After learning about the classical ethical theories, it seems to me that the public perception of the ethics practiced by public relations professionals differs greatly from the ethics actually practiced by us. The public’s ethical perception of us matters just as much as our own ethical perception of ourselves. In some cases, the public perception may matter more. A public relations practitioner relies heavily on the reactions of the public and the support of the public when it comes to a client. To be perceived as shifty, dishonest, or untrustworthy is inherently damaging to a practitioner’s reputation.
To the public, PR practitioners are shady people. The public perception of PR pros can be seen as consequentialist: we don’t care about the method as long as the result helps our client. Any publicity is good publicity, right? They believe that we will do anything to achieve our goals, and this public impression is hard to shake. Some PR firms do leave this impression, though. One example would be in entertainment PR, where a publicist will do almost anything to get press for his client. I’m sure that consequentialist ethics do exist in public relations, and since ethics depend so much on the individual and the situation, I’m sure that many PR practitioners are guilty of using consequentialist ethics.
To me, however, this ethical theory is lacking in quite a few ways. The main focus of PR is the client, yes, but it’s also the public. What we convey to the public is proportional to the attitude and feelings that are sent back to us, and so as PR practitioners, we can’t just only do what is best for the client. There are many levels to consider when making a decision, and it stands to reason that consequentialism is not a viable ethical theory in public relations or advertising. Consequentialism requires a degree of ruthlessness, and a ruthless quality is not beneficial to those who practice public relations.
Virtue ethics have more of a home in public relations. There are going to be quite a few opportunities to make ethical decisions, and it seems that a strong moral fiber is a requirement for working in the public relations field. The world, unfortunately, is not black or white, and ethical decisions have many factors that can come into play. Though all PR pros live by the PRSA Code of Ethics, and therefore use deontological ethics, there are times when a more personal moral choice needs to be made. A good PR practitioner should listen to his or her heart, brain and gut before making a choice, and strong morals allow for more thoughtful decision making.
Though these ethical theories were developed years ago, they are still used today. Some, like consequentialism, are falling out of vogue in today’s ethical world, but as long as people keep making decisions these factors will come into play. One can only hope that any decision made is thoughtful and well reasoned.
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