Ethics first: The top ethical practices PR professionals swear by

Authored by Natasha Gupta, Founder & CEO, Story Brews Communications

A strong work ethic lays the foundation of one’s entire career, the choices they make, and the relationships they build. It is what separates most working professionals from the special ones who make it big. One could be an entrepreneur, a corporate employee, a gig-worker, or a business mogul – regardless of the stage they are in their journey, strong ethics at the workplace make all the difference.

Speaking specifically for Public Relations where relationships are at the heart of the business, work ethics play an elemental role in the professional’s success. The primary role for a PR professional is to make a brand visible, and maintain the visibility in a positive light. They are responsible for strategic communication, media relations, and reputation management – and these responsibilities can make or break a brand. With that onus on their shoulders, PR firms and professionals often find themselves in front of clients, the media, and by effect, the target audience.

Unless ethical work becomes part of the professionals’ bloodstream, it is possible to slip up and make mistakes which can cost brands dearly. After all, we live in the world of instant texts and viral content tending to an audience whose attention span is as big as the next reel. It takes years of patience and hard work to put brands on the map; and seemingly simple slip-ups may be fatal for their image.

Few ethical practices as a PR professionals, one should religiously follow and here they are:

Transparency and Honesty – PR firms can often make tall promises about the end goals in a short time. This helps them bag impatient clients who may not be experts in the area. However, complete honesty about approach and short-term goals is ideal. An extension of this is a transparent relationship with the client where they share correct information with their PR firm. This extends to the PR firm being able to convey real, accurate, honest and reliable information to the target audience through the media. Damage control done post facto is more difficult to deal with than providing facts in the first place. The target audience can be unforgiving if they lose trust.

Respect for confidentiality – As part of maintaining a transparent relationship, PR professionals and agencies might be privy on clients’ confidential and sensitive information. It is highly unethical to use or share this information for any purposes other than the intended ones. It is a PR professional’s duty and core responsibility to refrain from disclosing any sensitive information without prior authorization. Relationships thrive on trust, and a client’s relationship with their PR firm is no exception.

Conflict of Interest – Most PR professionals and firms have an area of expertise, sure! However, it is not ethical to work with direct competitors. It not only limits the PR professionals in many ways, but also puts the client’s sensitive information in danger. This is true for individual professionals, but more so for PR firms with large teams. Working with two or more customers with direct conflict of interest not only risks their data but also their brand.

Public Relations can only sustain on mutual respect and trust – and these basic ethics can help everyone in the PR world to navigate through the toughest challenges. These can be benchmarks to baseline any tough decisions or go through bad days; and emerge stronger.