The Ethics challenge for communicators - is ethical public relations, or communications, an oxymoron?
IABC Wellington Board member, Janice Rodenburg reflects on the chapter’s July workshop on ethics.
So - is ethical public relations, or communications, an oxymoron? There are plenty of people who would say “yes” – for example, in the United States, CBS News Legal Analyst Andrew Cohen has sparked a controversy by saying “the reason companies or governments hire oodles of PR people is because PR people are trained to be slickly untruthful or half-truthful.” See more of his comments at CBS News.
The IABC would say “no – our organisation has a code of ethics, and members are expected to know what it says and abide by it”.
Many organisations also have their own Codes of Conduct.
But how often do we actively think about ethics, as we plan and deliver our work? Dr Elspeth Tilley, Lecturer in Communication at Massey University, challenged us at the recent IABC workshop in Wellington to make planning for ethics part of our every day activity.
IABC Wellington’s view is that we have to not only behave ethically, but be seen to do so, if we are to maintain a good reputation for ourselves, the organisations we work for, and our profession.
A question that’s often raised is whether it’s the role of communicators to act as the “conscience” of an organisation. An IABC research foundation study in 2007 found that many communicators think that responsibility should rest with senior executives.
While you could in some cases argue that communicators may not be involved early enough in the development of policy and plans to have an influence, it’s taking the easy option to say that communicators are just the messengers. Giving quality advice and adding value for your employer means being open and honest about both the positives and the negatives – whether they like it or not. This applies not just to crafting messages for a brochure or a media release, but giving advice on how they may be received. It also applies to engaging ethically with stakeholders. We can play a role in helping an organisation understand whether it’s being honest and respectful, or just paying lip service to consultation or customer feedback.
The new President of the IABC, Barbara Gibson ABC, takes the view that to simply follow orders for a short term “win” while abdicating responsibility for ensuring openness and honesty, puts not only ourselves and our organisations, but our professional colleagues, at risk.
The Ethics Pyramid developed by Elspeth Tilley is a useful tool for structuring ethical considerations into everyday activity. Setting it alongside the Code of Conduct that governs the organisation you’re working for gives you a way to introduce ethics into your communications planning. IABC Wellington recommends you look at how this could work for you.
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- IABC Wellington member David Reade has also written on the event - click here