This week in PR Ethics the issues ran the gamut from AI and government overreach, to how much should brands cooperate with the government and should we believe what we read:
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
Now that college is back in session, it is time for me to restart This Week in PR Ethics, a look at the most interesting, important and quirky communication ethics stories of the week. Since I haven’t done one in a while, I get to be elastic when using the term “week” this week.
This week Ant Cousins, the Executive Director of AI Strategy at Cision, discusses a number of important issues, including:
• Cision’s AI ethics policy
• The ethics implications of the use of AI in public relations
• How much human agency do we require in public relations?
• The most concerning AI ethics issues
• Where should PR pros start when they want to learn more about AI?
Jennifer Gonzalez, the senior vice president of multicultural strategy at C+C (and my colleague) discusses a number of important ethics issues, including:
1) What to do when you know your prospect’s multicultural program does not align with the community’s needs
2) Ethical issues in partnering with community-based organizations
3) Why sometimes being equitable requires you to say no
KayAnn Schoeneman, President of Curley Company discusses:
1) How to determine if a client is right for you
2) Ethical issues in opposition research
3) AI ethics challenges
Bradley Akubuiro, a partner at Bully Pulpit Interactive, discusses a number of important ethics issues including:
1) How to deal with an ethical quandary: Career advancement or decency?
2) How to effectively serve as the conscience of an organization
3) How to deal with issues in a hyper-politicized environment
Zainab Chaudary, Senior Vice President at New Heights Communications discusses several key ethics issues, including:
1) Lost opportunities: lessons learned from the Muslim Ban Supreme Court case
2) Navigating the tension: ethically balancing client desires and media success
3) Why you need to go beyond mission, vision and values
4) How to break down the silos in advocacy communication
Earlier this week, I had the pleasure of attending a Symposium at Boston University about “Taking on Climate Lies – Climate Disinformation Initiative.”
I was fascinated by the studies and believe they provide some insights that will be of use to any communication professional dealing with climate change or clean energy. The studies showed how social media and news media are spreading climate misinformation.
Erica Salmon Byrne, CEO of Ethisphere discusses:
1) How does a company become one of the World’s Most Ethical Companies?
2) What are the top ethics issues facing companies?
3) How can businesses create a more ethical environment?
4) What questions should businesses ask about ethics and AI?
5) Proof that being ethical is good business
Roger Bolton, the president of Page, discusses a number of important ethics issues, including:
1) What to do when a reporter is writing a story that you know will quickly become inaccurate
2) Why we need to confront the uncomfortable truths
3) The ethical use of technology and AI
4) Understanding the Page Principles