Добавил:
Upload Опубликованный материал нарушает ваши авторские права? Сообщите нам.
Вуз: Предмет: Файл:
Text_pdf.pdf
Скачиваний:
118
Добавлен:
12.06.2015
Размер:
2.01 Mб
Скачать

receiver of the information must decide what to do with it – print it, broadcast it, believe it, or react to it or whatever. The PR practitioner is therefore placed in a _______ of trust – what he or she says is likely to be treated as the _______.

Ethics applies particularly to the way the PR practitioner behaves. This _______ _______

becomes an essential part of his or her professionalism, as with a doctor, lawyer or architect.

Match the words (1-10) with the definitions (a-j).

1.

conscience

a.

to reduce the negative effect of something, by doing something that

 

 

 

has an opposite effect

2.

value system

b.

someone whose job is to give journalists information that makes a

 

 

 

politician or an organization seem as good as possible

3.

unscrupulous

c.

a set of written rules that people use to decide what is right and

 

 

 

what is wrong

4.

pejorative term

d.

to support best morals

5.

counteract

e.

the ideas and feelings you have that tell you whether something you

 

 

 

are doing is right or wrong

6.

flack

f.

a set of principles and beliefs that influence the behavior and way of

 

 

 

life of a particular group

7.

purveyor of

g.

the quality of always behaving according to the moral principles

 

deception

 

that one believes in

8.

code of ethics

h.

willing to do things that are unfair, dishonest, or illegal

9.

personal integrity

i.

someone providing misleading information

10.

uphold the highest

j.

a word or phrase expressing criticism or a bad opinion of someone

 

standards

 

or something

3. Reading

Reading 3.1.

Read the text “Ethics in Individual Practice” and answer these questions.

1.What ethical questions plague the life of many PR practitioners?

2.What ethical principles should a Rr practitioner be guided by?

3.How can a PR practitioner talk the employer out of unethical actions?

- 113 -

Ethics in Individual Practice

Ethics in public relations boils down to deeply troubling questions for the individual practitioner: Will I lie for my employer? Will I cover up a hazardous condition? Will I deceive in order to gain information about another agency’s clients? In other words, to what extent, if any, will I compromise my personal beliefs?

These and similar questions plague the lives of many public relations people, although a number hold such strong personal beliefs and /or work for such highly principled employers that they seldom need to compromise their personal values. If employers make a suggestion that involves questionable ethics, the public relations person can often talk them out of the idea by citing the possible consequences of such an action – adverse media publicity, for example.

“To thine own self be true,” advised New York public relations executive Chester Burger at an IABC conference. A fellow panelist, Canadian politician and radio commentator Stephen Lewis, commented: “Look at the substance of what you have to convey, and the honesty used in conveying it.” With the audience contributing suggestions, the panelists formulated the following list of commendable practices:

Be honest at all times.

Convey a sense of business ethics based on your own standards and those of society.

Respect the integrity and position of your opponents and audiences.

Develop trust by emphasizing substance over triviality.

Present all sides of an issue.

Strive for a balance between loyalty to the organization and duty to the public.

Don’t sacrifice long-term objectives for short-term gains.

Adherence to professional standards of conduct – being truly independent – is the chief measure of a public relations person. Faced with such personal problems as a mortgage and children to educate, practitioners may be strongly tempted to become yes men (or women) and decline to express their views forcefully to an employer, or to resign.

In some cases practitioners have been arbitrarily fired for refusing to write news releases that are false and misleading. This happened to one of the PRSA members in San Francisco. The company president wanted him, among other things, to write and send a news release giving a list of company clients when, in fact, none of the companies had signed a contract for services. When the practitioner refused, on the grounds that the PRSA code would be violated, he was fired. In turn, the practitioner sued the company for unlawful dismissal.

(Wilcox, Dennis L., et al. Essentials of Public Relations. New York: Longman., 2001. P. 63-65)

- 114 -

Соседние файлы в предмете [НЕСОРТИРОВАННОЕ]