85. What ethics in PR mean to me?

Ethics. The word has so much weight and equal importance in a person’s life. Growing up most of us are told by our elders the things considered right and wrong. Some rules, morals and values are instilled within us as children and some we acquire through our experience. While this helps us shape our personal life better, what about the professional life?


When it comes to ethics in work, the rules and regulations might differ based on the profession. What is an ethical decision for a doctor might not be the same for a lawyer. Public Relations is a different ball game altogether. In a profession of communication, it sometimes becomes very hard to decide when and where to draw a line.

The dilemma of right and wrong is a constant in this profession. The problem is not choosing the wrong side, but rather how to decide which is the wrong side. While the decision may look simple, sometimes it really is not.

Honesty is one of the most important aspects when it comes to ethical behaviour. While it is the ideal, universally agreed upon behaviour, it is not that easy to abide by it. PR is a reputation management professional. PR persons constantly communicate on behalf of their client to make their voice distinct and favourable in front of the stakeholders. Now, the question is how much honesty is too much? And who decides that? What our client wants to communicate may not work sometimes and what we want them to say can be questioned. Here, the most important thing to understand is that when it comes to honesty in PR, we ought to be honest to our client first. All other aspects are secondary.

Confidentiality is another prominent aspect of ethics in PR. As communication professionals, we have access to even the most sensitive information about our client. Information of any kind should not be disclosed without the client’s knowledge. In case of any disagreement with the client, the situation should be dealt with professionally and within the code of ethics as to not harm the client or the PR professional's interest.

We are the biggest advocates of our client. What we say can have a direct impact on the client’s reputation. To do justice to our profession, we must promise complete loyalty to our client. It is important to be mindful of our words and actions, especially in front of the media to protect the client and their reputation.

Ethics can have different definitions for different individuals. But, the core idea behind the rules should be the same. A PR professional must define their behaviour keeping loyalty towards the profession, the client and their own selves as the base.

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