Ethical Implications of PR’s Growing Influence

 

The Public Relations Society of America has designated September as Ethics Awareness Month, with the theme “Ethics Every Day.” The point is that PR pros must be ethical consistently, not just in September.

It’s an important and timely topic, offering an opportunity to re-evaluate PR’s changing role in the current digital media environment.

PR professionals have more influence than ever due to the growth of earned media channels combined with the corresponding decline of mainstream journalism. With PR departments taking the lead, many corporations have become their own media outlets – creating their own online publications and social media platforms to inform the public, publicize their viewpoints and promote their products.

PR no longer limits its efforts to media relations, seeking placements in newspapers and broadcast news. PR professionals now have the power to publish at will with no independent review and fact checking by journalists. A news release on a corporation’s website can be as likely to appear in the Google News search results as the same release published by a media outlet.

More PR pros, Few Reporters

At the same time, drastic staff reductions have eliminated much of the power of newsrooms. The number of reporters decreased 17 percent from 52,550 in 2003 to 43,630 in 2013, according to Pew Research. PR has moved to fill the void. While journalists were being laid off, the number of PR professionals increased 22 percent from 166,210 to 202,530.

Leaner budgets and fewer reporters and editors mean media outlets are more willing to accept contributed articles from PR with less scrutiny. In addition, media websites are more willing to publish sponsored content that blurs the line between advertising and editorial.

Various observers have pointed out the decline of journalism and the rise of public relations or what’s termed “brand journalism.”

The PRSA’s Board of Ethics & Professional Standards (BEPS) is seeking new ways to apply and interpret its Ethics Code Values and Provisions of Conduct in the changing digital environment. For instance, it issued a new Ethical Standards Advisory (ESA) on “Native Advertising & Sponsored Content” and guide on the use of social media in daily PR practice.

A Proposal for Brand Journalism Ethics

With PR professionals now in a very real sense filling the role of journalists, corporate PR departments and PR agencies may wish to consider ethics principles from the Society of Professional Journalists’ Code of Ethics and the PRSA may wish to incorporate some of those guidelines into its own.

They include:

• Give both sides the opportunity to respond to allegations. Support the open exchange of views, even views found “repugnant.”
• Make certain that headlines and content do not misrepresent. They should not oversimplify or take incidents out of context.
• Avoid misleading re-enactments or staged news events. If a re-enactment is necessary, label it.
• Never distort the content of news photos or videos.
• Avoid stereotyping by race, gender, age, religion, ethnicity, geography, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance or social status.
• Give voice to the voiceless; official and unofficial sources of information can be equally valid.

Most PR professionals in corporations and not-for-profit organizations do follow the basic precepts of journalism. With PR’s new influence, however, comes new responsibility to the public. In fulfilling its new public trust, the PR profession must now assure the accuracy of all information and claims it produces – just as journalists must. With its new authority, PR must abandon the old methods of “spinning” news, exaggerating benefits and obfuscating facts.

Focus on Your Own Actions

Cynics will say, perhaps with reason, that enforcing such values across the board is impossible. After all, PR is not regulated in the U.S. or most other countries. Purging the profession of unethical scoundrels is unfeasible. Anyone can hang out a shingle offering public relations services.

However, the principled professionals must address what they can control. Rather than worrying about others, they can model virtuous behavior. If the corporate public relations staff now has the authority once held by traditional journalists, PR teams must look to adopt all the ethical standards of journalists.

Bottom Line: The PRSA’s designation of September as Ethics Awareness Month offers an opportune time for the PR industry as a whole to reflect on how PR ethics can evolve to meet the new media landscape. As brand journalism gains greater credence with the help of digital media option, PR can consider ethical principles espoused by journalists.

How do you think PR’s ethical responsibilities have changed in the new media environment? Please comment below.