Institute for Public Relations

A new paper on the Institute website by Shannon A. Bowen, Ph.D., of the University of Maryland offers an overview of current research-based knowledge on ethics and public relations practice. Bowen connects a lot of dots for practitioners and scholars interested in this aspect of the science beneath the art. She begins with definitions and a little history on how PR’s credibility may relate to ethical judgments. She looks at codes of ethics put forth by professional associations, some accentuating positive principles and others focusing on no-no’s (either way, effective enforcement mechanisms are rare). She points to research which shows that ...