As public relations practitioners, we are faced with ethical dilemmas every day. The way we respond to a given situation can impact our credibility and livelihood for years to come. PR professionals must please clients or employers while at the same time remaining committed to a high, independent ethical standard. This can be a fine line to walk.

As communicators, the value of our word is essential in garnering trust with clients, colleagues, the news media and the public. This is why the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) shines the spotlight on ethical issues every September during Ethics Month.

Ethical dilemmas can run the gamut. Here are just a few examples of common situations in which a PR professional might find herself or himself:

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• During the course of your work you find out some unflattering information about a competitor organization. The public has a true and legitimate interest in knowing this. You are having lunch with a media contact on an unrelated issue. Do you mention it?

• Fudging the facts: How is information accounted for and reported in your organization and within others? Do you disagree with how you believe your competitor is representing facts, such as number of clients or employees? Is this an ethical issue or simply bad business? Do you tell what you know or simply look the other way and hope that the truth prevails? 

• You are an employee of a large organization in a mid-level PR position. Over time it has become clear your ethical standards are very different from those of your employer. You feel at times as if you are at risk of compromising your independent integrity. How can you “influence up“ within your organization?

• You have two clients that work in similar industries and you have information about one client that would help the other. If you don’t share the information, are you serving as a confidential PR advisor or is this a conflict of interest?

The dilemmas outlined above don’t always have clear cut answers and your response may depend on your perspective. But the more you are aware of potential pitfalls, the better you can safeguard yourself and your employer against an ethical quagmire.

Fortunately for members of PRSA, there is a Member Code of Ethics for guidance. All members of PRSA agree to follow this code which has provisions for free flow of information, competition, disclosure of information, safeguarding confidences, conflicts of interest and enhancing the profession.  The entire Code of Ethics, as well as a wealth of other useful information, is online at: www.prsa.org/aboutUs/ethics. Non-members facing ethical situations will find this equally useful.

There are a number of processes and approaches to ethical decision-making. One guide that PRSA suggests is this clear and simple approach:

1. Define the specific ethical issue and/or conflict.

2. Identify internal and external factors (e.g. legal, political, social, economic) that may influence the decision.

3. Identify key values.

4. Identify the parties who will be affected by the decision and define the public relations professional’s obligation to each.

5. Select ethical principles to guide the decision-making process.

6. Make a decision and justify.

Biz Factsa licensed psychologist based in Nashville, Tenn., with more than 25 years experience as a trainer, speaker, author of “How to Avoid the Ethics Disaster You Never Saw Coming” and consultant on professional ethics and values.

Who: Christopher Bauer,

What: Talks ethics, but in

a fun way

When: 11:45 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.

Sept. 22

Where: Arizona Inn,

2200 E. Elm St.

Cost: $25 for members of PRSA, $35 for non-members (includes lunch)

Reservations: www.prsatucson.com

Contact Sarah T. Evans, director of Community and Neighborhood Relations at the University of Arizona in the Office of Community Relations, at sevans1@email.arizona.edu and (520) 626-3073. Evans is Ethics Chair for the Southern Arizona Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America. PR Corner appears the second week of each month and is written by members of the PRSA chapter.