After receiving ethics training across the curriculum and in practice working on student-run PR agencies, TV, radio and news products, students leave their college programs armed to recognize when they're in a potentially tricky spot, how to work through a decision-making process, and what resources they can consult to uphold industry codes of ethics.
But how can we keep ethics at the forefront once outside of the college experience?
- Keep a copy of your industry's Code of Ethics where you can see it while you work.
- Set a reminder on your calendar to review the Code of Ethics every six months or so.
- Participate in Twitter chats for your industry. PRSA hosts #PREthics and the entire month of September is dedicated to ethics in public relations.
- Attend or plan an ethics presentation or panel for your local industry organization.
- Follow the social media feeds of organizations promoting ethics. Then, your daily feed will give you little reminders. The Arthur W. Page Center is one idea (full disclosure — I'm a Page grant recipient).
- Consume publications about ethics or sign up for their e-newsletters: http://www.mediaethicsmagazine.com/
- Bring "fun" case studies to discuss at staff meetings. It's much easier to debate and learn when it's not YOUR immediate crisis. Dissect someone else's ethical dilemma with the help of hindsight: https://mediaethicsinitiative.org/case-studies/
- Seek out mentors and create a network of your ethics sages. It helps to have those you can call and chat through the nuisances of an ethical situation.
In the daily grind of producing content and communicating, the bigger discussions about ethics can get placed on the backburner. Keeping the conversation going throughout the year can make the more ethical decisions easier to make in the moment.
