Conflicts of Interest and Ethics in Public Relations

Lorraine Stone

ls304319@ohio.edu

According to the PRSA Code of Ethics, the values which are the core beliefs that direct behaviors and decision-making processes, come down to advocacy, honesty, expertise, independence, and loyalty. The core principle is the free flow of information which intends to uphold the integrity of relationships with the media, government officials, and the public while assisting in informed decision-making. Trust appears to be at the very center of values in public relations and understandably so.  

Trust is crucial for all levels of management in society, whether it be personal, organizational, or societal. Trust is the primary indicator that can significantly improve so much more than just the financial status of a business or organization, which is why trust is at the center of principles when it comes to Public Relations. This is why a cooperation’s reputation is so essential, trust is built through consistent actions over a period of time, and something as simple as one single conflict of interest, whether perceived or real, carries the potential to undo the integrity of the entire organization.

The best way to diffuse a conflict of interest is prevention, avoiding one from developing in the first place. However, this is not a perfect world, and conflicts of interest are bound to occur from time to time. Some examples of conflicts of interests provided by Media Ethics Resource Library are interference of private and public interests, situations where outside employment may be in conflict with primary occupation, personal interests, such as family, come into play, and occurrences where professionals receive compensation beyond salary for work that is either performed or going to be performed. The reason conflict of interest is so worrisome in Public Relations is because it interferes with a professional's impartiality, which is an essential ethical component in the industry.  

                             https://www.slideshare.net/oreshetn/ethics-in-pr-11310284

In an additional article, Ethics and Responsibility, Virgil Scudder states, “A company’s cultural and ethical standards come from the top-down, not from the bottom up. Employees will almost always behave in the manner that they think management expects from them, and it is foolish for management to pretend otherwise.”  

In other words, it is up to the CEO of the organization to determine the culture of the company and for that to be clearly communicated by Public Relations professionals with employees. Employees are aware of what the company will and will not tolerate, and if there are no consequences for breaking the rules, some employees are going to take advantage of them. 

That is why the culture and expectations are communicated, not only through words but through actions, consistently taken over time. Scudder continues to explain that if management is indeed concerned about the corporation’s reputation and behavior, there are steps Public Relations can utilize in order to assist in producing more ethical atmospheres. Therefore, maintaining an ethical culture within an organization is far from a lost cause, just as long as the organization prioritizes the ethical aspects of the company and is willing to put forth the effort.