PR Ethics Month: Rethinking The Relationship Between PR & Journalism

(MENAFN- PRovoke) Manipulation of public opinion, information wars, disinformation - today's media landscape faces numerous challenges that force a re-evaluation of communication approaches. The changes in society demand a renewal of ethical standards and a rethinking of the role of PR in the modern world. The PR industry finds itself at the intersection of these two demands, playing its role in restoring the reputation and trust of information sources.

As players in the media sphere, we are used to the stereotypes that PR specialists and journalists“don't get along”. PR specialists bombard journalists with unnecessary promotional news, while journalists need hot stories and catchy headlines. These stereotypes have caused much harm and difficulties in building loyal relationships between journalists and PR professionals. However, if we look deeper, we will see that we have the same goal: creating a healthy information environment, which is only possible through cooperation.

Distrust in the media is growing, negatively impacting the development of information and media spaces. Over the past year, journalists have noticed that the public has lost trust in the media (53%), according to Cision's Global State of the Media Report. This is influenced by media oligarchisation, censorship, fake news, the spread of disinformation, information wars, and dubious influencers who have replaced traditional media.

However, unethical practices by communication professionals also contribute to the lack of trust; black PR, paid articles, concealing the truth, misleading, pursuing self-interests, and more. We all see the challenges in the information space, but we can influence it as players in a single ecosystem.

PR & journalism: common principles

Partnerships between journalists and PR specialists must be built on mutual understanding and a shared goal - informing the public and giving a voice (or exposure) rather than on short-term gains.

Ethical communication should be based on principles where both PR specialists and journalists follow the same rules:

• Ignoring deceptive practices
• Providing truthful information and maintaining balance in communication
• Adhering to the principles of honesty and impartiality
• Conducting fact-checking and citing sources
• Giving a voice to all participants in the story.

At the same time, journalists understand the importance of NDAs and sensitive business information, while PR specialists respect the principles of editorial independence without external interference.

This partnership is a win-win strategy for both parties. Quality information benefits readers, media, journalists, stakeholders, and speakers. Only together can we create a world where truth and honesty remain the central values.

The invisible superpower of PR specialists

PR specialists form the invisible bridge between companies, speakers, and the media, balancing the needs of all communication players. These professionals are responsible for fact-checking, preparing speakers for interaction with journalists, quickly finding newsworthy topics, and fighting disinformation. This requires constant activity and stress resistance, as the information flow never stops.

An example of such a communication bridge is the PR Army , which was created in response to the needs of the information society. Not only does it inform about the war against Ukraine, but it also educates the media on responsible coverage of military events, giving a voice to all participants in these events.

Associations and ethical codes

Studying ethical codes is the foundation of professional PR education, and we must know their provisions and the fundamental laws that regulate the activities of the information space. There are dozens of ethical codes for PR communication professionals, particularly PRA, PRSA, ICCO, and PRCA. On the latter, I am a member of the Global Advisory Board for the second year, where we developed key tracks, including ethics.

Here are the
fundamental principles of successful and trustworthy communication according to PRSA:

• Advocacy: Providing a voice in the marketplace of ideas, facts, and viewpoints to aid informed public discussion.
• Honesty: Adhering to the highest standards of truthfulness in public communications.
• Expertise: Building understanding, trust, and relationships with a broad range of audiences.
• Independence: Offering objective counsel to those we represent and being accountable for our actions.
• Loyalty: Faithfulness to those we represent while honoring our obligation to serve the public interest.
• Fairness: Respecting all opinions and supporting the right of freedom of expression.

However, the PR field has its failures and cases where violations of fundamental ethical norms have caused harm on the one hand and led to a revision of ethical norms and standards on the other, as we saw with the infamous
Bell Pottinger case.

Ethical codes and AI

Ethical codes are adapting to the new information world and the development of technologies. Despite the fact that technology allows for the automation of many processes, human control and responsibility remain key to ensuring content ethics. PR professionals must ensure that all materials created with the help of AI comply with ethical standards.

The IPRA and PRSA codes regulate PR professionals' responsibility for information obtained through AI, preventing manipulation in such content. PRSA's code of ethics prohibits the use of manipulative techniques, which can include the use of AI to create fake or misleading materials. PRCA's codes state that organizations must be transparent about the use of AI in their communications, ensuring honesty and trust from the audience. The use of AI must comply with data protection norms and ethics, as well as respect users' rights, etc.

The International Communications Consultancy Organisation (ICCO) has established principles for the use of AI in PR, which emphasise confidentiality, respect for privacy rights, and avoiding any forms of bias or discrimination.

Media companies Reuters and Associated Press (AP) have implemented stricter editorial controls to ensure the verification of AI-generated news before publication, after Reuters automated thousands of news stories in 2018, raising transparency questions, and AP once accidentally released incorrect financial data due to an algorithm failure.

The information world has constantly evolved over millennia, as have our standards and ethics. In writing this article, my core purpose was to show that we, both journalists and PR specialists, co-create and influence our information space and balance it out. Our strength lies in cooperation, and it has always been that way.

Viroslava Novosylna is the founder and CEO of Slova Tech PR in Ukraine, co-founder of the Wtech community for women in tech and a member of the PRCA's global advisory board.

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