PR and Advertising Codes: Ethical Guides or Legal Boilerplate?

By: Jeff Wunderly
jwunderly@gmail.org

Century Marketing, Inc.

      The fields of advertising and public relations boast high standards of ethical behavior and professional affiliations to establish and maintain those standards. As the image above demonstrates, however, communication between business entities and the public is often difficult to reconcile with the reality of the common misrepresentations and half-truths seen in ads. 

     Examining the ethical codes for the Institute of Advertising Ethics, IAE, and the Public Relations Society of America, PRSA, reveal several common strengths, but also common weaknesses that may help explain the wide range of ethical behavior we witness in those areas. Both codes present sound logical foundations on which to base their codes and either could provide adequate guidance to ethical decision-making and practices - if one chooses to use it. 

      The IAE Code lists nine practices and principles, intending to be fair, honest, and forthright. Each principle is presented with commentary citing explanations and historical precedents. An uncompromising pursuit of truth and transparency is the purported goal, but the presentation leaves the reader feeling as if they just perused a legal briefing, and one cannot help feeling as if it is a least a bit of C.Y.A. management. 

      The PRSA Code touts a similar list of values but includes guideline examples of proper and improper conduct. In this way, they can better establish minimum and ideal standards of conduct. The PRSA aspires for a free flow of accurate and truthful information, and it seems capable of guiding someone to that goal. The problem is that, again, the goal is largely a matter of personal choice. 

      

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      The ethics codes for both the IAE and PRSA are voluntary and enforcement is non-judicial. The PRSA points out that while they do not actively enforce their code of conduct, they do reserve the right to bar from membership or seek the expulsion of existing members. Similarly, the IAE relies on its industry to "self-regulate," while complying with all federal, state, and local advertising laws. Both systems are functional, but both are also completely voluntary, and neither is universal.  

      As Many Questions as Answers:

      The public relations and advertising fields are riddled with complex ethical dilemmas and potential moral pitfalls. Both of the ethical codes examined here provide relatively sound foundations for actions and decision-making, but neither is mandatory or universal to their industry. Professional accreditation and peer recognition still hold significant buying power, but only with those who deal in that currency. In the time of social media, the very concept of who is a journalist becomes harder to define, and the necessity of industry recognition and conformity to standards are no longer the only road to the Emerald City.