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The practice of public relations is all about earning credibility.

Credibility begins with telling the truth.

Public relations must be based on doing the right thing, or acting ethically.

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Great thinkers have struggled for years to answer this question. Here is one definition:

“Ethics are standards of conduct that indicate how one should behave based on moral duties and virtues.”

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“Ethics refers to the values that guide a person, organization, or society — the difference between right and wrong, fairness and unfairness, honesty and dishonesty.”

An individual’s or organization’s ethics come down to the standards we follow in our relationships with others.

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Utilitarianism: considering the greater good rather than individual desires.

The Golden Mean of Moral Virtue: seeking the middle-ground between two extreme points of view.

The Categorical Imperative: acting on a maxim that you intend on becoming universal law.

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Principle of Utility: seeking the greatest happiness for the greatest number of people.

Judeo-Christian Ethic: loving your neighbor as you would love yourself.

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Our moral choices

Norms of society

Legal principles

Organizational values

Professional values

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In the wake of corporate meltdowns, scandals and CEO resignations, confidence in business has plummeted.

American business is under heavier scrutiny than ever before.

To reverse negative public opinion, many companies have attempted to become more transparent in their activities.

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These are formal statements of the values and business practices of a corporation.

They have been developed to: increase public confidence stem the tide of regulation improve internal operations respond to transgressions

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“An organization is the lengthened shadow of a man.”

-- Ralph Waldo Emerson

In the early 21st century, what does this mean to YOU?

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All social institutions are responsible for the behavior of their members.

Members can be held accountable for misdeeds.

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Social responsibility touches every level of organizational activity:

Product lines Marketing practices Corporate philanthropy Environmental activities External relations Employment diversity Employee safety and health

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In the early 21st century, politicians lost further ground in terms of trust and ethical values.

The 24-hour cable news cycle and the Internet blogosphere cast a bright spotlight on the president and politicians in Washington D.C.

In the wake of white-collar crime and political scandal, the public is less willing to tolerate ethical violations from elected officials.

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Do you believe that the Society of Professional Journalists’ Code of Ethics (right) reflects what appears in print or on the air?

Why or why not?

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Ethics should be the great differentiator between public relations and other professions.

Public relations practitioners must emulate the highest standards of personal and professional ethics.

Public relations practitioners must always counsel their organizations and clients in an ethical direction.

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Four ethical theories are relevant to public relations:

Attorney/adversary model by Barney and Black

Two-way communication model by Grunig Enlightened self-interest model by Baker Responsible advocacy model by Fitzpatrick

and Gauthier

As a class, what do each of theories mean to you?

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Advocacy

Honesty

Expertise

Independence

Loyalty

Fairness

The PRSA Code of Ethics specifies six core values:

The essence of the code is that honesty and fairness lie at the heart of the public relations practice. For details, see Figure 6-2 of your text.

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Public Relations Society of America (PRSA):www.prsa.org/AboutPRSA/Ethics/

International Association of Business Communicators (IABC): www.iabc.com/about/code.htm

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Professional practice must be based on: the Code of Ethics

Social responsibilityOrganizational values

A Venn Diagram for public relations ethics

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What leaders can you think of who subscribe to a high standard of ethics on the following levels:

International or national government Federal, state or local government Business Your local community

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There is no truer window into a corporation’s soul than its approach to ethics.

The success of public relations in the 21st century will depend largely on how the field responds to the issue of ethical conduct.

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“The Sad Memoir of Scott McClellan”Review this case on pp. 114-15. As a class,

discuss:

How would you assess Scott McClellan’s ethical responsibility to be loyal to his boss vs. his ethical responsibility to reveal what happened at the White House?

What are the public relations ethical considerations revealed by the McClellan Case?