Ethical Decision Making in Public Relations

Everyday public relation practitioners face different situations in whitch they have to test their moral resolve, and therefore we can decide their ethics according to the decisions they make.
I would like to highlight the importance of the codes of conduct, because its purpose is to be a useful guide to its members as they carry out their ethical responsibilities. Every public relations practitioner should know exactly what its responsibilities are. These responsibilities may vary, depending on who the practitioner is dealing with.

After reading “Exploring PR” and “Public Relations Ethics”, I have realised the importance of knowing with who the practitioner is dealing, and which responsibility the practitioner has. I want to share with you all a brief review of what I think is the most important to understand.

In the first place, the “duty to self” is mentioned, which means the practitioner has a responsibility with his own ethical code which, in other words, could be explained as each persons moral based on different types of ethics.(Tench and Yeomans, 2006, p.296)

In the second place, there is the “duty to client or organisation”, meaning practitioners should act positively towards their client or organisation. Every practitioner assumes their clients’ image, and therefore, it is certain that they should always try to improve this image, known professionally as reputation. (Tench and Yeomans, 2006, p.296)

In the third place, there is the “duty to profession”, and this responsibility is widely with the whole profession. In this duty is where codes of conduct become very important, because “these encapsulate principles of ethical practice and provide the basic standards for practitioners” (Tench and Yeomans, 2006, p.297). With them, practitioners have a guide to follow under certain circumstances in which they can be involved, without knowing which the right action to take is. It is also very important to have support and to offer it to colleagues when they may need it. (Tench and Yeomans, 2006, p.297)


Finally, there is the “duty to society”, responsibility which deals with what you, as a practitioner, are offering to the society. The society in this frame can be described as the public you are meant to deal with. It is vital to know the target, so that public relations practitioners can serve the information they are required from the society. It is important to add that this can not be possible, because not everyone has the same interests.
In other words, “another way to look at this practical term is to ask if your actions harm anyone and, more positively, whether you are making a valuable contribution that will enable people to live more informed”.( Tench and Yeomans, 2006, p.297)