MsInterPReted: Global PR Industry #PRethics Codes

Fletcher Marketing PR Senior Strategist, Mary Beth West commissioned new worldwide public relations ethics code research through her work on the PRCA Global Ethics Council.

The new London-based Institute of Business Ethics (IBE) research was released in the white paper entitled “The State of Ethics Codes in the Public Relations Industry: A Global Analysis” (available for free download). It documents that among 24 PR industry ethics codes in nearly as many nations worldwide, there is little unified consensus about how ethics codes should be employed as “living documents” in the everyday work of industry leaders and practitioners.

Some PR associations heavily promote simply having an ethics code as a crowning achievement.

But are PR associations authentically engaging on the topic of ethics?

As noted in the white paper, “The PR industry arguably is failing to keep up with the maelstrom of present-day issues on the ethics front… reflected, in part, by outdated and insufficient PR member association ethics codes,” says West.

Discussion covers:

  • Disclosing Paid Media
  • AI
  • Disinformation
  • Giving/Receiving Gifts
  • Whistleblower protection
  • Privacy
  • And other industry related ethics codes

This #PRethics Month, PR organizations are urged to take a fresh look at their ethics codes, compare them with best-practices documented in this white paper, and undertake a deep-dive effort to make codes more current, relevant, useful, and prominent.

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Mary Beth West, APR, FPRCA, is a long-time advocate of stronger ethical practices in PR, in balanced service to employers, clients, stakeholders, and also the public good. She can be followed on LinkedIn, at @marybethwest, and at marybethwest.com.