Public Relations ethics

Abstract

The codes of practice adopted by different PR organizations may vary, but they also have many common features. The codes of the International Public Relations Association (IPRA) share the key principles of individual countries’ codes,¹ and they have been used here as a basis for discussing some specific ethical concerns. What follows is a paraphrase of IPRA’s Code of Venice (called after where it was agreed), with a commentary on the implications of each item in the Code. The Code overlaps in many ways with IPRA’s other, shorter, general code, the Code of Athens.

Public Relations (PR) ethics are a much-discussed subject and are often in the media spotlight. Indeed allegations of unethical practice are one of the reasons that some practitioners have chosen to abandon using the term “Public Relations” to describe what they do. Most national and international PR organizations have produced ethical codes which they require members to uphold, and PR ethics features on most university courses for would-be practitioners. However what is — and is not — considered ethical behavior varies. All PR people are subject to the law, but beyond that what is considered acceptable social or business practice will depend on the prevailing culture. The considerations are not just a matter of morality: there are many perfectly legal things which PR people might do which could make them and the organization they serve very unpopular and lower their standing in the eyes of others. This section looks at some of the common ethical issues and how PR practitioners can approach them.