Ethics in public relationships

Public Relations

 Public relations is the practice of managing the spread of information between an individual
or an organization (such as a business, government agency, or a nonprofit organization) and
the public.
 Public relations may include an organization or individual gaining exposure to their
audiences using topics of public interest and news items that do not require direct payment.
This differentiates it from advertising as a form of marketing communications.
 The aim of public relations is to inform the public, prospective customers, investors, partners,
employees and other stakeholders and ultimately persuade them to maintain a certain view
about the organization, its leadership, products, or political decisions.
 It includes designing communications campaigns, writing news releases and other content
for news, working with the press, arranging interviews for company spokespeople, website
and social media content etc.
 Public Relations has now become a vital function affecting management decisions and
influencing public opinion in every public or private organisation. Today, it is indispensable
for any organisation. The reasons for it being so are as follows:

1. Advance in telecommunication and transport.

2. Opening up of traditionally closed societies and increasing globalisation.
3. Recognition of right of expression and freedom of information.
4. Governments employing Public Relation practice for staying in power, for development task,
etc.
5. Growth in business, amalgamations, collaborations, operating with subsidiaries, spreading
across national boundaries and in different cultures.

Ethics in Public Relations

 Public Relations recognize a long-term responsibility and seek to persuade and to achieve
mutual understanding by securing the willing acceptance of attitudes and ideas. It can
succeed only when the basic policy is ethical, and the means used as truthful. In Public
Relations, the ends can never justify the use of false, harmful or questionable means.
 However, it is a difficult task to describe what is ethical and what is unethical. It would be
simpler to state it as a matter of choosing between the right and wrong options in keeping
with conscience. Anything that causes dissonance in the mind brings about a feeling of guilt
and dishonesty. And dishonest communication cannot be an aid to cementing relationships.
Public are also not to be underestimated as fools. As Abraham Lincoln said, ‘you can fool
some people all the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you cannot fool all the
people all of the time.’
 There are a number of acts that could be classified as unethical, ranging from suppressing of
news to misleading the audience. Unethical act in public relations may include:

1. Suppressing unfavourable news

2. Misrepresenting facts
3. Postponing to serve a cause but actually serving some other interest
4. Promising results that cannot be obtained
5. Use of undesirable method towards pressurising editors for carrying publicity material

 With increasing education, the consumers and public have became aware of their rights and
a public Relations person may have to deal with pressure groups like trade unions,
consumer protection groups, environment protection activities, etc. Therefore, it is imperative
for a public Relations practitioner to be serf regulating, ethical as also be careful about the
legal aspects of communication.