A Practical Guide to Ethics in Public Relations

by Regina Luttrell, Jamie Ward

Overview

On a daily basis, public relations practitioners are tasked with making ethical decisions, such as advising a client to fully disclose a corporate relationship or advocating for honesty when working with the media.

A Practical Guide to Ethics in Public Relations is designed for courses in contemporary studies of public relations and communications. This text highlights the delicate balance required to navigate the values and demands implicit to the field of public relations and those that underlie society as a whole. Students are encouraged to examine their own values and compare them to those commonly encountered in a professional setting.

Brimming with case studies, practitioner advice, practical ethical dilemmas, and popular culture references, A Practical Guide to Ethics in Public Relations is the ideal text for students grappling with the inevitable ethical dilemmas that arise in professional public relations.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781442272743
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	02/09/2018
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	254
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.70(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Regina Luttrell is associate dean of research and creative activities and assistant professor of public relations at the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University. A contributor to PR Tactics and PR News as well as peer-reviewed journals, she is a noted speaker as well as a Knight Foundation Tow Journalism Fellow. She has authored several books, including Social Media and Society: An Introduction to the Mass Media Landscape; Public Relations Campaigns: An Integrated Approach; The PR Agency Handbook; and The Millennial Mindset: Unraveling Fact from Fiction.

Table of Contents

Foreword by Teresa N. Dougherty, APR
Preface
Part I – Ethics in Public Relations
Chapter 1 – Why Ethics Matter
Chapter 2 – Ethics in Public Relations
Part II – Public Relations Society of America’s Code of Ethics
Chapter 3 – Advocacy
Chapter 4 – Honesty
Chapter 5 – Expertise
Chapter 6 – Independence
Chapter 7 – Loyalty
Chapter 8 – Fairness
Chapter 9 – Ethics Matter, Choose Action
Part III – Award Winning Case Studies from the Arthur W. Page Society Case Study Competition
Case Study 1 – Walking the “Encryption Tightrope”: Getting to the Core of Apple’s Privacy and Security Battle with the FBI
Case Study 2 – Fatal Derailment: Is Amtrak’s Reputation Riding on its Response to the Wreck of Train 188?
Case Study 3 – An Analysis of Starbucks’ Race Together Initiative
Case Study 4 – The Virtue of Patients: Veterans’ Fatal Wait
Case Study 5 – #SocialStrong: The Effect of Social Media on the Boston Marathon Bombing

Editorial Reviews

A Practical Guide to Ethics in Public Relations is a must-read-and absorb resource for public relations professionals at any level in any type of organization. Both professionals and educators (and their students!) will appreciate the straightforward discussion style of presentation along with the clearly relevant, easily understood examples of ethical challenges that public relations professionals are very likely to encounter in the course of their careers.... A welcome addition to the ever-expanding library of books focusing on the ethical aspects of organizational thought and action, A Practical Guide to Ethics in Public Relations should sit prominently on every public relations professional’s bookshelf to be seen by clients, employers, and coworkers alike.” —Communication Booknotes Quarterly

“[The] authors were successful in detailing the application of ethics within the professional field with a focus on a specific Code of Ethics. The authors were purposeful in demonstrating the application of the PURE model of ethical decision making. A major strength of the book is the diversity of both ethical dilemmas and award-wining case studies. Thus, the book would serve as an excellent choice for advanced public relations courses or the standalone public relations ethics course.” —Communication Research Trends

“For those who make the effort to read the volume carefully, not only will their understanding of ethically questionable conduct in the workplace and organizational life generally be enhanced, but so too will their prospects for minimizing its intrusiveness and successfully addressing it when it manifests. . . . In addition to individuals studying public relations or who already are working in the profession, others simply interested in communication, ethics, or some combination of the two and how they can affect decision making in a variety of realms will find what the authors have to say illuminating.” —International Journal of Communication

“This is a rich text designed to help students understand the dynamics of what happens in the industry. It gives the reader a true ability to conceptualize ethical issues from the deep past up to today. The book presents useful diagrams, social media screenshots, and current examples that make the subject new for students. The interviews, case studies, and exercises are all helpful for both students and teachers.” —Tia C. M. Tyree, Howard University

“In A Practical Guide to Ethics in Public Relations, Regina Luttrell and Jamie Ward deliver to their audience a vibrant and measured treatment of the hallmarks of ethical practice. The almost real-time nature of the cases in this text illuminate for students the foundational theories that distinguish the discipline. The contribution here serves those learning the discipline and better yet, those landing their first jobs in the profession.” —Cailin Brown, The College of Saint Rose

“This book offers readers a tangible guide to ethics within the field of public relations, providing the reader with real world examples of ethical dilemmas. You will be asked to work through a problem of messaging and decide for yourself how to get that message across while remaining true to your beliefs and values. Regina Luttrell and Jamie Ward guide readers toward a more in-depth understanding of the industry standards. Their expertise in communications shines through as you as you begin to explore your power and responsibility to educate and advise your clients.” —Jenn O'Conner, Director of Policy, Prevent Child Abuse New York

From the Publisher

This book offers readers a tangible guide to ethics within the field of public relations, providing the reader with real world examples of ethical dilemmas. You will be asked to work through a problem of messaging and decide for yourself how to get that message across while remaining true to your beliefs and values. Regina Luttrell and Jamie Ward guide readers toward a more in-depth understanding of the industry standards. Their expertise in communications shines through as you as you begin to explore your power and responsibility to educate and advise your clients.

Jenn O'Conner

[The] authors were successful in detailing the application of ethics within the professional field with a focus on a specific Code of Ethics. The authors were purposeful in demonstrating the application of the PURE model of ethical decision making. A major strength of the book is the diversity of both ethical dilemmas and award-wining case studies. Thus, the book would serve as an excellent choice for advanced public relations courses or the standalone public relations ethics course.

Communication Research Trends

A Practical Guide to Ethics in Public Relations is a must-read-and absorb resource for public relations professionals at any level in any type of organization. Both professionals and educators (and their students!) will appreciate the straightforward discussion style of presentation along with the clearly relevant, easily understood examples of ethical challenges that public relations professionals are very likely to encounter in the course of their careers.... A welcome addition to the ever-expanding library of books focusing on the ethical aspects of organizational thought and action, A Practical Guide to Ethics in Public Relations should sit prominently on every public relations professional’s bookshelf to be seen by clients, employers, and coworkers alike.

Communication Booknotes Quarterly

In A Practical Guide to Ethics in Public Relations, Regina Luttrell and Jamie Ward deliver to their audience a vibrant and measured treatment of the hallmarks of ethical practice. The almost real-time nature of the cases in this text illuminate for students the foundational theories that distinguish the discipline. The contribution here serves those learning the discipline and better yet, those landing their first jobs in the profession.

Cailin Brown

For those who make the effort to read the volume carefully, not only will their understanding of ethically questionable conduct in the workplace and organizational life generally be enhanced, but so too will their prospects for minimizing its intrusiveness and successfully addressing it when it manifests.. .. In addition to individuals studying public relations or who already are working in the profession, others simply interested in communication, ethics, or some combination of the two and how they can affect decision making in a variety of realms will find what the authors have to say illuminating.

International Journal of Communication

This is a rich text designed to help students understand the dynamics of what happens in the industry. It gives the reader a true ability to conceptualize ethical issues from the deep past up to today. The book presents useful diagrams, social media screenshots, and current examples that make the subject new for students. The interviews, case studies, and exercises are all helpful for both students and teachers.

Tia C. M. Tyree