Public Relations Ethics

Donald K. Wright, Dick Martin

Description

This book represents a practical guide to ethical decision-making tailored specifically to the needs of those who practice and study public relations. It traces the development of ethical theory from ancient Greece through the works of Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle to modern day public relations executives including Harold Burson, Robert Dilenschneider, and Richard Edelman.

This book helps readers build personal frameworks for ethical reasoning that will enable them not only to recognize the ethical issues at play in public relations practice but also to analyze the conflicting duties and loyalties in these situations.

This volume fills a gap in the currently available books on the subject, most of which either lack theoretical grounding or practical application. Illustrative cases used in this book span a wide range of public relations functions. To update readers on issues discussed in this book, the authors have started an online conversation. Please join the discussion at Updates.PRethics.com.

Sujets

• Communication médiatique
• Business
• Economics
• Public relations
• Marketing et communication
• justice

Informations

• Publié par: Business Expert Press
• Date de parution: 24 novembre 2015
• Nombre de lectures: 1
• EAN13: 9781631571473
• Langue: English

Extrait

Public Relations Ethics
Public Relations Ethics
How to Practice PR Without Losing Your Soul
Dick Martin and Donald K. Wright
Public Relations Ethics: How to Practice PR Without Losing Your Soul
Copyright Business Expert Press, LLC, 2016.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means-electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any other except for brief quotations, not to exceed 250 words, without the prior permission of the publisher.
First published in 2016 by
Business Expert Press, LLC
222 East 46th Street, New York, NY 10017
www.businessexpertpress.com
ISBN-13: 978-1-63157-146-6 (paperback)
ISBN-13: 978-1-63157-147-3 (e-book)
Business Expert Press Public Relations Collection
Collection ISSN: 2157-345X (print)
Collection ISSN: 2157-3476 (electronic)
Cover and interior design by S4Carlisle Publishing Services
Private Ltd., Chennai, India
First edition: 2016
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Dedication
For my former colleagues at AT T, from whom I learned so much and whose friendship I will always cherish.
-Dick Martin
For hundreds of students I ve had the pleasure of teaching public relations ethics at Boston University and other institutions.
-Don Wright
Abstract
This book represents a practical guide to ethical decision making tailored specifically to the needs of public relations students and practitioners. Coauthored by a corporate public relations officer of deep experience and a widely published public relations ethics scholar, the book thoroughly explores both ethical theories and their practical applications.
With emphasis on the analysis of contemporary cases, the authors guide readers in building personal frameworks for ethical reasoning, enabling them to (1) recognize the ethical issues at play in public relations practice, (2) analyze the conflicting duties and loyalties at play in ethical situations, and (3) justify their decision and/or counsel in terms that others will understand and ultimately accept.
The book fills a gap in the currently available literature on the subject, most of which lacks either theoretical grounding or practical application. Unlike other books that focus on the broad field of ethics in communication or mass communication, this book focuses solely upon public relations ethics. It cites illustrative cases spanning a wide range of public relations functions that involve several of the world s largest public relations agencies as well as a number of their clients.
As the authors consider questions of right and wrong, good and bad, they explore ethical theory from the times of the ancient Greeks through the period of the Enlightenment and into modern-day scholarship, including the emerging field of feminist ethics.
The authors examine the works and writings of Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Immanuel Kant, Jeremey Bentham, and John Stuart Mill along with more contemporary ethics scholars such as Kenneth R. Goodpaster, John Rawls, Lawrence Kohlberg, John B. Matthews, W. D. Ross, Virginia Held, Carol Gilligan, Marilyn Friedman, and Alasdair Macintyre. They review the work of Daniel Kahneman, Amos Tversky, and Jonathan Haidt, among others, as they examine how behavioral psychology affects ethical decision making. They also touch upon those who have made significant contributions to the literature of public relations ethics including Tom Bivens, Shannon A. Bowen, Kathy Fitzpatrick, Dean Kruckeberg, Patricia Parsons, and Brad Rawlins.
Throughout much of the book the authors focus extensively upon the role of the public relations practitioner including exclusive interviews with such prominent leaders as Harold Burson, Robert Dilenschneider, and Richard Edelman. They also extensively review ethical codes of conduct as well as topics such as character, virtue, reason, duty, justice, and ethical decision making.
Although the authors do not advocate a specific ethical approach, they attempt to give readers sufficient grounding in the major theories of normative ethics to identify the strengths and weaknesses of each and to construct their own frameworks, appropriate to their circumstances.
To update readers on cases and issues discussed in this book, and to help all public relations people stay abreast of current ethical questions, the authors have started an online conversation. Please join the discussion at http://Updates.PRethics.com .
Keywords
Ethics, Public Relations, Corporate Communication, Character, Reason, Social/Corporate Responsibility, Ethical Reasoning, Justice, Duty, Virtue, Care, Consequences, Deontological Ethics, Utilitarian Ethics, Teleological Ethics
Contents
Acknowledgments
Chapter 1 Introduction
Chapter 2 Is Public Relations Inherently Unethical?
Chapter 3 Virtue and Character
Chapter 4 Public Relations of Character
Chapter 5 Veracity, Visibility, and Validity
Chapter 6 Respect for Reason
Chapter 7 The Public Interest
Chapter 8 Corporate Responsibility
Chapter 9 Duties and Rights
Chapter 10 Care and Justice
Chapter 11 Ethical Decision Making
Chapter 12 Frameworks for Ethical Reasoning
Chapter 13 Constructing a Personal Framework for Ethical Reasoning
Chapter 14 Conclusion
References
Index
Acknowledgments
Writing a book is a lonely process. Writing a book about public relations ethics has the added complication of inviting cynical snickers. So the authors are especially grateful for the support of their spouses and a few generous friends who assisted in the research. Among the latter, Harold Burson, Robert Dilenschneider, and Richard Edelman deserve special mention for giving us so much of their valuable time. Mike Paul shared his experience counseling senior executives on ethical issues. Reynold Levy kindly agreed to read an early draft of the book and offered a number of insightful and helpful suggestions.
Tara Craig and Sady Sullivan of the New York Public Library kindly made a transcript of Arthur W. Page s reminiscences available to us. Shelly and Barry Spector helped us navigate the stacks in the Museum of Public Relations as we explored the careers and ideas of early practitioners like Edward Bernays and Ivy Lee. George Kupczak opened the doors of the AT T Archives to us so we could plumb the writings of James Drummond Ellsworth and Arthur W. Page. Denise Sevick Bortree, executive director of the Arthur W. Page Center at Penn State University helped us track down speeches given by Arthur Page and Walter Gifford. Paul Lieber generously shared his own research findings on public relations practitioners patterns of ethical decision making and led us to even more recent work. And Don Stacks shepherded our manuscript into publication with singular care and attention. Finally, as this book s bibliography clearly indicates, we benefitted greatly from the prior work of scholars and practitioners across the millennia. Obviously, any errors in interpretation or application are solely ours.
CHAPTER 1
Introduction
The topic of ethics presents both a challenge and an opportunity to public relations practitioners. In a world where far too many consider public relations ethics an oxymoron, those who practice public relations frequently must deal with diverse ethical dilemmas. Yet few practitioners have developed frameworks for making ethical judgments.
Noting that public relations practice offers unique and challenging ethical issues, the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) encourages its members to protect and advance the free flow of accurate and truthful information. Through its Member Code of Ethics, PRSA also encourages informed decision making through open communication and urges public relations people to strengthen public trust in the industry. 1
Ethics involves questions of moral behavior and the difficult choices people face when trying to do the right thing. It concerns moral principles that govern human behavior and the moral correctness of specified conduct. Ethics scholar Richard Johannesen (1983) says ethical situations are multifaceted and usually arise when a moral agent (the one making the ethical decision) commits an act (either verbal or nonverbal) within a specific context with a particular motive directed at an audience . Johannesen stresses that each of these factors need to be taken into account before passing judgment on the outcome of any moral scenario.
Steven R. Van Hook (2011), who has both practiced and taught public relations, points out the public relations department often is the ethical heart of most organizations. Public relations ethics scholar Thomas Bivens (2006) notes people seek accountability and want to know who is responsible for certain actions and who is accountable for the consequences of those actions (p. 19). Van Hook notes that even though many people perceive public relations to be something less than respectable, those responsible for internal and external communications in an organization control the flow of both good and bad news to employees, customers, stockholders, and other strategic stakeholders. He also notes public relations people are part of organizational decision making.
About This Book
This book represents a practical guide to ethical decision making tailored specifically to the needs of public relations students and practitioners. We do not spend much time on the day-to-day ethical issues every white-collar worker faces, whether mundane or serious-from whether it s wrong to bring pens home from the office or to sleep with a client or boss. Rather, we focus on issues arising from public relations role within society, especially the potential to abuse techniques of communication, persuasion, and advocacy.
We trace the development of ethical theory from the ancient Greeks to modern time to give the reader an understanding of the principles that underlie current standards of behavior. But the book s major emphasis is on practical applicati