By now you have probably noticed that the word ‘ethics’ appears frequently in the reading of this book. As public relations evolve from an image-building function to a reputation and relationship management role in organizations, ethics becomes increasingly central to the philosophy and the practice of public relations.
Attention to ethics is essential to public relations’ evolution from technical process to managerial function. Most public relations people are good people, but good intent is not enough to guarantee ethical outcomes. Ethics is not necessarily natural or instinctual, and if you leave it to change you put yourself and your organization at risk of unconscious incompetence. Make ethics a proactive, deliberate, planned, and sustained component of your everyday public relations activity. Ethics does not mean the same thing to everybody: ethics has some broad components, such as the laws under which we must operate, but it is also very personal. To respect others’ values, create an open system whereby publics and audiences can have a say as to what they believe is ethical. There are not necessarily any single right answers to ethical questions. Different ethical systems give different assessments of the ethics of an action. Aim to bring ethical considerations to the surface, assess and weigh your activities in terms of character virtue, relevant rules, and outcomes, and be able to demonstrate to others that your actions were undertaken in a considered, responsible, inclusive, and accountable way, with reference to credible guidelines.
No comments:
Post a Comment