The Link Between Public Relations and Ethics
Ethics in public relations play a big role. If you want your company to have an excellent reputation in the niche, you have to take ethics into consideration. People working in marketing, public relations, journalism, and media have their own codes of conduct or simply ethical guidelines.
Pop Culture and Public Relations: What Do They Have in Common?
If you want to have a perfect example of public relations image in modern pop culture, just see the series “Sex in the City”. All PR pros spend all day long shopping, gossiping, drinking cocktails in the posh bars, and seducing rich clients. Well, the reality is far from such an image, isn’t it?
There is another movie called “Flack” which shows a pop-style PR life. It is all about bad habits, hanging out with clients, and enjoying a luxurious life. The picture is funny, but way not realistic.
Indeed, it is not easy to have a clear idea about the PR profession if you do not work in this sphere. Average people just see the way it is portrayed in the cinema, which creates a lot of misconception. Many people think that PR is all about saving the reputation of a brand at all costs. In reality, it is a serious profession that builds the reputation and people’s awareness of the brand.
The Problem of Reputation
It is a fact that there is a problem with PR’s reputation. Very often, when PR makes certain headlines it leads to digression, while positive stories are relegated to the media. There is even research that states that negative connotations of PR are seen in many stories written by journalists.
All workers of the PR sector have to follow the ethics guardians of the companies. Such specialists face challenging choices related to ethics. Unfortunately, the media forgets to mention it. We have to improve the public voice of PR, as ethics mean a lot to us.
The Definition of Public Relations Ethics
To help you understand this issue, ethics in public relations are certain moral principles, which are used to guide the PR team and make its work meaningful. People working in this sphere care a lot about corporate beliefs and values. You can’t achieve good results if you neglect them.
We recommend you to read the book by Parsons “Ethics in Public Relations”, where the author gives detailed explanations about public relations ethics. She defines it as the mix of professional knowledge, deep understanding, and clear reasoning to the principal questions of what is right and wrong. The writer gives her opinion on how the professional practice of PR should function and rely on. She mentions the key pillars for an easier way to make ethical decisions:
- Speak the truth.
- Don’t do anything harmful to others.
- Do positive actions.
- Respect private life.
- Remain honest and responsible.
All the mentioned principles are equally valuable. Every PR pro has to determine the key priorities and follow them all the time.
The Importance of Ethics in PR
There are thousands of professions, where some people are experts and others are bad players. If you are unlucky to deal with a non-competent specialist, they should denounce an entire public relations work. The PR sphere is nothing without ethical behavior. Such specialists work with people, so they do their best to build trust and respect.
It is not easy to achieve, but the top-rated PR experts have an unstained reputation. Do not pay attention to what other people think about your profession. Keep on cultivating trust, authenticity, and credibility to build professional relationships with clients and journalists.
You have the power to impact public opinion. It is a great power, which requires big responsibility. Stay away from spreading fakes, misinformation, and propaganda. The truth is the only power in this world.
