Truth Voted Down in UK PR Ethics Debate

Submitted by Bob Burton on

A majority of 350 people attending a debate on PR ethics voted against the team supporting the proposition that PR practitioners have a responsibility to tell the truth. The debate was hosted by the PR industry trade publication PR Week. The director of communications for the Church of England, Peter Crumpler, was disappointed with the result. "Truth and integrity have to be the cornerstones of our profession if we are to have any credibility with the media and the wider world," he said. Celebrity PR adviser Max Clifford and PR academic Simon Goldsworthy led the winning team that disagreed. Writing in PR Week, Daniel Rogers summarized (sub req'd) their central premise as being "if you are not prepared to lie occasionally, you cannot do your job successfully."

Main Source: 
PR Week (sub req'd), February 21, 2007
Topics: 
Democracy
Ethics
International
Public Relations

Comments

Lucinda Brown replied on

I am a final year PR student, studying Public Relations and i find this very interesting. I think there needs to be truth and integriety in PR but it has become so far removed from what it should be that the indstry has accepted that employees will lie to get what their client wants.

I am currently undertaking research about the ethical implications surrounding celebrity endorsement of charities so if anyone is interested please email me lucy_brown1@hotmail.com

maryelizabeth replied on

well that is pretty stupid.

public relations should be honest. leave it to the public to decide whether your information is informative. but be honest.

mary elizabeth mahoney