A Guiding Light
At first glance, the core values governing The Public Relations Society of America’s Code of Ethics seem a bit, well, obvious. After all, what organization wouldn’t value ideals like honesty, loyalty, and fairness? But when you stop to consider the inherent ethical difficulties that accompany any public relations role, you begin to appreciate the necessity for an overarching ‘guiding light’ by which one adheres.
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Anything But Funny
Virtually everyone is familiar with the term ‘PR.’ From West Wing to Parks & Rec, the profession has been depicted countless times in film and television. While ill-timed press leaks and unintentional conflicts of interest make for great comedy, PR missteps in the real world often have repercussions that are anything but funny.
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Reputation Problem
In her article, Why Ethics Matters in Public Relations, Tyressa Robbins reflects on the “reputation problem” facing her industry. As she explains, “...it seems the only time PR makes headlines it’s for some digression, while most positive PR stories are relegated to industry-related media.”
This quote, from the U.K. PR Academy’s Richard Bailey, further illustrates this point: “Public relations operates in many shades of grey and decisions are rarely binary options. Welcome to real-world public relations ethics.”
This quote, from the U.K. PR Academy’s Richard Bailey, further illustrates this point: “Public relations operates in many shades of grey and decisions are rarely binary options. Welcome to real-world public relations ethics.”
Fake News
Robbins goes on to argue that in an era where accusations of ‘fake news’ run rampant, adherence to a code of ethics work is now more important than ever–especially for those who work in Public Relations. As proverbial gate-keepers in the business of public persuasion, the role of a PR rep carries far cannot be overstated. Nor can the importance of ethical behavior, especially when dealing with the health and safety of the general public.For instance, during the early days of the COVID, when misinformation ran rampant (I know–it still does), adhering to core values (like those on the PRSA’s list) would’ve benefited so many. Obviously, what was known about the coronavirus evolved, but what began as a human interest story soon became a political talking point.
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With Great Power...
Right-leaning news outlets accused left-leaning news outlets of sensationalizing and over-reporting, and left-leaning news outlets tossed accusations of under-reporting and misinforming right back. Lines were drawn so deeply, death-rates from the disease began to geographically correlate with political affiliation (something this NPR article highlights).The situation got so out of hand, the International Center for Journalists published its own, COVID-specific code of ethics. Still, I would counter that had all parties involved simply stayed true to some overarching core values, (a list that includes honesty, independence, and the respect of expertise) everyone would have been better off.
I think your discussion of covid-19 is super interesting when it comes in discussion with public relations. I agree following an ethics code would have been immensely beneficial during the news reports surrounding covid-19 which would have resulted in an illness being a political debate. With the right and left over stretching and not following a code, there was lots of falsified information spreading, leading to feuds between the right and left. Also, I did not know that death rates from the disease geographically correlated with political affiliation, which I find so interesting and question if some way the virus was politically motivated in some sense. Great article! (also I love parks and rec, which PR world backlash was that fun in real life :) )
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