Chapter 3:
Ethics and
Professionalism
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Overview
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What are ethics?
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The role of professional organizations
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Professional codes of conduct
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Professionalism, Licensing, and Accreditation
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Ethics in individual practice
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Ethical dealings with the news media
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What Are Ethics?
DEFINITION OF ETHICS
Value System by which a person determines what
is right or wrong
THREE ETHICAL ORIENTATIONS
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Absolutist
Existentialist
Situationalist
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What are ethics?
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Ethics refers to the values that guide a
person, organization, or society—the
difference between right and wrong,
fairness and unfairness, honesty and
dishonesty.
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What Are Ethics?
DEFINITION OF ETHICS
Value System by which a person determines what
is right or wrong
THREE ETHICAL ORIENTATIONS
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Absolutist
Existentialist
Situationalist
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Absolutist
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They believes that every decisions is either right or
wrong regardless of the consequences
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The Existentialist who choices are not made in a
prescribed value system, decide On the basis of
immediate practical choices
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the Situationalist believes that each decision is
based on what would cause the least harm or the
most good
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Ethical decisions are based on
Our moral choices
 Norms of society
 Legal principles
 Organizational values
 Professional values
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A person’s ethical choices depend
on several factors but are not
limited to our:
Culture
 Religion
 Education
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callout
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PRSA Code of Ethics
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See text, Figure 6-1
Advocacy
Honesty
Expertise
Independence
Loyalty
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Public Relations Society of America
and the International Association of
Business Communicators both have
codes of ethics that govern the
practice of public relations.
Honesty and fairness are stressed.
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Can you name the dirty deed with the
corporation in these white collar
C
crimes?
Enron
Arthur Andersen
World Com
Adelphia Communications
Tyco
Martha Stewart
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The Corporate Reform Bill was signed
to impose rigorous sanctions on
corporate criminals
by President Bush.
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A question to ponder…
Can ethics and profits co-exist?
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What leaders in your opinion have
high credibility?
International/National
 Federal/State/Local government
 Business
 Community
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Corporate Codes of Conduct are
needed to:
Increase public confidence
 Stem the tide of regulation
 Improve internal operations
 Respond to transgressions
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What is corporate social
responsibility?
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A social norm that holds that any social
institution is responsible for the behavior
of its members and may be held
accountable for their misdeeds.
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Social Responsibility Categories
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Product lines
Marketing practices
Corporate philanthropy
Environmental activities
External relations
Employment diversity in retaining and promoting
minorities and women
Employee safety and health
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Ethics in Government
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Can you identify the name to the political
transgression hall of shame?
 Gary
Condit
 James Traficant
 Dick Morris
 Robert Torricelli
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What are some issues that have
cropped up with regard to ethics in
journalism?
Clue: Sources, Bogus stories,
Not crediting properly
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Some of the areas of concern:
Internet journalism
 Reality Television
 TV bogus News programs
 Print journalism scandals
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Professionalism, Licensing,
and Accreditation
Barriers to professionalism
 Job
security
 Prestige
 Salary
in organization
level
 Recognition
 Technician
from superiors
mentality
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Professionalism, Licensing,
and Accreditation
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Define the practice of public relations
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Establish educational criteria
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Set ethical and professional standards
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Decertification of unethical practitioners
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Protect consumers
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Protect qualified practitioners
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Credibility
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Would not control right to communicate
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Arguments
FOR Licensing
Professionalism, Licensing,
and Accreditation
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Licensing is an infringement
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Difficult to define public relations
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Voluntary accreditation is sufficient
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Laws already exist for malpractice
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Legislatures show little interest
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Would hamper practice
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Licensing assures only minimum competence
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Credibility not assured
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Costly
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Arguments
AGAINST Licensing
Professionalism, Licensing,
and Accreditation
The PRSA approach:
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Preview course
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Complete a “readiness” questionnaire
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Show a portfolio of work to a panel
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Take a written exam
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Must have 5 years of professional experience
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Upon completion of all requirements, the credential APR
(accredited in public relations) is earned.
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Ethics in Individual Practice
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Be honest
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Convey sense of business ethics
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Respect integrity and position of opponents
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Develop trust
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Present all sides of an issue
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Balance loyalty
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Don't sacrifice long-term objectives
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Be prepared to sacrifice security for standards
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Ethical Dealings
With the News Media
Less than total honesty destroys credibility.
Achieve trust by avoiding:
 Junkets
 Extravagant
parties
 Expensive gifts
 Personal favors
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What are ethics? How can two individuals disagree
about what constitutes an ethical dilemma or
concern?
Ethics is concerned with how we should
live our lives, focusing on questions of
what is right and wrong, fair or unfair,
caring or uncaring, good or bad, etc.
Most ethical conflicts are not measured in
black or white, but fall within a gray area
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Some critics say voluntary codes of ethics have no teeth
because they cant be enforced.
Are there other reasons for having codes of ethics?
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While enforcement of ethical codes/violations
is problematic, codes do provide a strong
baseline for education and information (e.g.
professional standards) that can guide
members in their personal lives.
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Should public relations practitioners be licensed?
What are the pros and cons of licensing?
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Licensing proponents cite:
(1) defining the practice of public relations;
(2) establish uniform educational criteria;
( 3) set uniform professional standards;
(4) protect clients and employer s from
impostors and charlatans;
(5) protect qualified practitioners from unfair
competition from the unethical and unqualified
(6) raise the overall credibility of practitioners.
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Opponents cite:
(1) violation of First Amendment principles;
(2) civil and criminal laws already exist to deal with
malpractice;
(3) licensing is a function of state governments, and
public relations delves way beyond that;
( 4) licensing ensures only minimum competence;
( 5) credibility and status of an occupation are not
necessarily ensur ed through licensing
(6) would be costly for taxpayers to implement.
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Is it unethical to set up a front group as a
citizens organizations when, in fact, the
group is organized and funded by special
or corporate interests?
 More than half of professionals surveyed said it
is unethical for par ties to fail to mention that
their impetus for contacting a government
official or other organization is due to a vested
interest or member ship in another organization
sponsoring the campaign. PRSA specifically
condemns the use of front groups.
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When companies operate in other nations,
should they adhere to the standards of their
home country or adapt to the et hical
standards of the host nations?
 For example, should American companies
pay bribes to journalists in Russia if t hat
is the standard operating practice?
 Regardless of which country you are
operating in, one should always adhere to
the highest ethical and moral ground with
regard to tactics such as bribes. On the
other hand, visiting practitioners should
adhere to accepted cultural mores of a
host country.
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Some celebrities on television talk shows
endorse products, but the viewers don t know
that they are being paid by the manufacturer. Is
this the fault of the news media or the
organization making the product?
 Celebrities should not be endorsing products
unless it is strictly in an advertising medium, or if
they have a direct affiliation with the product.
Since The New York Times broke a big story
regarding an issue with Kathleen Turner, a guest
on ABC s Good Morning America, television
networks responded that they would initiate a
policy that viewers will be told of a celebrity s ties
to cor porations.
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Some argue that there is such a thing as
an ethical advocate. What reasons do
they give?
 Practitioners are expected to be advocates for
products and causes, so the notion of
ethical advocate should be aspired to. Being
objective, as journalists ascribe to, is not in
the best interest of the public relations
professional. Many practitioners (nearly half)
would quit their jobs before compromising
their ethical values.
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It is important for an individual to act
like a professional. What are four
qualities of professionals?
 Steps toward professionalism include:
 (1) a sense of independence;
 (2) a sense of responsibility to society and
the public interest;
 (3) manifest concern for the competence and
honor of the profession as a whole
 (4) a higher loyalty to the standards of the
profession than to their employer
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Why are gifts t o the media considered
unprofessional and, at times, unethical?
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Gifts to media are a conflict of interest and could
jeopardize the relationship.
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Achieving trust is the aim of all practitioners. Gifts, if
given, should be thematic, very inexpensive in nature,
and appropriate to the situation.
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