first interviewed Felicia Blow, APR, almost two years ago. She was one of my first 15 interviews for the blog and podcast. This year she is the 2022 National Chair or PRSA, so I thought it made sense to revisit the interview.
She discusses a number of important topics including:
• How to make the ethical choice when your bosses issue conflicting orders
• What to do when your employer lies to you
• New areas of PR ethics concerns
• The best ethics advice she ever received
Jeff Hahn, the owner and principal of Hahn Public, discusses ethics and Breaking Bad News: The Definitive Crisis Communication Guide for Brands.
He also discusses several important ethics issues, including:
1) Why truth is just a negotiated reality
2) How to successfully nudge people into their proper swim lanes
3) Demystifying crisis communication
Kami Huyse, the CEO of Zoetica, a social media agency, who for me was first and best known as @kamichat discusses a number of important ethics issues including:
1) Why you need to respond and not react to unethical behavior
2) What one question should you ask friends facing difficult situations?
3) Why ethical PR people act like ombudsmen
4) What is the best thing PR pros can do in difficult situations?
Jim Hoggan, a bestselling author, president of Hoggan & Associates, and founder of DeSmog discusses a number of key topics including:
1) Don’t confuse doing the right thing with being seen doing the right thing
2) Why even if you are right, you can be in the wrong
3) The ethical dangers of tribalism
4) The heart vs. the mind
Ken Hunter, the President and Chief Strategist at The PowerStation and a part-time lecturer at Rutgers University. He discusses a number of important issues, including
1) What to do ethically when your company is accused of making people sick
2) How to make ethical issues seem less like personal attacks
3) What to do when your boss makes unethical promises
4) Dealing with media bias
Joining me on this week’s episode is Craig Silverman, a reporter at Buzzfeed, who along with two of his colleagues in January wrote one of the most chilling articles I have read in a while, “Disinformation for Hire: How a New Breed of PR Firms is Selling Lies Online”. I wanted to have him as a guest to discuss the article and its implications for communication professionals and society.
Jessica Graham, president of Fionix Consulting discusses what to do when your boss asks you to spread dirt on a competitor, how to ethically handle a public health crisis, what we can learn from the Rotary Club and other ethical issues.
Today starts a new chapter in EthicalVoices. Every Thursday I will share ethical issues of the week. The objective is to highlight key issues for educators to use in their classrooms and professionals to use in their organizations.
This week we look at the corporate ethics gap, disinformation and how cheating is not condoned.
Paul Omodt, the principal of Omodt and Associates and crisis expert discusses a number of key ethics issues, including:
1) Why speed is not always your ally
2) Ethical challenges with the growing “cancel culture”
3) How to seek forgiveness for an ethical lapse
4) How one man gained forgiveness after saying the N word and losing his job
Michelle Egan, the chief communications officer of the Alyeska Pipeline Service Company discusses a number of key ethical issues including:
• Who owns the work you create at a company? And what do you do when a former co-worker asks for it?
• What to do when your company’s equipment causes the death a Middle schooler?
• Fighting the attack on the free flow of information
• How do you balance privacy with transparency?