Core Ethical Principles
Instructor Resources
- On this Page
- Overview
- Presentation Files
- Lesson 1
- Lesson 2
- Module Developer
Overview
A true professional never seeks to become an unethical profession. Rather the drift toward unethical practice is incremental, almost invisible unless its professionals are minding the gap between foundational ethical principles and professional practice. This module helps current and aspiring public relations professionals to “mind this ethical gap” and become ethically literate. To do so, this module establishes the importance of values in ethics and introduces four ethical orientations that drive behavior. Once these principles are introduced, the module offers ethical tests that practitioners can use to guide ethical practice. By embracing the ethical principles discussed here, professionals can become ethically literate and ensure the ethical practice of public relations.
Presentation Files
Lesson 1: Mind the Gap: Key Ethical Principles for Ethical Literacy in Public Relations
Lesson one highlights the underlying ethics of professionals’ actions and reactions and explains the various ethical orientations that guide behavior. It lays the foundation for ethical literacy by recognizing the ethical choices that public relations professionals face and the ethical philosophies that guide these choices.
Public relations practitioners are encouraged to integrate ethics into their practice, but before that can be accomplished, they need to develop an ethical public relations literacy.
Public relations ethical literacy allows professionals to identify personal values as well as the values of others, understand the ethical orientations that shape our perspectives, critically analyze the appropriate ethical frameworks, apply the ethical principles, and evaluate the ethical decision.
This lesson considers the initial steps for ethical literacy: identifying ethical viewpoints and understanding the ethical orientations.
Ethical public relations literacy begins with an understanding of the values that guide our decisions. These values determine how an individual judges ethical behavior; yet, many students have never considered the values that guide their action.
This lesson then considers four ethical orientations or principles commonly used to guide ethical decision making:
- Axiology
- Deontology
- Teleology
- Situational ethics
Students will gain an understanding of these orientations and their influence on public relations practice.
The lesson concludes with the realization that public relations professionals understand ethical situations differently. As a result, there is a great need for ethical public relations literacy to help professionals not only understand their own ethical orientations, but the ethical orientations of others.
Learning Objectives
- Define the concept of ethical public relations literacy.
- Identify the four ethical orientations common to public relations practice.
- Describe the role of values in ethics.
- Explain the advantages/disadvantages of the four ethical orientations in public relations practice.
Key Concepts
Axiology, Categorical imperative, Deontology, Ethical public relations literacy, Golden Mean, Higher and lower pleasures, Instrumental values, Situational ethics, Subjectivism, Teleology, Terminal values, Utilitarianism, Values, Virtue ethics
Lesson 2: Reaching Ethical Maturity: The Ethical Development of Public Relations Practice
Lesson two builds on the ethical values and orientations presented in lesson one and assesses the connection between ethical principles and public relations practice. It uses the four models of public relations to illustrate the growing ethical sophistication of public relations practice and offers specific ethical tests for effective public relations practice.
Learning Objectives
- Define the stages or moral obligations of ethical development.
- Identify the four models of public relations.
- Describe the ethical orientations associated with each model of public relations.
- Explain the ethical development of public relations using the four models of public relations.
- Assess the ethical development of public relations messages.
- Apply the five pillars of public relations to a public relations situation.
Key Concepts
Axiology, Categorical imperative, Deontology, Golden Rule, Moral obligations, Mutuality value system, Partisan value system, Pillars of ethical public relations, Press agentry model, Professional ethic principle, Public information model, TARES, Teleology, Test of sincerity, Theory of ethical discourse, TV test, Two-way asymmetrical model, Utilitarianism
Module Developer
Dr. Christie M. Kleinmann
Professor, Belmont University
Dr. Christie M. Kleinmann, APR is a professor of public relations at Belmont University where she teaches public relations research, ethical leadership, and crisis management in the public relations and social media management programs within the Department of Public Relations. Kleinmann has presented research at numerous regional, national, and international research conferences as well as been recognized for her mentorship activities. She was named a Page Legacy Scholar and a Page Legacy Educator for her research and teaching initiatives in social responsibility by the Arthur W. Page Center and earned the Tennessee Communication Association’s outstanding undergraduate mentor award. Kleinmann also received the 40 Under 40 Business Award and the 30 in their 30s Award for community leadership and service. Her professional background includes experience in health care and sport communication.