Navigating The Ethical Minefield

During the first day of my placement, the Director of the consultancy provided me with a copy of the organisation's Internet/Email Policy, Non-disclosure Agreement and Emergency contact forms. Though they served different purposes, there was a prevalent theme throughout these three documents, clarifying the organisation’s ethical codes.

According to Hunt and Tirpok, “Ethics codes represent a set of standards and guidelines for members of the association or organization to work by and also serve the function of demonstrating responsibility to an often skeptical public”.[1]

Currently there is no universally accepted code of ethics for global or Australian public relations industries. This has led to national public relations organisations – such as the Public Relations Institute of Australia (PRIA) and Public Relations Society of America (PRSC) – to develop their own Public Relations Code of Ethics. These codes are used to guide the organisation’s members and national industry professionals’ behaviours, as well as to promote self-regulation within the industry.

As these various codes are currently not legally recognised or regulated, they must rely on – and encourage - individuals in the industry to self-regulate. Self-regulation is currently the primary governor in the public relations industry. Wright states “with or without professional codes of conduct most who practice public relations will choose to be ethical”, due to self-regulation.[2]  And though this may be true, the lack of clear guidelines and consequences means that what is seen as ethical practice may significantly differ from person to person, organisation to organisation and country to country.

This can be detrimental for consultants or public relations practitioners working in different organisations, as what can be seen as acceptable in one organisation may not be acceptable in another.To avoid such risk, public relations practitioners can ask their organisations for their codes of conduct and ethical guidelines. If none are in place, public relations organisations and professionals can adopt or take guidance from national public relations agency guidelines and establish their own code of ethics to establish a clear code of personal ethics. This will also help public relations practitioners identify organisations which may not reflect these values, and allow the professional to make an objective decision when deciding whether it may or may not be appropriate to work with an organisation.

In Australia, the Public Relations Institute of Australia (PRIA) Code ofEthics is a prime example of an ethics code developed and adopted by PR agencies and public relations professionals across the nation alike. Themes throughout the code include honesty, transparency, professionalism and confidentiality. These values help establish best practice within the industry and therefore should be reflected and valued by any public relations professional working within the industry.

By signing these documents, I was agreeing to adhere to the organisation’s ethical beliefs and values, an element of the organisation essential to the Director. As all employees play a crucial role in representing the organisation, it is essential they all share and reflect through their behaviours the core values and beliefs of the organisation. By signing an organisation’s code of ethics, not only are employees made aware of the nature and values of the organisation stands for, but their responsibility to uphold these values, beliefs and behaviours as part of the team. As well as providing employees with an understanding of the organisation and their role within it, they can also provide ethical direction if a questionable situation was ever to arise, providing consistency in decision-making and ensuring the organisation’s working reputation is protected in even the toughest times.

[1] Hunt, T., & Tirpok, A. 1993. Universal ethics code: An idea whose time has come. Public Relations Review 19 (1): 1-11.

[2] Wright, Donald K. 1993. Enforcement Dilemma: Voluntary Nature of Public Relations Codes. Public Relations Review 19 (1): 13-20.

Eva Niedzwiedz
16062423