Can PR ever be Ethical?

Wednesday, 6th February, 2008

This lecture was on PR and ethics and it was very interesting as with some practical exercises and debates things got very exciting.
There were some of the theories that we touched upon that were ethical framework and those were some of Bentham and Kant theories. Bentham said, “The greatest good for the greatest number”. Kant said that notions of duty and moral “to do the right thing”.

Cognitive theory: states that objectives moral truths exist and there is one right decision to make. There are 2 branches of this theory: do you choose the right action or the right outcome?

We were made into groups and given practical dilemmas to do and debate on them. It was very interesting as the situation and arguments heated up. I remember one of the situations that we were given and that was ‘you work for a computer manufacturer, you sent some samples of super thin laptops to selected journalists for temporary loan for review. A journalist asks if she could keep the laptop permanently before the review is published’. What do you do?

In such a situation, I feel it’s ok to give the laptop to the journalist and would also give all the journalists the laptop as I feel it would be more ethical to give to all instead of only one.

There is a formula which we discussed in class and that was:
- To get the facts and define the situation
- Identify your values e.g. fairness, honesty, respect for privacy, etc.
- Select your principles e.g. PR code of conduct; ethical framework; legal duty; corporate vision.
- Choose your loyalties: which of the stakeholders affected will you favour?