This week in PR Ethics studies and reports came to the fore. From PRCA’s Annual Perspective, to an HBR study that shows banks with diverse boards commit less fraud, to a great study on what ethical managers should do more often – there is a lot of meaty reading to dig into.
Emmanuel Tchividjian, the principal of the Markus Gabriel Group, and one of the top thought leaders on ethics and communication in the world, discusses:
1) Where your duty lies when you are asked to reveal confidential information
2) The importance of civility and civil discourse
3) How the absence of truth leads to the absence of trust
4) The guiding light of hope
This week in PR ethics virtue was a key theme – from April Fool’s lies to the virtues of a successful leader to taking a stand against Georgia’s new laws – business were living up to their virtues or failing to do so. There was also an interesting report on a growing whistleblower dichotomy.
Karen Garnik, the president of Global Vision Marketing and Communications and the president of Asociación de Relacionistas Profesionales de Puerto Rico and a licensed public relations practitioner, discusses a number of important ethics issues including:
1) How apathy is threatening ethical behavior
2) Porque ser Relacionista es cosa seria – Why being a PR pro is a serious thing
3) Licensing and ethics in Puerto Rico
4) How Puerto Rico’s Licensing compares to the APR
This is NOT an April Fool’s Joke. This week the most interesting ethics stories were all global. The PRCA looked at top ethics challenges globally, LinkedIn shared advice for moving beyond hashtag activism. There was a fascinating interview on global disinformation about climate change and there was a global gaming cheating scandal.
Krista Terrell, APR, the acting president of the Arts and Science Council for Charlotte Mecklenburg County, discusses a number of important ethics topics, including:
1) The best approach to convince executives to report historic inequities
2) Why ethical organizations need to look back as well as forward
3) How organizations can think beyond their whiteness
4) Why we need to think like gardeners, not gunslingers
What I loved about PR ethics this week is learning about two campaigns that are focused on ethics and addressing key issues of our time – disinformation, licensing and trust. There were also ethics examples around disclosure, sustainability and whistleblowers.
Joining me on this week’s episode is Jen Cho, the founder of Pivot and Swerve. She discusses a number of important ethics issues, including:
1) Where should businesses start first in diversity initiatives?
2) How to most effectively deal with microaggressions?
3) Ethical issues with Battle Rap – what to do when your ethics and the industry’s standards diverge?
4) How far back should we go with regards to cancel culture?
5) The rise of Asian American hate crimes
This week, Gov. Cuomo continued to provide myriad examples ripe for ethical discussion. A global PR firm was questioned on it if was staying true to its purpose, and the EU took a different approach to whistleblowers than the US.
Donald Singletary, the president at Singletary Group Communications and an adjunct professor at a number of universities, including Syracuse University and Baruch College, discusses:
1) Ethics of expense reports in the Mad Men Era and today
2) How societal changes are impacting ethical practices
3) How rationalization leads to ethical failures
4) Are we really making progress against systemic racism?