Meeting The Ethical Standards « Comm 270- Intro to PR!

Outlining the ethical standards that PR people need to keep a focus on is the main idea of Kathy Fitzpatrick's article. I felt that her basic argument was that public relations and the marketplace have a dependent relationship, but at the same time PR people need to keep their business separate. As Fitzpatrick says, public relations professionals need to maintain an open and truthful relationship with the media, but they need to stay out of political processes. I thought that her message wasn't only about the relationships that PR maintain, but the most important factor in those relationships: truth.

The article focused heavily on the truth aspect between all parties of the "marketplace." It is one of the ethical baselines, but the article mentions it far more than just the one section. Fitzpatrick states that "truthful information flows to and from marketplace participants" and that "both public relations professionals and the news media play critical roles." I thought both of these quotes were important because they captured how crucial and influential both of these parties are to the rest of the marketplace.

I think these influences are especially prevalent in today's society. Unfortunately, I don't think all of these influential messages are truthful today. Truth may not be there, but I think Fitzpatrick's baseline of access is apparent. Access is the only one that is apparent though, disclosure and process are misconstrued in today's marketplace.

Just because these baselines aren't met in today's society doesn't mean that they should be ignored. I definitely agree with all of Fitzpatrick's points in the article. Public relations people should absolutely be meeting all of these standards. If the professionals of today followed these baselines it would create a better image for a lot of people. There are plenty of examples of of these aspects in today's society. For access there is all of the new media that allows speakers and listeners alike to express and take in opinions. There is also plenty of information out there to allow people to make informed decisions. Whether or not they do is debatable. Process is a difficult situation. I think some media forms try to keep the news truthful, but I don't think the political professionals uphold their end. I also don't think PR professionals contribute as positively or as much as they could. Truth is striven for in our society, but it isn't also achieved. I don't think the best interest of the people receiving the information is always kept in mind when it comes to being truthful. Finally, disclosure is not always met in today's world. I don't think people try to be transparent and I definitely don't think they reveal all that they should.

Overall I think Fitzpatrick's article is a very good guide to what an ethical PR professional should do. Unfortunately, I don't think these standards hold true today for many people. I don't think all the fault falls on the PR people though, I think all other members of the marketplace are guilty as well. Everyone should take a good look at themselves and as whether or not they are maintaining the correct ethical standards in their life.