Synopses & Reviews
Ethical questions and dilemmas are inherent to public relations, and ensuring that practitioners operate ethically is fundamental to the professionalism and credibility of the field. This updated edition of
Ethics in Public Relations gives readers the tools and knowledge to enable them to make defensible decisions and outlines the important ethical concerns in public relations and corporate communications.
Written in a practical and approachable style, this book provides clear insights into the personal and professional issues that affect public relations practitioners, such as truth and trust, relationships with journalists and outside conflicts. It examines how an individual's sense of morality has an impact on decision-making and ethical business behavior. This new edition includes new material on virtue ethics, personal ethics, ethics in social media, ghost writing and deception in PR, and moral responsibilities of organizations.
Review
"[S]hould be a required textbook for any student or practitioner of public relations.... Highly recommended." -- Choice
Synopsis
Ethical practice in any professional discipline is guided by age-old philosophical perspectives, but its modern parameters are continually evolving. Ongoing developments in technology, social media and social contexts mean that public relations and its practices in particular are constantly changing, and so are the ethical questions faced by practitioners in the field.
Ethical questions and dilemmas are inherent to public relations, and ensuring that practitioners operate ethically is fundamental to both the professionalism and credibility of the field. Engaging and accessible, Ethics in Public Relations offers a lively exploration of the key ethical concerns present in the public relations world today by way of practical tips and guidance to support those in PR and corporate communications. It covers topics including the roles which lies, truth and honesty play; utilitarianism; practising respect and morality; authorship; conflicts of interest; PR and the corporate ethics programme; moonlighting; the impact of whistleblowing and more.
Written by a leading academic in the field, this fully updated third edition of Ethics in Public Relations includes an entirely new chapter on the uses of ethics in social media, covering topical issues such as blogger engagement and the relationship between employee social media activity and organizational reputation.
About the Author
Patricia J. Parsons is Associate Professor and past chair of the Department of Public Relations at Mount Saint Vincent University in Halifax, Nova Scotia. She also provides consulting services in healthcare communication and PR though her consulting firm Biomedical Communications Inc.
Table of Contents
PART 1 WHAT LIES BENEATH
1. Before we begin: new profession
or one of the oldest?
Public relations ethics: oxymoron?
A tarnished history
Defining our terms
A profession or professionalism?
Aspiring to professionalism
Measuring your professionalism quotient
2. Untangling the web: the truth and other strangers
An epidemic of lying
The truth in public relations
Can you predict honesty?
One principle among several
3.
Truth, trust and the virtue of being good
Truth and trust
The limits of organizational responsibility
To whom are you loyal?
The virtue of being good
4.
Whose rights are right?
Rights and responsibilities
When my right conflicts with yours
Conflicting rights in public relations
5.
The trouble with rules
Rules rule our lives
Those darn deontologists
The real trouble with rules
Situations alter cases
Moral relativism and situations
The problem with situations
6.
Robin Hood ethics
What the heck is utilitarianism?
Motives be damned
Problems with Robin Hood
PART 2 ETHICS AND THE PRACTITIONER
7.
Your staircase to respect
R-E-S-P-E-C-T
Still the moral child
The moral child grows up
An ethical litmus test?
More than good manners: ethics and etiquette
Morality and your level of competence
The virtue of humility
8.
The good, the bad and the (almost) ugly: ethics codes
Codes as contracts
Minimum standards or ideals?
Who needs codes, anyway?
A global code?
Relying on a personal code
Using personal values
Developing your own code