The Importance of Ethics in Public Relations

Ethics is another topic in public relations that is often overlooked because it is not very exciting. However, the ethics of the person representing a brand can make or break the reputation of that organization. So, while it might not be a pretty part of public relations, it is important. When a public relations professional promotes ethical culture within an organization, they are ultimately creating trust between the organization and its publics. Trust enhances the building and maintaining of mutually beneficial relationships, which as we learned, is the heartbeat of public relations. Being ethical is much more than just “doing what is right.” Ethical dilemmas are complicated because they do not have one clear right or wrong answer. For example, to say lying is morally wrong, therefore unethical, is easy. However, people lie for a range of different reasons and not all lies are immoral. An example is telling someone you are having a great day when really your day could be much better. While it is a lie many of us tell and therefore don’t view as unethical, it is still a lie. So, where do we go from here? One of the best ways for public relations professionals to stay ahead of an ethical dilemma is to engage in discussions about transparency and ethical decision making. Because ethics is the heart of public relations, establishing ethical standards is key to building and maintaining relationships between organizations and their publics. Without trust, organizations lose their customers and without customers, organizations lose their opportunity to build lasting mutually beneficial relationships.