framework for their members so that others can hold them accountable for their actions. The organizations' codes are an expectation that members are to follow, but the reality is that many people are not following them.

http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/code-of-ethics.html

PRSA Wants You to Be Honest
The ethics code for Public Relations Society of America, runs on the basis of honesty. Members are expected to follow these principles: advocacy, honesty, expertise, independence, loyalty, and fairness. One problem that public relation companies face is how to be honest but still represent your client in a positive way. The reality of it is, they have trouble doing both. According to the article, Cheating the App Store, written by Techcrunch, Reverb Communications, a PR firm that represents game publishers and developers. Their clients have had major success in Apple's App Store. It was discovered that this success comes from Reverb hiring a team of interns to comment positive reviews for the clients on iTunes and other forums. So which PRSA ethics code is this breaking? The answer: many of them. First, it breaks the code of honesty. The interns may have never tried these apps, so their reviews would not be honest or genuine. Second, it breaks the code of expertise, which states that one should build credibility. This situation is putting the credibility of public relations at stake. Lastly, it breaks the code of loyalty. Although one should be loyal to their client, they also have an obligation to be loyal to the public. Creating false positive comments is being disloyal to those that are reading them. In the PRSA Code of Provisions of Conduct, it breaks the code of the disclosure of information. Audiences are not being given all the information needed to make the best decision for themselves. Unethical decisions like this degrade the profession of public relations because people believe they are just being told the positive information, not all the information.


SPJ Wants You to Be Accurate, Fair, and Thorough
The very first guideline in the Society of Professional Journalists Code of Ethics is "seek truth and report it." Many reporters can't seem to seek any story at all, so they decide to fabricate a story. One example of this is Jack Kelley, a former reporter for USA Today. For years he wrote fascinating stories about experiences he went through while reporting in other countries. This eventually led him to be a Pulitzer Prize finalist in 2002. Kelley was quoted saying, "I have a passion for reporting the truth." But the reality was he had been making up his stories and plagiarizing many quotes from other sources. Kelley is a prime example of a journalist making up stories in order to gain success. Journalists often let the idea of success get in the way of being truthful. This damages the trust that the public has for journalists and their stories.


The future of media relies on honesty. It is up to us to know the principles and core values of our professions in order to make the right decisions. If journalists and publicists follow their own moral compass and their company's ethical guidelines, it will make for a more successful and honest society.