Week 5- Ethics

Johnston & Zawawi (2009) state that ethics "refers to the personal values or deeply held belief systems that underpin the behaviour and moral choices made by an individual in response to a specific situation" (p. 111).

There are three basic ethical doctrines:
1. Deontology- ethics is duty-based and relies on moral obligation to tell the truth or keep promises.
2. Teleology- outcome based, where the 'ends justify the means'.
3. Aristotle's Golden Mean- based on what is best for the majority. (Generally the system used in a democracy where the minority sometimes has to sacrifice something of value if it is best for the country as a whole).

Upon reading this chapter (although I obviously was aware of this previously) it became apparent that ethics play a huge role in public relations. When it comes to PR, ethics relate to not only the practitioner themselves, but the organisation for whom the work is being carried out for.

Seib and Fitzpatrick (1995 as cited in Johnston and Zawawi 2009 p.113), explain this in terms of public relations practitioners having five duties in order to be as ethically sound as possible. These include yourself, the client, employer, the profession, and society.

Ethical dilemmas do indeed occur in the field of PR, and mostly on the following levels:
- Interpersonal (occurs between a practitioner and peers or superiors in the workplace).
- Organisational (arises between practitioners and an organisation's internal policies and protocols).
- Stakeholder ( between organisation and publics- such as activists or regulators).

Ethics within the field of public relations are represented in both the culture of the organisation, as well as in codes of conduct. Ethics are of course a personal belief system, however in conclusion it is important that practitioners are committed to embracing ethics as part of day-to-day behaviour and decision making. The chapter concludes:

"When practised properly, public relations encourages social resonsiblity and a greater contribution to society. This gives the profession the opportunity to be a leader in ethical practise, not as a follower".

(p. 132).

- Johnston, J & C Zawawi, Public Relations: Theory and Practise. Crows Nest: Allen & Unwin, 2009. 3rd ed.