Category: Ethics

JMC Conversation: Journalism's Way Forward

1/31/2017

By Brenna Parker

Public relations is not spin.

I’ll say it one more time for the people in the back. PR. IS. NOT. SPIN. For everyone at Kent State’s School of Journalism and Mass Communication “Journalism’s Way Forward” event, it was made clear that #PRKent is not about spinning the truth.

The event was a panel discussion of post-election America and the future of journalism and communication under President Trump. The panel, which was moderated by news anchor Russ Mitchell, of Cleveland's WKYC Channel 3, included Henry Gomez, chief political reporter at Cleveland.com; Cheryl Ann Lambert, an assistant professor in the public relations sequence at Kent State; Jacqueline Marino, an associate professor in Kent State’s School of Journalism and Mass Communication; Connie Schultz, a professional-in-residence within the School of Journalism and Mass Communication and a nationally syndicated columnist; and Chance York, an assistant professor in Kent State’s School of Journalism and Mass Communication.

Heading into the third week of the Trump administration, it is apparent that the need for a strong relationship between journalists and the American public is now more important than ever. The problem with Trump’s campaign during the election was that he manipulated his supporters into distrusting the media, therefore they now view media professionals as the enemies of the executive office. PR professionals and the media now have to maneuver a working relationship with President Trump, and more importantly, there has to be a sincere and strategic plan in building a relationship with the American public.

Another problem facing PR professionals is that the public is self segregating its news. Social media sites like Facebook and Twitter have algorithms within their site that tailor your content from your online searches and past browser history. The challenge for these professionals will be communicating with these segmented publics, especially when social media sites are kicking out messages and content before it even reaches people.

As an aspiring communications professional who wants to work in public policy, the past two weeks of this administration have been beyond frustrating because our work will be compared to the work of Kellyanne Conway and Sean Spicer. These two, who are furthering the negative stereotypes of public relations professionals, are perfect examples of what not to do when speaking to the press. Take Sean Spicer, for example. In his first press conference as press secretary, he completely shocked reporters around the globe when he scolded the press by reading a statement from the White House that included four verified lies about the crowd size for Trump’s inauguration.

For those of you that want to pay it forward and give back to the media, buy a subscription and support quality journalism. I do not think I am wrong by saying the millennial generation has taken for granted free information and news, but somewhere along the line we forgot to pay it forward and support these news organizations.

Brenna is a senior public relations major and is PRSSA Kent's vice president of professional relations. Contact her at bparke12@kent.edu.

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Media at the Movies: Merchants of Doubt

3/15/2016

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By: Charleah Trombitas
JMC hosted a viewing of the movie Merchants of Doubt, which shined a light on many ethical dilemmas, followed by a panel of professionals to discuss the happenings in the movie. Let me start by making it known that this movie is a documentary, so there is a clear bias. Also, I would like to mention that I enjoyed the movie, though PR professionals were shown in a horrible light. To give a quick summary about the movie, it showed how major controversies in America have been handled and things that have been covered up by so-called “PR professionals.” I think there were five takeaways from this movie and the panel that followed:

1. There are going to be those practicing PR that act unethically. Thankfully, the Kent PR program focuses on ethics and so does PRSSA. Unfortunately, not everyone has the opportunity for the same schooling and some professionals that work in PR do not have schooling for the profession. It’s sad that there are people out there giving PR a bad name, but it is bound to happen. It’s important to remember that these people are a bad example and not someone to look up to.

2. There is a difference between being loyal to your company and being unethical. Though at times you may be posed with ethical dilemmas, you should always strive to make the right decision. A company that you work for should never ask you to be blatantly unethical, and if they do, you should consider if that is a place where you want to work.

3. Even if you have a belief, be open to new ideas and opposing views. In the movie, there was a global warming skeptic. He took it upon himself to do research about the topic and look at both sides. After his research was completed, he changed his beliefs to thinking that global warming was a real issue. That is just one example about how having an open mind allows you to learn, and maybe even prove yourself wrong.

4. Having the reputation of an ethical professional can be lost in a second. You can work an entire career making all the right decisions along the way, but it only takes one unethical choice to ruin your reputation. Now this might sound scary, but if you are conscious of your personal and professional choices, it shouldn’t be a problem. David Hertz, a panelist for the ethics discussion that followed the movie, said it best: “You can build up your integrity for years and then lose it in a second.”

5. Journalism and PR professionals work together and need to have good relationships. They keep each other in-check. Journalists need PR professionals to know what is going on within their organizations. PR professionals need journalists to get their story out in print or on the web, and from an objective view. Both professions are held to a high ethical standard and should be able to respect one another’s profession.

In the end, after seeing this movie I became motivated to make sure I am always ethical in my decision making. No job, boss or amount of money will force me to put my name on something that can ruin my reputation or even worse, something that is untrue.

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Transparency, the truth, the NFL and that team from Washington, D.C.

9/25/2014

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Image Courtesy: Washington Redskins

by Tim Roberts, Lecturer

When it comes to brand ambassadors, National Football League fans are hard to beat. On any given fall Sunday, hordes of logo-clad, face-painted followers pay top dollar to see their wishes fulfilled or hopes dashed.

And, as any Cleveland Browns fans would agree, poor on-field performance doesn’t necessarily translate into a loss of affection. We almost instinctively keep coming back for more.

The NFL and its 32 teams have financially capitalized on that seemingly unshakeable brand loyalty, but this year a series of ethically questionable decisions and reactions to players’ criminal acts have placed league officials in full crisis management mode and caused some to call for an NFL Boycott.

While the finger-pointing over who knew what when continues in the Ray Rice-Roger Goodell saga, the lesson to be taken away is a no-brainer for any PR practitioner—tell the truth as you know it and when you know it to maintain trust and credibility.

What's in a name?

But a lesser-known transparency issue involving one NFL team can provide even more valuable ethics lessons, especially to aspiring PR pros. For several years, the Washington Redskins organization has been fending off criticism of the team name, with a growing number of groups calling it racist and offensive and demanding a name change.

Owner Dan Snyder has not budged publicly in his support for the name. Last July, a website called Redskins Facts was launched to defend the name, with former Redskins players billed as a steering committee. The About Us section portrayed the site as a grassroots effort by team supporters.

But on July 29, the online news site Slate posted a well-researched article linking the site to the Redskins and Burson-Marstellar, a public relations agency known for its crisis management work. The authors tracked the site’s source code to a Burson-Marstellar site, and, in addition, their reporting revealed the Redskins Facts site had the look and feel of other Burson-Marstellar crisis management site templates. A team spokesman danced around the question whether the Redskins was involved with the site and Burson-Marstellar did not even respond to Slate.

After the story appeared, however, both Burson-Marstellar and the Redskins acknowledged their involvement in a Reuters article published July 30, with the agency saying through a spokesman it was representing the Redskins.

While astroturfing may be too strong of a word considering both the team and the agency acknowledged their roles after the Slate article appeared, the initial lack of transparency and fudging by the Redskins and especially Burson-Marstellar is disturbing.

It’s easy to criticize the agency for not being open with Slate about its involvement with the team and the website, as well as not insisting the Redskins make clear on the site its relationship. The Disclosure of Information section in the PRSA Code of Ethics covers that ethical misstep with clarity.

What does this mean for PR ethics?

As PR practitioners, we advocate for our organizations and clients. But we also are supposed to provide wise, ethical, and informed counsel.

Both ethically and strategically, the Burson-Marstellar agency didn’t do the job. Research is the alpha and omega of public relations, and the agency should have insisted on conducting objective, scientific and targeted research to gauge what Redskins’ fans think of the name and the controversy. (The Redskins Facts site does link to ESPN and Washington Post polls showing a plurality of support for the name.)

If the research was in line with the other polls and showed fans supported the current name or were apathetic about it, the agency would be obligated to report that. Then, it should take the ethical high road and insist the team be transparent about who was responsible for the website.

If the team resisted, it would be appropriate for Burson-Marstellar to turn down the website assignment. It wouldn’t be the only agency that ever “fired” a client over ethical issues.

PR pros need to start taking ethical inventories of themselves, their organizations, and their clients. And when they do so, they need to remember the old adage, “When you lay down with dogs, you get fleas.”

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JMC Conversation: Journalism's Way Forward

Media at the Movies: Merchants of Doubt

Transparency, the truth, the NFL and that team from Washington, D.C.

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