Public Relations Ethics

Abstract

Ethics in public relations tend to have a bit of a mystique about them. Public relations’ role involves more proactive efforts such as promoting the organization’s core values and sharing examples of employees engaging in ethical behavior. One of the primary resources guiding public relations practices is the Public Relations Society of America’s code of ethics, which was revised in 2000. As public relations executives gain more experience they will often reference those experiences when providing ethics counsel or engage in internal politics by recruiting allies and forming coalitions with other influential senior executives. Ethics in public relations involves environmental scanning and boundary spanning responsibilities. Some of the competencies required in order to provide ethics counsel include familiarity with industry codes of ethics, business and industry literacy, relationship building, and negotiation skills. Public relations professionals interested in careers in management may want to pursue an MBA or other master’s degrees in order to address any gaps in their education.