This week in PR ethics it was all about research. There were fascinating studies and reports on ethics training, the role of professional associations in ethics and moral reasoning maintenance, and the challenge of weasel statements.
Mark McClennan, APR, Fellow PRSA
Mark W. McClennan, APR, Fellow PRSA, is the general manager of C+C's Boston office. C+C is a communications agency all about the good and purpose-driven brands. He has more than 20 years of tech and fintech agency experience, served as the 2016 National Chair of PRSA, drove the creation of the PRSA Ethics App and is the host of EthicalVoices.com
Michael Meath, the retiring interim chair of public relations at the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University discusses a number of important issues, including:
1) How to make sure Codes of Ethics are not worthless
2) Why taking the critical 10 helps you make more ethical decisions
3) The ethical challenges that most engage students
4) The little ethics issues that challenge us every day
This week there continued to be a number of interesting social ethics issues top of mind including a fascinating article from HBR asking if we are moving from CSR to CSJ and what implications does that have for business. Brands are moving to eliminate racial stereotypes, and honesty and privacy are top ethics issues of concern to communication professionals in Europe.
Jim Olson, the former global corporate communications lead for Starbucks and US Airways and CCO at African Leadership University, graciously shared his insight and observations on a number of topics including:
1) How did Starbucks find a new, ethical option about how to deal with the presence of guns in their stores?
2) How we can help heal the fracturing of humanity by moving from impact to consequence?
3) The ethical imperative of purpose
Ethical issues continued to be at the forefront this week and the various articles I saw reinforced one point – being ethical is not just about saying the right thing, it is about taking action. This was driven home by Mike Paul, the PRISA, and brands that are doing and not just saying.
John Walker, the founder and managing partner of Chirp PR, discusses a number of important topics, including:
1) Keeping your values when others compromise theirs (a.k.a. How to survive a dot-com boom)
2) How to build trust in a time of uncertainty
3) The ethical pitfalls of “guaranteed” media coverage that isn’t earned
I can’t think of a week packed with more significant, societal and communication ethics issues. Systemic injustice, free speech, racism and more. If my ethics class was in session now, I would throw out the lesson plan and we would just discuss the events of the past week. It is good to see so much constructive discussion, but like others I want to see talk move into action.
In this personal interview, Tami Nealy, the vice president of communications and talent relations for Find Your Influence shares some great advice and insight, including:
1) What do you do when you have an abusive boss and he may have broken the law?
2) The importance of mentors
3) Ethics and influencer relations
4) The growing ethics problem of ghosting
One of the most common areas of ethical failure (in my opinion) revolves around data. The four articles I share this week highlight different elements of this – from cutting corners and misrepresenting data, to data privacy, disclosure and the misrepresentation of old data. Data has the power to shape opinions and actions, and we all need to uphold the highest standards when gathering, using and sharing it.
Today is Memorial Day in the United States. A day where we remember and honor those that have died while serving in the U.S. armed forces.
I plan to continue the tradition I started last year. Rather than have a regular post, I’m asking people to take a moment and reflect and think about what we complain about regularly and how that right to complain was bought by the people that served and came before us. Then spend the time with your loved ones and be thankful. This is more important now than ever.