1. Public Relations and Ethics

2. Public Relations: Image
PR Stunt
PR Ploy
PR Exercise
Spin doctors
PR is organized lying
PR ethics – an oxymoron

3. Why? Too little authority PR Association Codes:
Don’t speak specifically enough to particular situations
Have very little disciplinary “tooth”

4. What is ethics?
“standards of conduct that indicate how one should behave based on moral duties and virtues”
Acting to cause minimal harm
Rooted in both personal conscience and social norms of right behaviour
Thus rooted in culture
Thus cultural variation in what’s considered ‘right behaviour’

5. Three Broad Approaches
Utilitarian
Advocacy
Situational

6. Value of Public Relations: 4 Levels
Particular PR programme
PR function
Organizational effectiveness
Societal level
Value of ethical practice: ethical communication increases PR value to organization by sustaining good, long-term relationships with publics

7. Value ctd
Image of organisations dependent on ‘personality’ not just goods + services
PR as ‘internal conscience’
PR focus on long-term sustainability of organizations
PR: facilitator of social responsibility + corporate citizenship

8. How PR helps organizations
Exchanging information with publics
Distribution of information internally + externally – understanding of policy; problem sloving
Facilitating dialogue, maintaining relationships
Communicating across levels on public policy, activism, social norms + values
Contributing to public interest + social good
News source: defining issues, advancing causes

9. PR Codes of Ethics: Core Values
Advocacy
Honesty
Expertise
Independence
Loyalty
Fairness

10. Approaches to PR Ethics
Adversary Model
Two-way Communication Model
Enlightened self-interest Model
Responsible Advocate Model

11. Ethics, PR and ‘Green Issues’
Increasingly topical
Powerful marketing, PR tool
Increasing number and range of environmental claims
Accuracy of claims?
Example: Goodyear Tires, Australia