PUBLIC RELATIONS ETHICS: OXYMORON?

More than one public relations practitioner has had to defend the occupation when confronted by a hostile sceptic suggesting that ˜public relations ethics is an oxymoron. Indeed, critics can provide us with chapter and verse on the more unsavoury aspects of this advocacy field. Consider media critic Joyce Nelson's 1989 description of public relations in her book Sultans of Sleaze: Public Relations and the Media : ˜The power of the PR industry is demonstrated by its remarkable ability to function as a virtually invisible "grey eminence" behind the scenes, gliding in and out of troubled situations with the ease of a Cardinal Richelieu and the conscience of a mercenary. ^[1] And it is clear that she is not alone in her view.

From journalism professor Stuart Ewen's 1996 book PR! A Social History of Spin wherein he describes what he calls a ˜foundational conceit in the field of public relations ”conceit born of the notion that the public mind can and should be manipulated ”to media watchers John Stauber and Sheldon Rampton's book Toxic Sludge is Good for You: The Public Relations Industry Unspun and more recently Trust Us, We're Experts and even to the daily newspapers, public relations still suffers from a bad reputation.

Perhaps we need to take a more careful look at how the public may have come to the conclusion that our chosen field of practice and study has the moral character of a con man.

^[1] Nelson, J (1989) Sultans of Sleaze: Public Relations and the Media , Between the Lines Press, Toronto, p 19