Discover the importance of ethics in public relations and how PR professionals can navigate ethical challenges while maintaining professionalism and integrity.
Ethics refers to the value system by which a person determines what is right and what is wrong, what is fair and unfair, the dichotomy between good and evil, injustice and justice, honesty and dishonesty. Human plurality makes man unique and different among equals and this is reflected in professional performance, through the moral behavior of public relations professionals, in specific circumstances.
In many cases, public relations professionals have to resort to their opinion to judge whether what they should do to generate links and create relationships between the organization and its public is correct or not. Public relations professionals must proclaim the benefits and harms of their communication activities, and they must have the moral tenacity to say yes or no, because the long-term effects of a bad decision will outweigh the short-term gains.
Ethics of Public Relation.
- I believe in public relations as the determining factor that brings about harmony of understanding between government and government, government and people, groups and the public.
- I consider the practice of public relations based on broad general knowledge, logical and objective thinking discretion, tact, imagination, talent of expression, an active desire to understand and help people; and, above ail, absolute integrity.
- I will maintain as essential to the successful practice of public relations a working knowledge of all avenues of approach to I he public such as books pamphlets, magazines, new spapers, trade and employee publications, house organs, annual reports brochures, presentation, letters, speeches, proceedings, lectures, motion pictures, photographs, radio, television,-the drama the school room, and all events that shape and symbolize given activities and by which they are known to the public.
- I shall keep faith with the individuals or activities 1 represent, with the means of communications with the public, and with the public itself; I will not accept assignments that are antagonistic to each other or those that are anti social and 1 will shun all activities that deviate from the highest ethical standards.
- I shall be alert to public trends, motives, thought, action and reaction so that 1 shall be a propagandist only in the finest sense of the word.
- I shall collaborate in assuming constructive civic and social responsibilities.
- I shall not obtain any business by means of fraudulent statements or by use of implications unwarranted by fact or reasonable probability and shall comply, both in spirit and letter, with all the rules and regulations prescribed by law and government agencies for the health, safety, and progress of the public.
- I shall not perform, or cause to be performed, any act which would tend to reflect or bring into disrepute any part of the practice of public relations.
- I believe in public relations as the liaison between the fiber of the nation and the ideas, products, and services that make it strong and I subscribe to these standards as the Code of Public Relations
- Each institution or organization that oversees public relations practitioners has its own code of ethics. However, basically the code of ethics has the same content, in the form of behavioral guidelines, and rights and obligations that must be obeyed.
On the other hand, Public Relations is oriented towards society, it has to do with people who may be harmed or benefited by a specific action.For public relations professionals, the ethical standards of the profession will help them to carry out their work with dignity. It is also true that these codes do not end with the issue of ethics.