Ethics and Public Relations

1. Ethics and Public Relations Introduction to Public Relations School of Communication Studies James Madison University Dr. Michael Smilowitz

2. What to expect? • Some examples of less than “honest” public relation decisions. • Several accounts for the PR’s poor reputation for ethical conduct. • A definition of ethical decisions. • A discussion of the ease/difficulty in making ethical decisions.

3. A rose by any other name ….? • Citizens for the Environment • A political pressure group funded by large corporations such as Amoco, General Motors, Philip Morris, and Union Carbide to push for corporate interests in matters of environmental protection. • National Wetlands Association (logo is a duck flying over a marsh). • Rather than protect habitats, a lobby group funded by utility and mining companies and real estate interests, that urges Congress to open wetlands to greater commercial development.

4. A rose by any other name ….? • Workplace Health & Safety Council • A private group, sponsored by corporations, that acts against initiatives for regulating the safety and health hazards of work places. • Citizens for a Free Kuwait • Comprised of Kuwait’s royal family, its purpose was to restore control of Kuwait to the Emir and his family.

5. Is thinking about ethics important? • In a survey of PRSA members, Pratt (1991) found few respondents who thought well of the honesty and ethical standards of their colleagues in the practice of public relations. • Fifty five percent of the respondents thought an organization’s CEO as the most credible source of information about an organization, while only five percent thought a public relations practitioner would provide credible information.

6. Questionable Ethics? • In a 2005 poll, sponsored by PRSA itself, Harris Interactive surveyed U.S. Congressional staffers, corporate executives from Fortune 100 companies and members of the general public. • “Do PR practitioners sometimes take advantage of the media to present misleading information that is favorable to their clients?“ • 85 percent of congressional staffers and the same percentage of the general public agreed. • 67 percent of executives agreed.

7. Questionable Ethics • "Television news programs sometimes show stories that are not produced by a news organization, but come from companies, government or other types of organizations. These stories are created to communicate a particular position or message to the public. Do you think government should require TV news shows to state the sources for these stories, or not?" • 71 percent of the public said yes. • 85 percent of congressional staffers said yes. • 87 percent of corporate executives said yes.

8. Questionable Ethics In spite of over-whelming public and corporate sentiment for regulations to ensure “honesty” in news reporting, the past president of the PRSA, Judith Phair appeared at a hearing of the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science & Transportation, to argue against government-mandated disclosure of fake news. She said: "Disclosure to the public is ultimately the responsibility of broadcasters."

9. Questionable Ethics Upshaw, Chernov , Koranda (2007) report that ninety percent of TV newscasts have at least one instance of embedded advertising. The advertising occurs in many different forms from product placements in the hands of reporters and anchors to marketing VNRs (video news releases). In spite of over-whelming public and corporate sentiment for regulations to ensure “honesty” in news reporting, the past president of the PRSA, Judith Phair appeared at a hearing of the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science & Transportation, to argue against government-mandated disclosure of fake news. She said: "Disclosure to the public is ultimately the responsibility of broadcasters."

10. Is it just a bad “rap” for PR? • Legacy of “press agentry” • Do anything for publicity. • Corporate scapegoating • Blame the spokesperson. • Journalistic “sourgraping.” • PR specialists are “sell outs” • Mistrust of “spinners” • Honest people or companies don’t need paid “public representation”

11. Is it just a bad “rap” for PR? Whether there is no truth, some truth, or a lot of truth to the ethical indictments of public relations, pr practitioners must carefully consider their relationships to ethical principles.

12. What are ethical decisions? • The decisions we make about what conduct is right (moral) and what conduct is wrong (immoral). • Ethical decisions are about our social responsibility ... the recognition that we do not live in the world alone. • Ethical decisions are necessary when we expect our actions to be evaluated by some higher standard than what is best for our own selfish interest?

13. Isn’t it easy to be ethical? • Common sense is full of ethical principles that are quite agreeable. • 1. Don’t hurt others. • 2. Tell the truth. • 3. Keep promises. • 4. Loyalty is good ... whether to family, organization, country, religion. • 5. Help others. • 6. Honor matters…there must be a close relationship between deed and word.

14. Isn’t it easy to be ethical? But making ethical decisions isn’t easy when we must choose between competing goals. • 1. Provide for our needs and the needs of our families. • 2. Protect ourselves and our families and those we support. • 3. Promote our opportunities to live better.

15. Isn’t it easy to be ethical? • Common sense is full of ethical principles that are quite agreeable. • 1. Don’t hurt others. • 2. Tell the truth. • 3. Keep promises. • 4. Loyalty is good ... whether to family, organization, country, religion. • 5. Help others. • 6. Honor matters…there must be a close relationship between deed and word.

16. Isn’t it easy to be ethical? • Common sense is full of ethical principles that are quite agreeable. • 1. Don’t hurt others. • 2. Tell the truth. • 3. Keep promises. • 4. Loyalty is good ... whether to family, organization, country, religion. • 5. Help others. • 6. Honor matters…there must be a close relationship between deed and word.