Professional Codes of Ethics

Introduction

Ethics are essential to all fields and especially to the fields of journalism and public relations. For this reason, many professional organizations provide their own codes of ethics. This paper compares and contrasts the codes of ethics of two organizations in particular, the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) and the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA). This paper also provides a set of guidelines for ethical communication in the digital age in order to emphasize the value of conforming to ethical principles.

The SPJ and PRSA

The SPJ and the PRSA are both professional organizations that focus on communicating information to the public in the fields of journalism and public relations respectively. In terms of ethics codes, common themes, guidelines, and the reason for their codes, some ideas can be found that they share, and in other ways they are unique.

Professional Codes of Ethics

Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ)

The code of ethics of the SPJ provides an ethical guide for journalists reporting on the news and other information to the general public. The code promotes the free practice of journalism and places a high value on truth, accuracy, fairness, impartiality, and other ethical considerations. For instance, the very first and core principle espoused by SPJ is Seek Truth and Report It (SPJ, 2023). This means that the journalist should above all devote himself to revealing the truth of things to the wider public. The guidelines that follow indicate how this should be donei.e., by giving context, taking responsibility for the accuracy of a report, identifying sources, being vigilant, and so on. The full SPJ Code of Ethics can be found at SPJ Code of Ethics.

Public Relations Society of America (PRSA)

The PRSA Code of Ethics elucidates on the principles and guidelines that it believes should ensure the integrity, credibility, and trustworthiness needed in the public relations profession. The code should help PR professionals to serve the public interest honestly so as to improve PR professionals own body of knowledge, protect the free flow of information, and...

For example, the PRSA (2023) states,

We serve the public interest by acting as responsible advocates for those we represent. We provide a voice in the marketplace of ideas, facts, and viewpoints to aid informed public debate. This means that PR professionals have to realize and respect the fact that they are gatekeepers of information and therefore must act responsibly in terms of how information is handled...

…the guideline for fairness and impartiality would help to prevent bias. For instance, a PR professional should be mindful to represent all facets of a client's perspective, not just those that are convenient or agreeable. Impartiality should always be the key. As for the guideline of respecting the rights of others, this is a principle that upholds the dignity of individuals. Journalists must respect the privacy rights of all people by not publishing unverified or private information that could harm a person's reputation. In other words, no journalist should ever engage in doxing, or unfair disclosure (Fisher, 2015). Finally, the guideline of accountability helps to establish responsibility and transparency. If a PR professional releases an incorrect statement, it should be corrected immediately and publicly, acknowledging the error. This would show professional responsibility and commitment to truth.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the SPJ and PRSA share common themes in their codes of ethics. Both emphasize the ethical values of truth, accuracy, fairness, respect for others' rights, and accountability. The field of communication is such that these guidelines are helpful in both practice and in theory. For professionals in these fields, conforming to these ethical guidelines would help to ensure the integrity of their professions and enable them to obtain the…