The way to solve this dilemma is to call the advertising agency and request another version of the ad. Advertisers almost always have a different version in anticipation of the fact that some media outlets will refuse to run a potentially offensive version of an ad. With this solution, you can meet your own standards while generating revenue for your publication by accepting the most appropriate ad. The information strategy gives you the skills to ensure that you do not have to resort to inappropriate, unethical or illegal means to gather information. If one method of gathering information seems inappropriate, your ability to develop a well-developed information strategy means that you can use another, more appropriate method to find what you need. Being a highly skilled information collector in an information-overloaded company brings credibility to you and your business. Unless your small business has someone to handle public relations, you may not know what ethical and legal standards you should expect from the PR professional or agency you hire. The Public Relations Society of America has established a PRSA Code of Ethics for its members, setting an industry standard for professional conduct. Government regulations that protect your business and the public interest also keep public relations practices at bay. In some cases, these standards may have both a legal and ethical basis. To adhere to these standards, the communicator must consider both “positive commitments” (things you should always look for) and “negative commitments” (things you need to protect yourself from).
4) Listen. Interception of another`s conversations, electronically or otherwise, is a form of information theft and may result in wiretap laws or other legal penalties. The Federal Trade Commission regulates the advertising industry. Advertisements and news about products and services must not mislead or mislead the public, and public relations professionals must ensure that the content is accurate and justified. Reports on investigations and product testing should include adequate details on research and determination of results. Even celebrities who support the products actually have to use them. 5) Treat consumers fairly, especially if the ads target audiences such as children. In fact, legal requirements for advertising to children are becoming more stringent. Or let`s say you`re the advertising director for a local magazine. You get an ad that you find offensive, even if the advertised product or service is completely legal and the company is a big advertiser in your publication. The Public Relations Society of America`s Code of Ethics emphasizes honesty and responsibility, as well as expertise, advocacy, fairness, independence, and loyalty. The Public Relations Code, like the Advertising and Journalism Code, reflects the concerns of society and practitioners who adopt the codes.
The provisions of all codes are intended, at least in part, to provide the public with reasons to trust the integrity of communicators and the messages they produce. Of course, the codes are also there to keep communicators away from the court. 5) Breach of “contract” with a source. For example, publicly identifying a source that has provided confidential information is both an ethical violation and a violation of the law. We will discuss the details of the source contract in lesson 9 on interviews. For example, a large multinational PR company terminated its account with a major tire manufacturer just months after the account was opened. The reason for this was that the tire manufacturer had not told the PR firm that it was aware of defects in its tires that had caused a series of fatal accidents. The PR professionals decided that they could not ethically represent the tire manufacturer in public under such circumstances and terminated their relationship with the company. The public relations firm`s adherence to professional and organizational standards was more important than the revenue that would have been generated by the account with the tire manufacturer. (Miller) If working in public relations (PR) wasn`t hard enough, learning some legal issues is critical to the success of public relations today. This is just a glimpse of many copyright issues facing the communications industry.
Of course, if you have a copyright issue, contact your legal advisor for an informed and legally sound decision. However, the best way for public relations practitioners to deal with copyright issues is to have a working knowledge of the law. The social network Facebook, which is used by 900 million people worldwide, agreed in June 2012 to pay $20 million to settle a lawsuit in California alleging that Facebook had published that some of its users had “liked” certain advertisers but had not paid users or given them a way to unsubscribe. While you may not have the right legal answer to every copyright issue, the biggest challenge is identifying potential infringements. Knowing this allows practitioners to better handle content ethically and legally. You don`t have to accept this offensive advertising, but you also don`t have to give up your publication`s advertising revenue (again, we weigh two competing obligations – your commitment to your own standards versus your commitment to your media organization to generate revenue). Public relations practitioners, such as advertising specialists, work closely with clients. These associations often lead to legal and ethical decisions when clients and publicists discuss strategies for obtaining information. For example, the Securities and Exchange Commission oversees how companies report their financial affairs and reviews information about stock offerings and financial statements to ensure the accuracy and omission of material facts. Their goal is to ensure that investors and equity analysts can get accurate information about the companies that offer securities. 3) Acquire and responsibly use expertise and experience in preparing public relations messages to strengthen mutual understanding, credibility and relationships between a variety of institutions and audiences. The advertising industry also has a two-tier self-regulatory mechanism.
Advertising accused of being misleading may be referred to as the National Advertising Division (NAD) of the Council of Better Business Bureaus. Cases that are not satisfactorily resolved by the NAD may be appealed to the National Advertising Review Board. The board can put pressure on advertisers by persuading them, advertising or even taking legal action if they deem it necessary. Any advertising professional who collects information and creates an advertisement for a product or service that may appear in this magazine should be familiar with the organization-level publication guidelines for acceptable advertising and societal regulations (Texas state laws) regarding tobacco or alcohol advertising in this publication. Joanna Hatt works as a junior editor in the creative marketing services department of a national newspaper. She has extensive experience in communication and produces works in creative and business-oriented styles. She is skilled in promotional material development, social media marketing, B2B copywriting, and PR content. Hatt holds a bachelor`s degree in history and gender studies. In addition to the societal level of interactions, communication organizations and professionals practice self-criticism and set standards for their own behavior and performance as information collectors.
One of the most striking examples is the dissemination of codes of conduct for mass communication activities at all levels.