The document discusses the role of ethics and professional organizations in public relations. It provides 3 key points: 1) Professional organizations like PRSA establish codes of conduct to develop ethical standards and advance the profession through education and conferences. 2) Public relations practitioners must balance ethical responsibilities to the public interest, their employer, and professional standards when advocating for clients. 3) As the field progresses toward greater professionalism, practitioners are expected to prioritize ethical conduct and professional standards over client demands through accreditation, education, and an expanding body of knowledge.

1. Copyright © 2015 Pearson Education, Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
Dennis L. Wilcox Glen T. Cameron Bryan H. Reber
This multimedia product and its contents are protected under copyright law. The following are prohibited by law:
•any public performance or display, including transmission of any image over a network;
•preparation of any derivative work, including the extraction, in whole or in part, of any images;
•any rental, lease, or lending of the program.
Public Relations:
Strategies and Tactics
11th Edition, Global Edition

2. Copyright © 2015 Pearson Education, Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
Chapter 3
Ethical Considerations and the
Role of Professional Bodies

3. Copyright © 2015 Pearson Education, Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
Understand the role of the ethical
advocate
Appreciate the role that professional
groups play in setting standards
Be familiar with the progress being made
toward professionalism
Define the characteristics of being a public
relations professional
Be ethical when working with the media
Chapter 3 Objectives

4. Copyright © 2015 Pearson Education, Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
Understanding Ethics and Values
 Ethics
 standards of conduct;
how we should behave
based on right and
wrong
 Values
 central beliefs that
determine how we will
behave in a given
situation
Insert cartoon
on p. 71

5. Copyright © 2015 Pearson Education, Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
The PR Burden
 Making ethical decisions that consider
The public interest
The employer’s self-interests
The standards of the public relations
profession
Their personal values

6. Copyright © 2015 Pearson Education, Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
 Exaggerating a product’s qualities
 Defending a company’s poor
environmental record
 Speaking on behalf of tobacco/liquor
industry
 Organizing “front groups”
Consider Your Threshold
of Discomfort

7. Copyright © 2015 Pearson Education, Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
Philosophical Orientations
 Kant’s
absolutist
philosophy
 Aristotle’s
existential
approach
 Mill’s utilitarian
approach

8. The Ethical Advocate
 Can a person ethical and an advocate?
Considered biased and manipulative by some
 Expected by public to be advocate
Public knows PR is persuasive and can
evaluate messages within context
Copyright © 2015 Pearson Education, Ltd. All Rights Reserved.

9. The Role of Professional
Organizations
 Develop standards of ethics
 Advance professional development
through continuing education
Publications
Conferences
Short courses
Seminars
Copyright © 2015 Pearson Education, Ltd. All Rights Reserved.

10. Copyright © 2015 Pearson Education, Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
Public Relations
Society of America (PRSA)
 Top 4 responsibilities
for PRSA members:
 Media relations
 Writer/editor
 Marketing
communications
 Corporate
Communications

11. Copyright © 2015 Pearson Education, Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
Other Large PR Organizations
 Public Relations Student Society of
America (PRSSA)
 The International Association of Business
Communicators (IABC)
 The International Public Relations
Association (IPRA)

12. Employment Categories of
Professional Organizations
Copyright © 2015 Pearson Education, Ltd. All Rights Reserved.

13. Professional Codes of Conduct
 Numerous codes with common themes
Honesty
Accuracy
Fairness
 Most codes considered “toothless”
Expelled from organization is punishment
Can still practice PR
Copyright © 2015 Pearson Education, Ltd. All Rights Reserved.

14. Copyright © 2015 Pearson Education, Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
Codes for Specific Situations
 Internet transparency
 Video news releases
 Financial information
 Corporate practice

15. Copyright © 2015 Pearson Education, Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
Other Steps
Toward Professionalism
 Education
 Training
 Literature
 Research
 Code of Ethics

16. Changing Practitioner Mindsets
 Individual must act like professional
Sense of independence
Sense of responsibility
Concern for the profession
Loyalty to professional standards over client
Copyright © 2015 Pearson Education, Ltd. All Rights Reserved.

17. Expanding Body of Knowledge
 Academic Journals
 Journal of Public Relations Research
 Public Relations Review
 Trade Publications
 PRWeek
 Adweek
 Major Centers of Research
 Institute for Public Relations (IPR)
 Strategic Public Relations Center at USC
Copyright © 2015 Pearson Education, Ltd. All Rights Reserved.

18. Copyright © 2015 Pearson Education, Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
Professional Accreditation
 The IABC Model
Written and oral exams
Portfolio of work samples
 The PRSA Model
Preview course and “readiness” questionnaire
Portfolio of work
Written Exam
 Required continuing education

19. Copyright © 2015 Pearson Education, Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
Ethical Dealings
with the News Media
 Honesty doesn’t mean answering every
question asked
 3 main areas of ethical concerns
Gifts to journalists
Linking ads with news coverage
Transparency and disclosure issues