ABSTRACT
Persuasion involves changing attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors and is often seen as controversial. This chapter explores ethical dimensions of persuasion in three major areas: public relations, advertising, and the growing field of health communication. These areas utilize persuasive tools in various ways and share many characteristics. However, they also are perceived differently by publics and often have different goals. Persuasion is a fundamental element of PR seeking to change attitudes and behaviors. Some argue that like lawyers, PR practitioners should be seen as advocates for clients and points of view and can function ethically in those roles. Further, because PR has different goals from journalism, it should not be evaluated along the same ethical guidelines. Moreover, most PR activities are protected by First Amendment rights. Advertising is also intrinsically persuasive and discussions of what constitutes truth in advertising are at the heart of critiques and government regulation. The Federal Trade Commission and other regulatory bodies monitor claims and insist that advertising not be deceptive and that its messages should be supported by evidence. Health communication has largely been exempted from ethical criticisms, primarily because the goals of such communication are perceived as emerging from good intentions, such as promoting health behaviors and preventing disease. However, even well-intentioned messages are aimed at changing attitudes and behaviors and may have unintended consequences. Thus health communication should receive the same scrutiny as any persuasive or informational campaigns or promotions.
