September brings about the start of school, changing leaves, football and Ethics Month. An important part of our mission at PRSA is to inform and educate the public relations profession about ongoing issues and concerns regarding ethics. We look forward to this time of year and our ability to provide public relations professionals with a variety of events that highlight our Code of Ethics.
Again this year, PRSA will present a series of blog posts throughout the month addressing various topics on ethics to include: the ethical struggles facing new professionals; variances in ethical guidelines between the United States and other parts of the world; public relations professionals acting as the conscience of the organization; civility in communications; and internship ethics.
Additionally, PRSA will host two Tweet Chats in which participants will discuss the differences in ethical behavior between countries and what challenges young professionals face as they navigate the workplace. The first Tweet Chat will be held September 11, 2012 at 3:00pm EDT and hosted by PRSA Chair and CEO, Gerry Corbett (@gerardcorbett) and Chair of the Board of Ethics and Professional Standards (BEPS), Deborah Silverman (@silvermandeb). The second Tweet Chat will be held September 25, 2012 at 3:00pm EDT and hosted by Silverman and New Professionals Section Chair, Leah Moon. The hashtag for both Tweet Chats will be #PRethics.
At the end of the month, members of BEPS will present a webinar – free to members – on ethical solutions to questionable public relations practices. The training will address recent examples of unethical behavior in the profession, highlighted in the news. The webinar will take place September 26, 2012 at 3:00pm EDT and registration is required. To register for the webinar please click here. If you are looking for ethics resources, the PRSA website also provides a variety of resources for public relations professionals. In addition to the Code of Ethics, there are Professional Standards Advisories, Educator Case Studies and Discussion Guides, an ethics quiz and a list of codes of ethics for a variety of related industries.
Additionally, visit the ethics month webpage for a list of activities as well as transcripts from the Tweet Chats.
Stephanie Cegielski is Associate Director, Public Relations at the Public Relations Society of America
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