Ethics in Public Relations

by Patricia J. Parsons

Ethical questions and dilemmas are inherent to public relations, and ensuring that practitioners operate ethically is fundamental to the professionalism and credibility of the field.  This updated edition of Ethics in Public Relations gives readers the tools and knowledge to enable them to make defensible decisions and outlines the important ethical concerns in public relations and corporate communications. Written in a practical and approachable style, this book provides clear insights into the personal and professional issues that affect public relations practitioners.  It examines how an individual's sense of morality has an impact on decision-making and ethical business behavior.  This new edition includes new material on virtue ethics, personal ethics, ethics in social media, ghost writing and deception in PR, and moral responsibilities of organizations.

Genres: Nonfiction, Business

208 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2004

Reviews

[Darren · Rating 5 out of 5]

To many outsiders, the concept of ethics in public relations might be an oxymoron, yet it is clear that a professional communicator needs to ensure that they are honest, credible and ethical with what they communicate, even if there might be pressures from clients and other interested parties to be a little too “flexible” with how they interpret matters at times.

So this revised book provides a great look at a powerful subject, offering theoretical and practical guidance to public relations practitioners, covering elements such as conflict of interest, ethics, reputation management, morality and much more besides. It is written in a helpful, informative style that does not hector or pre-judge. The reader is left to decide how their own moral compass will fare in individual situations; the author can only give guidance to the broader subjects and suggest a way of accepted behaviour or good practice. In any case, it is eminently suitable for somebody entering the profession and can also act as a “situation check” for the more-experienced practitioner at the same time.

With the changing media landscape, the public relations practitioner can be taking on an even-greater role as gatekeeper. The old way of doing PR is long gone. Today the PR practitioner will be serving or involved with internal customers, external media, social media, stakeholders and many other publics. It is essential that one is honest and transparent; that doesn’t mean that you cannot seek to present your company and its news in the best-possible manner or must rush to voluntarily highlight every negative story, yet the fine line of honest, transparent, credible and professional handling of the situation must not, or should not, be crossed.

Yet there are many cases where public relations practitioners have crossed the line and the book does not pull its punches and highlights some examples of this. Let us be charitable and say that some events in the past, when viewed through the modem-day ethical lens, fail to pass muster.

This is a book that is aimed at a specialist audience yet the general reader could equally find a lot of interest within should they stumble over this book. For those who need this sort of information it is a clear must-read. For everybody else it might help shine a light on an important subject and give a little background understanding, showing that public relations practitioners are not “spin merchants” who will do and say anything for those who pay.

[Deidre · Rating 4 out of 5]

Many would say ethics in public relations is a contradiction in terms but there are a wide variety of ethics conflicts in public relations. While many decry PR as a profession built on spin, it's the PR professional's duty to balance their obligation to their client with what is fair and honest. Ethics is generally defined as doing what is right and in PR this can take many forms from disclosing relationships to proper handling of confidential information. This recently revised book is an excellent overview. The new version touches lightly on social media, a world where increasingly the line between paid ads, PR, and genuine enthusiasm seems completely blurred.