Appendix 1: For Your Bookshelf

The following are some books that I recommend you consider reading as you continue your professional development in the area of ethics.

Cohn, Randy (2002) The Good, the Bad and the Difference: How to tell right from wrong in everyday situations , Doubleday, New York

Randy Cohn is known as ˜The Ethicist in the New York Times Magazine with his syndicated column that is distributed throughout North America. This book is based on columns he has written in response to ethics questions submitted by puzzled readers and covers everything from work life to family life and everything in between. You might not always agree with him (as I don't), but his answers will make you think about the ethics of your everyday life and your work in new and interesting ways.

Ewen, Stuart (1996) PR! A social history of spin, Basic Books, New York

Written by a journalism professor , this book is one of the most detailed histories of modern public relations that has ever been published. The author's obvious biases aside, the narrative begins with Ewen's interview with Edward Bernays near the end of his life and then takes a sociological view of the development of our field. This is a must-read for anyone who truly wants to know where we have come from. And knowing where we have come from can often provide a better understanding of where we ought to go.

Nash, Laura (1993) Good Intentions Aside: A manager's guide to resolving ethical problems , Harvard Business School Press, Boston, MA

Ethics scholar Laura Nash has a way of writing about business ethics that is at once refreshing and accessible. This book really makes the point that good ethics is good business today and provides a sound examination of the application of ethics principles in business situations of all kinds.

Nelson, Joyce (1989) Sultans of Sleaze: Public relations and the media , Between the Lines, Toronto

This is a classic. It is currently out of print, but if you can find a copy, it is well worth the read. Media critic Joyce Nelson paints a very sleazy picture of the public relations industry and how it manipulates the media and in turn the public. She examines the tactics that we use to ˜manufacture consent as Edward Bernays would have said. This one-sided picture of your field just might make you mad enough to do something about the perception of our ethics.

Stauber, John and Rampton, Sheldon (1995) Toxic Sludge is Good for You: Lies, damn lies and the public relations industry , Common Courage Press, Monroe, ME

I can't stress enough how important it is for public relations practitioners to understand what is being written about their industry. This is how we can understand the scepticism that surrounds our field. And make no mistake, the behind-the-scenes descriptions of the unethical practices within our industry that Stauber and Rampton portray are well researched and compellingly presented, notwithstanding the clear bias of their presentations. This is a book that you should read and discuss with your colleagues. You might also consider reading their newer books Trust Us We're Experts: How industry manipulates science and gambles with your future and Weapons of Mass Deception: The uses of propaganda in Bush's war on Iraq .

Robinson, Dave (author) and Garratt, Chris (illus) (1996) Introducing Ethics , Totem Books, New York

This small book is one of those illustrated volumes designed to simplify complex subjects for the rest of us, and I find this one particularly good. If you ever wanted to know how ethical thought developed from Socrates through Machiavelli and on to the present day, but don't want to read a dense volume about ethical theory, this overview is for you and might prompt you to delve further into ethics.

Seib, Philip and Fitzpatrick, Kathy (1995) Public Relations Ethics , Harcourt Brace College Publishers, London

I would be remiss if I did not recommend that you read this little volume devoted to public relations ethics. Public relations academics Seib and Fitzpatrick have provided one of the very few volumes on this specific subject and I have used this as a textbook in my ethics course. Whereas they don't cover a large number of specific ethics situations, one of the strengths of this book is its sense of an overview of the subject and their nice bibliography that might lead you to the periodical literature related to our subject.