This first ever Global Alliance Ethics Month – February was the start of a conversation that helped to raise the awareness of ethics in PR and communications around the world. This initiative educated and empowered PR and communications professionals as #EthicsMatter. Our Class of 2020 made their contribution by writing their weekly blog post on the subject – what they understand by it and its importance to Public Relations.
Public Relations (PR) is concerned with building and maintaining trust, credibility and reputation. By its very nature PR is about ‘acting ethically’, by doing the right thing.But what is the ‘right thing’ in this profession?
– Dikshita Kaushik
According to Journal of Public Relations Research, “Public Relations practitioners are one of the most ethical business professionals.” And it’s true. Some Public Relations firm don’t even take companies which are into alcohol, tobacco, firearms and pornography business…
-Kritika Khatwani
Ethics are values that are ingrained in us since childhood or we accept them as our own based on our experiences or environment and finally our ability to stick with them in our routine.
-Nafisa Jalal
The word ethos is derived from the Greek ‘Ethos’ which means what a good person is or does to have a good character. In my opinion, ethics mean to do the right thing. Ethics can be subjective in personal life but in professional life following ethics is important for the sustainability of any organization.
– Saloni Ginnare
Ethics. The word has so much weight and equal importance in a person’s life. Growing up most of us are told by our elders the things considered right and wrong. Some rules, morals and values are instilled within us as children and some we acquire through our experience. While this helps us shape our personal life better, what about professional life?
-Sakshi Jain
The first question that pops in your head is ‘can Public Relations be termed ethical?’ The misconception that journalists, reporters, common mass have towards public relations is that, this particular job means to whitewash the stain that your brand has faced. q
-Alisha Shireen
What does the word ethics means? Ethics is a rule of modern behaviour. It is the rules or standards that help one in understanding the right from wrong. But what role do ethics play in Public Relations?
– Anjana Kallat
Ethics according to me is a value that deals more with principles. They help us decipher the right from wrong while also guiding us through. These values form the core and govern a person’s behavior in determining how they conduct themselves.
-Neha Goyal
Public Relations is all about credibility and building trust amongst people for your client. All of that starts with ethics. Ethics are essentially only a set or morals or principles one follows to create a good working environment but the kind of impact it creates on not only people but yourself as well is, in my opinion, one of the best feelings ever.
-Lakhshita Singh
Ethics are something which cannot be taught to an individual but engrossed in them since their childhood. Ethics in PR according to me is doing anything without crossing the limits of my morals and values. In the profession like communication, it is really difficult to draw a line between ethical and unethical but I think whenever in future I will be put in a spot where I have to choose between ethics and my work then automatically the morals and principles which are engrossed in me will show up.
-Vishnupriya Modi
What does the word “ethics” mean? It is the set of moral principles that govern a person’s behaviour or the conducting of an activity. Public Relation professionals are famously known as “spin doctors” which means that one of the biggest roles of a PR professional is manipulating stuff and getting the work done. But, is it really so?
-Baishali Banerjee
Ethics means a system of moral principles. In a workplace, ethics is implementation of standard moral values and behaviour, which every one of an organization follows.
-Chandrayee Mukherjee
In a very simple words, ethics is nothing but the moral values that tell us what is right and what is wrong, not only for the individual but for the whole society and humankind. I believe nothing stays with you forever except yourself and your ethics.
– Tamanna Singh
Since the dawn of public relations, people debated and even declared public relation fraternity as manipulators or spin doctors, we can discuss it over a cup of coffee because it is debatable but when you read about the case studies and campaigns which predominantly beneficial for not just a bunch of people but a society, city or village you realize it isn’t much but it is honest work.
-Anurag Sharma
Ethics according to me plays the most important role, be it in our professional life or personal. In these two months, I learnt discipline is the key to success. Small things add to up to it, like reaching your workplace on time, wearing presentable clothes. Though it doesn’t really makes me ethical, but clearly shows my personality and my dedication towards the work
-Snigdha parasrampuria
In 1980, Edward L. Bernays, who was perhaps the first public relations theorist, in a meeting at the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication, told public relations educators that, “Public relations is the practice of social responsibility. It holds the key to America’s future”. This statement made a massive impact on the minds of public relations educators. As time went on the some of the agencies crossed the border of ethics.
– Pratham Gala
Ethics can be defined as distinguishing right from wrong and choosing something that is morally correct by carefully analyzing the situation. According to the Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy, “he field of ethics, also called moral philosophy, involves systematizing, defending, and recommending concepts of right and wrong behavior”
-Trupti Dhamija