Taking an ethical stand with your public relations strategy

Communication World, May-June, 2005 by Christine Nyirjesy Bragale

Imagine that you discover some unsavory information about your company as you research a reporter's question. "Don't tell them that," you're told. "It'll make the company look bad." Or, during a strategy session your CEO asks you, "How should we spin that?" Both scenes are played out in corporate offices around the world every day.

Flack, spin doctor--these are just two of the names PR practitioners are called (others I won't mention in polite company). In her book Ethics in Public Relations: A Guide to Best Practice, Patricia Parsons explains why PR pros often get a bad rap and offers a framework that communicators everywhere can use to integrate ethics into their planning and activities.

I frequently refer to the IABC Code of Ethics (accessible on the web at www.iabc.com) and wonder how to explain its meaning to my coworkers. So I confess that when I agreed to review this book, I secretly hoped I would find a template for ethical communication that I could simply cut and paste into my daily work. Instead, I found a thoughtful process through which I can define ethical communication for myself and make that definition resonate within my organization.

Quizzes help measure your "PQ"

Parsons takes a practical approach to ethics. She looks at the issues we all face as communicators, both personally and professionally, and analyzes how our sense of ethics can influence our decisions and actions in the workplace. Finally! Someone recognizes that we all have to juggle our loyalties to our employer, our clients, our profession, those around us and ourselves (see the juggling chart on page 29 of her book).

A PR consultant and a university professor, Parsons breaks down the process step by step. Children, she notes, make "ethical" choices to avoid punishment or meet their own needs. As people mature, they think more about how their actions affect others. Parsons offers several quizzes that measure a person's "PQ," or "professional quotient"--honesty and manners--to help evaluate ethical behavior.

Right off the bat, I've been able to use Parsons' concept of the pillars of ethical public relations:

* Veracity (to tell the truth)

* Non-maleficence (to do no harm)

* Beneficence (to do good)

* Confidentiality (to respect privacy)

* Fairness (to be fair and socially responsible)

She goes one step further to define the pillars of ethical media relations:

* Honesty and accuracy

* Judiciousness

* Responsiveness

* Respect

While the second set may seem obvious to seasoned corporate spokespeople, it's not that easy to sell to senior management, especially when the company has done something wrong. I see these straightforward precepts as the "elevator definition" of ethical public relations--one that I can explain in a few seconds and that my audience will retain and most likely believe (no one has asked me to spin anything in at least a week).

Parsons does not pretend to tell readers what is right, but rather encourages them to examine how they decide what is right. She helps readers understand the kinds of ethical challenges PR practitioners face today and creates a mechanism for ethical decision making within organizations. Her overarching message is that ethical communication is the foundation for credibility and professionalism in our field.

Is ethical public relations an oxymoron? After you read this book, you won't have any doubts that the truthful answer is no.

Christine Nyirjesy Bragale, ABC, is director of media relations at Goodwill Industries International, a network of 207 nonprofit, independent, community-based organizations in 24 countries that provides job training and career programs to welfare recipients, low-wage workers, people with disabilities and other job seekers.