ABSTRACT
So far, this book has looked at the ethical issues surrounding the practice of PR in all its guises, but what about life in a PR department within an organisation, or in a PR consultancy? How are such issues handled? There is little point – and a lot of hypocrisy – in proclaiming you are an ethical PR practitioner if you are also a bad employer, don’t pay interns, pay suppliers late, and overcharge or exaggerate your abilities and successes.
This chapter looks at:
People: recruitment, retention and staff welfare and what organisations might need to do in this area to be judged as ethical.
Practice: how consultancies and departments need clear guidelines and values on what is and isn’t acceptable if they are to be credible in their claims they are ethical.
Profits: money matters – how promptly suppliers are paid, how transparent charging is and whether tax is avoided all raise ethical issues.
We have looked so far at the ethical issues surrounding the practice of PR in all its guises, but what about life in a PR department within an organisation, or in a PR consultancy? How are such issues handled? There is little point – and a lot of hypocrisy – in proclaiming you are an ethical PR practitioner if you are also a bad employer, don’t pay interns, pay suppliers late, and overcharge or exaggerate your abilities and successes.
