ADPR 3850 1nd Edition Lecture 6 Outline of Last Lecture I Ethics and Values Defined a Absolutism Existentialism Utilitarianism II Ethics and Professional Organizations Outline of Current Lecture I Continuation of the Ethics Lecture II Importance of PR Departments III Levels of Influence IV Sources of Friction a Friction between Law PR V The Pros and Cons of PR Firms Current Lecture The Continuation of the Ethics Lecture Financial Information codes of ethics There are specific guidelines for how to respond when there are corporate financial scandals These guidelines are designed for the practitioner to exercise independent judgement Must ensure full and fair disclosure keep track of financial laws and regulations Corporate Practice Codes codes of ethics These cover truth and accuracy in communications Confidentiality rules and practices and safeguarding of client propriety information Rules about gift giving Abuse of insider information These notes represent a detailed interpretation of the professor s lecture GradeBuddy is best used as a supplement to your own notes not as a substitute Professionalism How professional practitioners should behave 1 Have a sense of independence be able to do things that aren t always asked of you to do 2 A sense of responsibility to society and public interests 3 A general concern for the competence and honor of the profession as a practitioner you represent the profession 4 A higher loyalty to the profession than to an employer Example if being asked to do something that might not be the best thing it represents PR as a whole Licensing Advocates of this Believe that certain credentials should be issued to practice PR If this happens it will define public relations It will provide guidelines for the curriculum It will be unified Unify standards that ever practitioner should meet It will protect clients It ll protect practitioners It will ultimately raise the credibility of a PR practitioner Opponents of this Violates the 1st amendment and freedom of speech Malpractice laws do exist States would end up doing the license and PR is a national international field Ensures only the minimum competence ethics Increased credibility is not ensured And it s expensive to get a license Accreditation Voluntary process of certification by professional organizations Do this by presenting a portfolio of your work demonstrate knowledge though exam PRSA and IABC offer accreditation Some organizations starting to require continuing education as part of process Ethical Concerns when dealing with media Are paid expenses a gift Or is it a lottery system What about the promise or implied promise that an organization will buy ad space in a publication if a story is published Ethics versus Law Ethics Stringent standards for behavior Purpose is to transform society into ideal They re prescriptive and are based on oughts Not always enforced Law Minimum standards for behavior Purpose is to maintain a stable society be resolving disputes protecting property and preserving government These are always enforceable Prohibitory or mandatory based on musts Defamation False statements about a person or organization that have negative impacts on public perceptions The following are required for defamation A false statement was communicated to others through print broadcast or electronic means The person was identified or identifiable There must be injury in terms of financial loss reputation damage and mental suffering The person making the statement was malicious or negligent Those who run for office CEOS and major entertainers are examples of public figures Corporations are also public figures Public figures lose a huge amount of their protection from slander Copyright Infringement Unauthorized use of works protected by copyright One cannot copyright an idea but can copyright the expression of that idea Fair use exceptions Quoting small amounts of text from copyrighted work This works in the academic sphere because a lot of money can be saved doing it this way example our course packets from Bel Jean Quoting information in a news story Parody and artwork Educational purposes and not profit purposes are fair ground for copyright material Regulating PR and Communications Federal Trade Commission The FTC monitors advertisements news releases social media posts etc to ensure that advertisements are not deceptive Example Cereal boxes and how they promote to make children more attentive at school Securities and Exchange Commission Monitors financial affairs of publicly traded companies Focuses on insider trading ensuring that no misleading financial information is released and makes sure that information is disclosed in a timely manner Often most relevant for those in Investor Relations Federal Communications Commission They insure that public airways are used for public interest Concerns about source attribution for VNR s They push for the source disclaimers and to make sure that there is a disclaimer that it is an advertisement for these releases Increasingly involved in regulating the Internet including issues of new neutrality Food and Drug Administration Has guidelines for communication on health topics like providing the benefit AND risk information for drug information Also enforced the disclosure of limitations of treatment For example pregnant woman can t have It also requires the provision of full prescription information Other legal issues Employers must be aware of discriminatory hiring policies Should employers be monitoring employee communications PR practitioners are being asked to understand the role of the legal team and to work with that group to avoid and combat litigation NEW CHAPTER The Importance of PR Departments THE IMPORTANCE OF PR DEPARTMENTS PR pros are seen as strategic communication managers that bring upside to an organization PR offers 184 ROI International Association of Business Communicators Many CEOs want communication that is strategic research based and two way PR pros contributions can be constrained Large firms are more likely to include PR in decisionmaking while small firms are more likely to view PR as fulfilling only a technician role Public Relations Departments Ultimately management perceptions determine the role of public relations Do top level management view PR as serving a journalist or technician function Do top level management view PR as merely supporting marketing This difference is between a decision making function and a tactical or