The Spotlight is on the PR Industry...

Public Relations and Ethics. It is an issue that is discussed on a daily basis or shall we say criticized. Public Relations is definitely a profession that is not known for it's good ethics, but instead, its lack of it. For some time now, I've done everything I could to defend the public relations industry, but lately even I have been questioning the validity of the profession. Don't get me wrong, I don't mean to put down PR in any way, but it is amazing as to how dishonest and manipulating some PR practitioners can be.



The cartoon above, sadly, explains what is happening within the industry. PR practitioners are doing their best to increase the reputation of their clients that they are putting their ethical standards on the line. The cartoon is classic:. "Make sure everything is done ethically, within reason, of course." PR Professionals will do everything in their power to come across ethical or show good judgement but when it comes down to protecting their clients or making a bigger paycheck, it can almost be guaranteed that a professional will step over the ethical line.

Isn't that kind of human nature though? As we discussed in class, ethics are based on personal values. The problem is, even people with really strong personal values, do not have the confidence to stand up to a boss or coworkers in the work place. Also, their values may get lost. When one things about it PR is about changing the opinions of the public. Making them like whoever your client is. Well, you may have extremely strong values, but when it comes down to the goal of your job, your values may get lost or forgotten about in the middle somewhere. Myron Curry, President and CEO of businesstrainingmedia.com, makes a terrific point in an article when saying:

Ethics are thought of by many people as something that is related to the private side of life and not to the business side. In many businesses, having ethics is frowned upon or thought of as a negative subject. This is because business is usually about doing what’s best for number one, not about what’s really the right thing to do. You probably are already feeling uneasy just reading this.

Curry brings up an exceptional point with that statement. Yes, people all have personal values, but don't most people tend to try to keep their personal lives separate from their work lives? Either way, this brings up another question...

How is PR different than any other profession??

So, as Curry is saying, it is not just a PR thing, but an overall trend in business to be unethical, so why is PR getting such a raft for it? Public Relations is an industry of power. We control communication, and let's face it, communication is what our world is made up of. PR professionals are in the center of all the controversy, therefore, our industry is getting a lot of the heat. In the end, everyone struggles with ethical decisions, they just might not work in industry that have so much power over communication and the thoughts of others.

As a closing thought, while I do think that PR professionals have it hard due to the extra spotlight, I do think that they should try to bring their personal values to work more often. I think they will find the public likes it and will result in stronger reputations for their clients. The public seems to be more sympathetic and reactive to the truth.

Interested in PR and Ethics? Check out Craig Miyamoto's website and Edelman's annual Trust Barometer.