ABSTRACT
Perhaps one of the overriding ethical quandaries for a public relations practitioner is defining what is meant by the term public. One may define public narrowly from the perspective of the organization’s and client’s most critical stakeholders-those networks of interdependency and mutual benefit that demand ongoing attention, focus, and resources. Yet the tug of the greater social public or society also must be acknowledged. From the professional codes of ethics to the expectations that professionals will act on behalf of a greater good, this obligation is usually articulated by codes and practitioners as a first-order priority and is frequently eloquently tied to the responsibilities of citizenship. Yet the boundaries between acting in the best interest of the more narrowly defined public and that of the larger public are not clearly marked, forcing practitioners to search for ways in which somehow to balance or meet obligations to all.
