Editor’s Note: To commemorate PRSA Ethics Month, PRSAY is running a month-long series of posts on important issues facing the public relations profession. This is the first post in the series. An archive of ethics-related posts can be found here.

Can behavior in social media be policed? Who’s in charge if you can? Can there be an ethics code in such a wild and woolly atmosphere? Are there any ethical expectations in social media beyond those already described in the PRSA Code of Ethics, Professional Standards Advisory PS-8,”Deceptive Online Practices and Misrepresentation of Organizations and Visuals.”

Continue reading " Social media and ethics, who’s in charge? "

Editor’s Note: To commemorate PRSA Ethics Month, PRSAY is running a month-long series of posts on important issues facing the public relations profession. This is the first post in the series. An archive of ethics-related posts can be found here.

An interesting situation bubbled up in the Wall Street Journal over the summer regarding an intern and her fabrication of content for an article she was assigned to write.

In a nutshell, she made a lot of stuff up…she got caught…she got fired.

Case closed?

As a public relations professional now teaching the next generation(s) of practitioners, my response is, “No and no.”

Continue reading " Ethics and Internships…Where Does the Responsibility Lie? "

PRSA held its first Ethics Month 2012 Tweet Chat last week. Led by PRSA Chair Gerry Corbett and Board of Ethics and Professional Standards Chair Deb Silverman, Tweeps discussed #PRethics. The discussion began with varying ethical codes around the world then, very organically, shifted to discussions on social media ethics and ethical coursework at the collegiate level.

A full transcript of the chat appears below or can be viewed here on Storify. The next #PRethics Tweet Chat is scheduled for 3 p.m. EDT Tuesday, Sept. 25.

Continue reading " Ethics Month: International Ethics Tweet Chat "

Editor’s Note: To commemorate PRSA Ethics Month, PRSAY is running a month-long series of posts on important issues facing the public relations profession. This is the first post in the series. An archive of ethics-related posts can be found here.

In this presidential election year, I’ve been thinking a lot about ethical leadership, not only among our elected leaders, but also among leaders in the public relations field. They have the power to inspire and motivate the new professionals who work for them, encouraging them to make ethical decisions on behalf of their clients.

Continue reading " Ethical Leadership in Public Relations "

Editor’s Note: To commemorate PRSA Ethics Month, PRSAY is running a month-long series of posts on important issues facing the public relations profession. This is the first post in the series. An archive of ethics-related posts can be found here.

At PRSA we take ethics seriously and hold our members to a high standard. Our Code of Ethics details acceptable behaviors for public relations professionals. Ethics is about more than adhering to words on a piece of paper, it is about acting in good conscience and advising others to do the same. The message that results from such actions is not always the most positive or favorable but it is inherently right and forever respected.

Continue reading " Ethics and the Catbird Seat "