Government - EthicalVoices

Fighting Mosquitoes and Misinformation: Ethics in the Public Health Trenches

By Mark McClennan, APR, Fellow PRSA • July 7, 2025 • 0 Comments

This week on Ethical Voices, Tammy Gordon, the (past) public information department manager for the Coachella Valley Mosquito and Vector Control District. [Editors note: I sat on this interview for way too long and she is now Director of Public Affairs at the Citrus Heights Water District], discusses a number of important ethical issues, including:

1) How to navigate ethical conflict when your job challenges your personal values

2) How to intervene when colleagues prioritize quick fixes over responsible practices

3) How to address unethical behavior without triggering defensiveness

The Importance of Really Small Things – Capt. Barbara Bell, USN (ret)

By Mark McClennan, APR, Fellow PRSA • May 28, 2024 • 0 Comments

Captain Barbara Bell, U.S. Navy (ret). Captain Bell was one of Annapolis’s first female graduates and has a distinguished career as an aviator and naval flight test officer. Today, she teaches at the US Naval Academy and may discuss ethics even more than I do.

In this interview she discusses a number of important ethics issues, including:

1) The importance of the really small things

2) The ethics framework being taught to future Navy officers – and how everyone can apply it

3) How to understand and avoid biases

4) Never forget you are a role model

One key PR ethics lesson from the Pulse nightclub shooting – Ann Marie Varga

By Mark McClennan, APR, Fellow PRSA • February 26, 2024 • 0 Comments

Ann Marie Varga, the internal communication manager for AdventHealth discusses a number of important ethics issues including:

1) One key PR ethics lesson from the Pulse nightclub shooting

2) How to protect your (and your team’s) mental health in crisis situations

3) Ethical issues in internal communications

PR Ethics: From Client Selection to AI Challenges – KayAnn Schoeneman

By Mark McClennan, APR, Fellow PRSA • July 24, 2023 • 0 Comments

KayAnn Schoeneman, President of Curley Company discusses:

1) How to determine if a client is right for you

2) Ethical issues in opposition research

3) AI ethics challenges

Preserving Authenticity: The Nuances of Ethical Storytelling in Advocacy Communications – Zainab Chaudary

By Mark McClennan, APR, Fellow PRSA • June 12, 2023 • 0 Comments

Zainab Chaudary, Senior Vice President at New Heights Communications discusses several key ethics issues, including:

1) Lost opportunities: lessons learned from the Muslim Ban Supreme Court case

2) Navigating the tension: ethically balancing client desires and media success

3) Why you need to go beyond mission, vision and values

4) How to break down the silos in advocacy communication

Landmines and Fine Lines: Ethical Issues in Public Affairs – Kelly Davis

By Mark McClennan, APR, Fellow PRSA • November 30, 2020 • 2 Comments

Kelly Davis, the Public Relations Sequence Head at the University of South Carolina, discusses a number of important issues, including:

1) How to avoid landmines and understand the fine lines in public affairs and lobbying

2) How can nonprofits ethically get their message out when faced with well-funded opponents?

3) Ethical issues with data, media and society

4) How to make sure you are sharing accurate information

What do you do when you are asked to stonewall on a public health issue? – Sam Villegas, APR

By Mark McClennan, APR, Fellow PRSA • September 28, 2020 • 0 Comments

Sam Villegas, APR, a Senior Consultant with Raftelis shares insight on:

1) What do you do when you are asked to stonewall on a public health issue?

2) When should you act as a whistle blower?

3) How do you effectively respond to disinformation and fear-based attacks?

Unexpected ethics lessons from Tonya Harding – Dianne Danowski Smith

By Mark McClennan, APR, Fellow PRSA • August 24, 2020 • 0 Comments

Dianne Danowski Smith, the president and founder of Publix Northwest, covers a broad spectrum of ethical issues, including:

1) Unexpected ethical lessons from Tonya Harding

2) What to do when ethics and legal opinion lead to different conclusions

3) What to do when employees don’t want to represent a specific client

4) How to handle the ethical challenge of reporters with agendas

Avoiding Attractive, Insidious Ethical Temptations in Political Communication – Peter Loge

By Mark McClennan, APR, Fellow PRSA • April 13, 2020 • 2 Comments

Avoiding Attractive, Insidious Ethical Temptations in Political Communication – EthicalVoices interview with Peter Loge

Ethics and political communication. It is an essential topic, but one that is not often discussed. Joining me on this week’s episode is Peter Loge, Associate Professor of Media and Public Affairs, and director of the project on ethics and political communication at George Washington University to discuss:

1) What are the true ethical challenges most communicators face?
2) Why “The Stakes are High” is an insidious ethical temptation
3) Is political communication today very different from the 1700s?

The Growing Ethical Threat of Disinformation: Ann Knabe, APR+M

By Mark McClennan, APR, Fellow PRSA • March 9, 2020 • 0 Comments

Ann Knabe, APR+M discussed the growing ethical threat of disinformation

Col. Ann Knabe, PhD, APR+M, discusses the growing threat of disinformation. She also discusses:

1) Taking a stand for PR ethics – is licensing the answer?
2) The importance of education and accreditation to ethical behavior

Category: Government